Orkney has beaches in every direction, and we checked six well-known ones. The honest headline is that we found no ban, seasonal restriction or dog control order on any Orkney beach in the sources we could read, and also no official page that says dogs are allowed at a named beach. Those are two different things, so every card below is marked “check”.
We chose the selection on a simple basis: two beaches named on Orkney’s official tourism site (Scapa and Warbeth), plus four that a dog-beach directory lists. It is a starting list, not every beach in the islands. Our dog walks near me page will help you pick other walks, and we have not yet written an Orkney area guide of our own.
The rules in short
Orkney Islands Council’s dog fouling page says the person in charge of a dog must pick up after it, and that not doing so is an offence. The page does not mention beaches, bins, lead rules, dog control orders or a fixed penalty amount. For those, the council points to environmental health on 01856 873535 (environmental.health@orkney.gov.uk). We did not read the council’s separate pets policy, so we cannot say what it covers.
The most useful advice comes from the Orkney tourism site’s dog walking page (published 12 May 2026, last modified 9 September 2026). It says to keep your dog on a lead around livestock and until you are sure there is none about, and always on a lead along cliff tops. It warns that some beaches are grazed and that there are usually no warning signs. It asks you to keep dogs on worn paths from April to July to protect ground-nesting birds and their chicks, to give birds a wide berth all year, and to check tide times because some beaches disappear at high tide and you can get cut off. It does not mention lambing. Councils and landowners can change their rules, so read the signs on the day. Travelling by ferry? Our pet transport in Aberdeen guide covers the NorthLink crossings to Orkney, and the Highlands beaches guide covers the mainland side if you sail from Scrabster.
Named by the tourism board: two beaches to start with
Neither of these comes with a formal rule, so treat them as “check”.
Scapa Beach — Kirkwall
The Orkney tourism site suggests Scapa Beach as a place to meet local dog owners, and says to clip your dog on before approaching another dog that is on a lead. It states no rule for the beach itself. Check the signs.
Source: Orkney tourism site, dog walking page (official tourism board, no formal rule) (checked 11 November 2026)
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Warbeth Beach — Stromness
The tourism site says the stretch from Stromness to Warbeth Beach on the West Coast Trail “offers good off-lead opportunities”. That is encouragement, not a published rule, and the same page says to use a lead around livestock. Check the signs, and the tide.
Source: Orkney tourism site, dog walking page (official tourism board, no formal rule) (checked 11 November 2026)
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A directory says dogs are allowed
A directory is not an official source, so these are “check” too.
Bay of Skaill
The Beach Guide (a directory, weak source) lists dogs allowed, and warns that some beaches it lists as dog friendly may have restricted areas. Please note that Historic Environment Scotland says “no dogs except assistance dogs” at the Skara Brae site itself. Its page does not mention the beach, so keep your dog off the heritage site and look for signs.
Source: The Beach Guide (directory, weak); Historic Environment Scotland Skara Brae access page (checked 11 November 2026)
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Inganess Bay
The Beach Guide (directory, weak source) lists dogs allowed, with no restrictions or lead rules given. We found nothing official either way.
Source: The Beach Guide (directory, weak) (checked 11 November 2026)
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No dog information found
For these we found nothing either way, which is not the same as dogs being allowed.
Sands of Evie
The Beach Guide lists this beach but says it does not have enough information on restrictions. We found no official page.
Source: The Beach Guide (directory, weak): no restriction information (checked 11 November 2026)
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Newark Bay
The Beach Guide lists this beach but says it does not have enough information on restrictions. We found no official page.
Source: The Beach Guide (directory, weak): no restriction information (checked 11 November 2026)
View on Google Maps
Seals, birds and the reserve rules
For seals, the Orkney tourism site’s seal pup walks page (published 28 October 2026) says to leave your dog at home if you can, to keep it on a lead if you cannot, and to watch from above rather than going down on to the beach. It mentions the autumn and winter walking season and a “pupping season” but gives no dates, so we cannot tell you when pups are on the beaches. The dog walking page adds that seals can bite hard if approached on rocks and beaches where they rest and give birth.
At the RSPB’s Marwick Head reserve (sea cliffs, not a beach), the RSPB asks you to keep your dog close, preferably on a short lead, during the breeding season, which it gives as 1 April to 15 August.
What we could not confirm
We could not find any official statement that dogs are allowed or banned at a named Orkney beach. We did not read Orkney Islands Council’s pets policy, so we cannot rule out a council-run beach rule. We found no lambing dates for Orkney, and no seal pupping dates. The directory also lists Brough of Birsay, Dingieshowe, Eastside, Grobust, Long Ayre, Mill Sands, Mussetter, Rackwick, Rothiesholm, Sands of Wright, Sandside, Tresness, Waulkmill Bay and Windwick Bay, but with no dog information, so we have not given them cards. Dog bins, parking and postcodes are left out rather than guessed. The tourism site also mentions Sinclair’s Bay as a pre-ferry walk, but that is in Caithness, not Orkney.
After the sand, our dog-friendly pubs and cafés page lets you pick an area, though we have no Orkney list yet. For the wider picture, see our UK dog-friendly beaches guide and our area picker for dog services.
Busy beaches can be exciting for a dog. If yours finds crowds unsettling, the Calmdogs calming bites are a complementary feed some owners keep for days out, though for ongoing anxiety it’s best to speak to your vet.
Frequently Asked Questions
Are dogs banned from beaches in Orkney?
We found no ban, seasonal restriction or dog control order on any Orkney beach in the sources we could read. But no official page says dogs are allowed either, so read the signs and ask Orkney Islands Council environmental health if you need to be sure.
Do dogs need to be on a lead on Orkney beaches?
We found no beach-wide lead rule. The Orkney tourism site advises a lead around livestock and along cliff tops, and says some beaches are grazed with no warning signs. From April to July it asks you to keep dogs on worn paths to protect ground-nesting birds.
Can I take my dog to see seal pups in Orkney?
The Orkney tourism site says to leave your dog at home if you can, and to keep it on a lead if you cannot. It also says to watch from above and keep your distance. It gives no pupping dates, so we cannot say when pups are on the beaches.
Are dogs allowed at Skara Brae and the Bay of Skaill?
Historic Environment Scotland says no dogs except assistance dogs at the Skara Brae site. Its page does not mention the beach at the Bay of Skaill, where a directory lists dogs as allowed, so check the signs.
Written by Georgiana & Figo.
