50 Years and a million passengers later…..
Recorded 4 years ago
About this recording
The story of the John OGroats Ferry started with a tiny speed boat.
In 1971 Ian Thomas was a sprightly 40 year old scientist when he decided to buy a little speed boat and see where it took him. He named the boat the Pentland Atom in recognition of its speed and a nod to the industry he was leaving behind in his wake – nuclear power.
He was now looking ahead and on the horizon and from his home on the North Coast of Scotland lay the Orkney Islands. Like sleeping whales, as George Mackay Brown put it, he saw the untapped potential of this wonderful archipelago as a day trip destination from nearby John OGroats. But he sought to bring more than day-trippers to experience this amazing place and helped to form a bond between the two communities of Caithness and Orkney.
At first backpackers and locals flocked back and forth across the Pentland Firth from John OGroats to Orkney. Eventually, groups started to arrive and visitors from every corner of the globe enjoyed their experiences with John OGroats Ferries, but little did he realise when he first set sail that the business would have brought more than a million visitors to these fascinating islands over 50 summers!
Of course, the business moved on from the tiny little Pentland Atom and over the years new boats were acquired, new piers were built and there's been a lot of water under the bridge since then.
The business is still owned and run by the same family and they are still here looking forward to welcoming you to Orkney and giving you a taste for this amazing place.
(written by Frederick Fermor)
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