Places to Visit
is an excellent base to explore Orkney from. The islands are rich in nautural flora and fauna, ancient monuments and world-class visitor attractions. Here is just a short taster of what you can see and do when visiting our beautiful islands...
Stromness
Home to the internationally renowned Pier Arts Centre and location of the
Stromness
Museum and the main passenger ferry terminal, Stromness is a beautiful harbour
town
and
fishing
port.
Stromness dates from the 17th century and has a distinctive architectural character,
with
its
small piers and jetties and winding paved streets. Stromness
is
well
served
with
restaurants,
pubs
and
cafes
- plus, it has a Post Office, Co Op, butchers, a variety of banks and ATMs and
a
bookshop.
is only a few minutes drive
from the centre of Stomness. There is ample car parking along Ferry Road near
the ferry terminal - only a short walk from the main street.
Kirkwall
The administrative centre of Orkney - the Royal Burgh and City of Kirkwall
- is about 16 miles by road from Stromness. Steeped in history, Kirkwall also
hosts
most
of
the
large
shops
and
services,
including
the Kirkwall
Library and Archive, the Orkney Museum, Balfour Hospital, the Pickaqouy Centre
and the terminals for the feries to the North Isles. Kirkwall is also home
to
a number of must-see places to visit including the
magnificent
St.
Magnus Cathedral, the Earl's and Bishop's Palaces and the Highland Park Distillery.
Kirkwall is home to the Ba' - a game of mass football,
played
in
the streets. The Ba' is played every Christmas Day
and New Year's Day in Kirkwall between two sides called the Uppies
and the Doonies (traditionaly those men and boys born 'Up-the-Gates' and 'Doon-the-Gates').
St. Magnus Cathedral
St. Magnus Cathedral, which belongs to the people of Orkney, towers
over
Kirkwall
- a
magnificent landmark and visitor attraction. Building began in 1137 and it has
seen a number of changes over the centuries. The Cathedral was founded by Norse
Earl Rognvald in memory of his uncle, Earl Magnus (now St. Magnus) and their
remains
are
still within the fabric of the building.
The Cathedral
is
still
a regular church
- with
Sunday
services
and
weddings
taking place.
It
is
also
used regularly for local concerts and other events. The St. Magnus Cathedral
is
run
on
behalf
of
the
people
of Orkney by Orkney Islands Council. Free admission, though the tours of upper
floors and the tower
have a charge.
Skara Brae / Maeshowe / Ring
o' Brodgar / Standing Stones o' Stenness
In 1999 the area known as the Heart of Neolithic Orkney (which comprises
Skara Brae Neolithic village, Maeshowe chambered tomb, the Ring o' Brodgar
and the Standing Stones o' Stenness) was added to the list of UNESCO World
Heritage Sites - alongside monuments such as Stonehenge and the Pyramids of
Egypt.
Skara Brae, northern Europe's best preserved Neolithic stone-built village, lies on the west coast of Orkney's West Mainland in the Parish of Sandwick - only a few miles north of Stromness. Skara Brae was occupied from around 3100BC to 2500BC - and is one of the 'must-see' monuments comprising the awe inspiring Heart of Neolithic Orkney World Heritage Site. Skara Brae was dicovered in the winter of 1850, when a great storm in Orkney stripped the grass and earth away from a mound by the sea in Sandwick, exposing the remains of some of the houses.
Excavated in 1861, Maeshowe is a chambered tomb (or cairn) dating from around 2700BC which lies in the Parish of Stenness. Maeshowe is one of the largest and finest cairns in Orkney. The cairn is made up of a large central chamber, with three side chambers built into the walls and is accessed by a low, long entrance passage - and in midwinter, as the dying light of the sun around the solstice slips below the horizon, the last rays of light shine directly through the entrance passage and fall on the rear wall of the central chamber. Maeshowe lies in a field alongside the main Stromness to Kirkwall road and has a visitor centre opposite it where guided tours can be booked from.
One of the most famous landmarks in Orkney is the Ring o' Brodgar - a circle of 27 megaliths, stands on the north west slope of the Ness o' Brodgar (a thin strip of land between the Harray and Stenness lochs). Only a few minutes away from Maeshowe and the Standing Stones o' Stenness, the Ring o' Brodgar is thought to have been constructed somewhere between 2500BC and 2000BC - and would have originally comprised 60 stones.
About a mile from the Ring o' Brodgar are the even older and larger Standing Stones o' Stenness - though only 4 of the original 12 stones now remain. Also nearby, and within walking distance of the Stones o' Steness is the Watchstone and the Barnhouse Settlement.
The Heart
of Neolithic Orkney World Heritage Site
Maeshowe Winter Solstice Sunset
The Italian Chapel
One of the most popular visitor attractions in Orkney - the Italian
Chapel,
created by Italian prisoners of war at the end of World War II, is situated on
the
island
of
Lambs
Holm,
south
of
the
East
Mainland,
across
the first
Churchill Barrier on the way to the islands of Burray and South Ronaldsay. The
Italian Chapel, which is still used for services, was constructed
from
two Nissen huts by the prisoners while they were building
the Churchill Barriers. Free admission.
Highland Park Distillery
Founded over 200 years ago, the Highland Park Distillery, producer of one of
the truly great Single Malts, stands overlooking Kirkwall. Established in 1798,
Highland Park is the most northerly Scotch whisky distillery in the world.
A guided tour of this renowned distillery is a wonderful way in which to learn
more about the history and traditions of Orkney.
More...
There's a huge amount to see and do in Orkney - and this is only a small selection
of some of its highlights - check out our Orkney links
page for more information
on some of the other wonderful places to visit in Orkney.
