Kirkwall to Shapinsay ferry times and today's sailings
Orkney Ferries · 25 min · 3 sailings today
Return: Ferry times from Shapinsay to KirkwallNext departure · Tomorrow
Scheduled
Tomorrow’s sailings
Today’s sailings
- First sailing
- 08:15
- usual time
- Last sailing
- 17:30
- usual time
- Crossing time
- 25 min
- Sailings a week
- 38
Map
Punctuality: 4 sailings measured so far, 50 needed. How we measure
Operators on this route
| Operator | Sailings in the next 7 days | Crossing time |
|---|---|---|
| Orkney Ferries | 38 | 25 min |
Timetable
| Sun 25 Oct | 11:3014:1516:00 |
|---|---|
| Mon 26 Oct – Fri 30 Oct | 08:1509:4511:3014:1516:0017:30 |
| Sat 31 Oct | 09:4511:3014:1516:0017:30 |
Timetable published from 22 Oct 2026 to 7 Dec 2027.
Weather at sea
| Place | TodaySun 25 Oct | TomorrowMon 26 Oct |
|---|---|---|
| Kirkwall | ||
| Kirkwall | Wind from NW 30–34 knBeaufort 7–8 · galegusts 41 knwaves 1.7–1.9 m9 °Cprecipitation up to 1.2 mm/hvisibility down to 3.2 km | Wind from W 12–30 knBeaufort 4–7 · near galegusts 38 knwaves 0.4–2.0 m9–12 °Cprecipitation up to 3.8 mm/hvisibility down to 1.9 km |
| Shapinsay | ||
| Shapinsay | Wind from NW 32–40 knBeaufort 7–8 · galegusts 49 knwaves 1.7–1.9 m9–10 °Cprecipitation up to 1.3 mm/hvisibility down to 3.5 km | Wind from W 16–39 knBeaufort 4–8 · galegusts 47 knwaves 0.4–2.0 m10–13 °Cprecipitation up to 3.2 mm/hvisibility down to 1.8 km |
Forecast issued 25 Oct, 12:13. It doesn’t tell whether a sailing will run: that is up to the operator.
Data from MET Norway (CC BY 4.0). Licence: creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0. Wind converted from m/s to knots and the Beaufort scale. Waves come from the nearest sea point of MET’s ocean model, which covers north-west Europe only; gusts only where MET forecasts them (the Nordic area).Weather data by Open-Meteo.com. Licence: creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0. Models ECMWF IFS and ECMWF WAM (© ECMWF, CC BY 4.0), 9 km grid: wind in knots converted to the Beaufort scale, temperature at sea level, precipitation (rain, showers and snow) as the hourly total shown for the hour it falls in, waves and mean wave period from the model’s nearest sea point, visibility shown only below 5 km; nearby places in the same grid cell share the same figures.Daily lows and highs, and the hour with the most precipitation, worked out by ferrywhere. Each figure comes from MET Norway where MET forecasts it, otherwise from Open-Meteo.
Questions about this route
How many ferries are there from Kirkwall to Shapinsay today?
There are 3 sailings today from Kirkwall to Shapinsay: the first at 11:30, the last at 16:00.
How long is the ferry from Kirkwall to Shapinsay?
The crossing takes 25 min.
Which ferry companies sail from Kirkwall to Shapinsay?
The route is operated by Orkney Ferries.
What time is the first and last ferry from Kirkwall to Shapinsay?
The first ferry usually leaves at 08:15 and the last at 17:30, local time in Kirkwall.
How often does the ferry from Kirkwall to Shapinsay run?
38 sailings are scheduled in the next 7 days.
About this route
Orkney Ferries currently sails from Kirkwall to Shapinsay every day, 3 to 6 times a day. The first departure is usually at 08:15 and the last at 17:30.
The crossing takes 25 min.
Earl Thorfinn, Varagen and Earl Sigurd have sailed this route in the last 30 days. From Kirkwall, ferries also sail to Rapness, Sanday, Stronsay and 2 more. The return crossing from Shapinsay to Kirkwall has the same number of sailings a week.
ferrywhere is independent and doesn’t sell tickets.
Ports and ships
Ports
- Kirkwall: departures and arrivals todaydeparture port
- Shapinsay: departures and arrivals todayarrival port
Ships on this route
Ships matched to sailings on this route in the last 30 days.
Related routes
Return crossing
- Shapinsay → Kirkwall25 min
More ferries from Kirkwall
- Kirkwall → Rapness1 h 25 min
- Kirkwall → Sanday1 h 25 min
- Kirkwall → Stronsay1 h 40 min
- Kirkwall → Papa Westray2 h 5 min
- Kirkwall → North Ronaldsay2 h 40 min