orkney souvenir guide 4th edition 2012 - charles tait · series covers orkney in three sheets (5, 6...

4th Edition

OrkneySouvenir Guide

by Charles Tait

ISBN 9780951785928

om 2012 120206_Orkney Souvenir Guide 4th edition 2012 17/02/2012 16:57 Page 1

OrkneySouvenir Guide

by Charles Tait

CONTENTSWelcome to Orkney 4

The Main Monuments 6Nature and Environment 8

Kirkwall 12St Magnus Cathedral 14Highland Park Distillery 16

Heart of Neolithic Orkney 20Skara Brae 22Ring of Brodgar 24Ness of Brodgar 26Standing Stones 28Maeshowe 30

West MainlandBrough of Birsay 34Marwick & Sandwick 36Skaill House 38Farm Museums 39Broch of Gurness 40Stromness 42

Scapa Flow 46East Mainland 52

Italian Chapel 54South Ronaldsay & Burray56

South IslesHoy 58

North IslesRousay 64Westray 66Papay 70North Ronaldsay 72Sanday 76Eday 78Stronsay 80Shapinsay 82

Getting to Orkney 86Getting Around in Orkney 90Local Services 92Index 94

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be copied or reproduced in any form, stored in a retrieval system, or trans-mitted in any form by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise (except for the purpose of bonafide review) without the prior written permission of the publisher. The author has asserted his right under the Copyright,Designs and Patents Act 1998 to be identified as the author of this work.

ISBN 9780951785928

A Souvenir Guide to Orkney4th Edition

Published by Charles Tait Kelton, St Ola, Orkney KW15 1TRTel 01856 873738 Fax 01856 875313

charles.tait@zetnet.co.uk www.charles-tait.co.uk

This book is dedicated to my aunt, Margaret C Tait (1918-1999)Cinematographer, Poet, Artist and Inspiration

Text, design and layout © copyright Charles Tait 2012Photographs © copyright Charles Tait 1975-2012Old Photographs from Charles Tait collection

Printing by Kine Italia, ItalyOS maps reproduced from Ordnance Survey mapping with permissionof the Controller of HMSO, © Crown Copyright Reserved 100035677

Equally, the temperature rarelyexceeds 200 in summer. Situatedat the meeting point of the NorthSea and Atlantic Ocean theislands are surrounded by watersabundant in fish and shellfish,adding to the wide variety of local-ly produced quality foods.

Whether one arrives by air or seaat Kirkwall or by sea atStromness, St Margaret’s Hope orBurwick, Orkney presents astrong contrast to the Highlands.Both towns are dominated bytheir winding main streets andharbours, while Kirkwall also hasthe imposing 12th century StMagnus Cathedral.

Both towns have excellent shops,hotels and eating places, as well asinteresting museums and makegood bases from which to explorethe rest of Orkney. Even on theshortest of visits there are several“must see” sites.

Suggested starting points are theOrkney Museum or the HighlandPark Visitor Centre, with itsexcellent audiovisual, in Kirkwall.A tour of the West Mainland tak-ing in Maeshowe, the Ring ofBrodgar, the Standing Stones ofStenness and Skara Brae is essen-tial. If time permits there aremany more places which can bevisited in a day.

On a longer visit it is strongly sug-gested that a visit should be madeto at least one of the other inhab-ited islands, all of which are easilyaccessible by ferry or aircraft.Each island has a character all ofits own and all have interestingplaces to visit as well as accommo-dation and shops.

A good map is a great help in allsuch visits and VisitOrkney pro-duces a useful one which alsoincludes Shetland. The OrdnanceSurvey 1:50,000 LandrangerSeries covers Orkney in threesheets (5, 6 and 7) and they arerecommended for all seriousexplorers.

WELCOME TO ORKNEY,where is much to see and do. Thisguide is designed to help visitorsfind and appreciate the main sitesof interest on the Mainland andother islands. The rich archaeo-logical heritage is one of the primeattractions. The soft green andfertile landscape, beautiful beach-es, spectacular cliffs, abundantwildlife and above all the friendlypeople are equally important inmaking up “Orkney”.

The archipelago lies just north ofMainland Scotland at around

590N and comprises over 70islands of which 17 or 18 areinhabited by about 21,000 people.The first written reference to theislands is attributed to Pytheasthe Greek from about 325BC, butthey have been inhabited for atleast 6,000 years. The timelinefrom prehistory through historicaltimes to the 21st century is contin-uous, making the divisionbetween past and present at timeshard to discern.

Attractions Perhaps mostfamous for its exceptionally well

preserved Neolithic monuments,some of which now enjoy WorldHeritage status, Orkney has awealth of visitor attractions.These range from archaeologicalsites, local museums, theHighland Park Distillery and StMagnus Cathedral, to a diversearray of craft workshops andshops selling attractive localgoods. Wildlife, especially birds, isanother feature of Orkney not tobe missed, whatever the season.This book aims to maximise thebenefit of your visit, no matterhow short.

The Old Red Sandstone rocksresult in a combination of fertileagricultural land, most of which isused to raise Orkney’s renownedgrass-fed beef cattle, moorlandand spectacular coastal fringes,making it a haven for manyspecies of birds in every season,while in spring and summer wildflowers are abundant.

The maritime climate combinedwith the relatively warm AtlanticOcean, make the climate equable,with snow and frost rare in winter.

ORKNEY COUNTRYSIDECODE

We are justly proud of our historicsites, wildlife and environment.Please help ensure that future visi-tors may enjoy them as much asyou by observing these guidelines:

1. Always use stiles and gates andclose gates after you.2. Always ask permission beforeentering agricultural land.3. Keep to paths and take care toavoid fields of grass and crops.4. Do not disturb livestock. 5. Take your litter away with youand do not light fires.6. Do not pollute water courses orsupplies.7. Never disturb nesting birds.8. Do not pick wild flowers or digup plants.9. Drive and park with due careand attention - do not obstruct orendanger others. 10. Always take care near cliffs -particularly with children and pets.11. Walkers should take adequateclothes, wear suitable footwear andtell someone of their plans.12. Above all please respect the lifeof the countryside - leave only foot-prints, take only photographs andpleasant memories.

Notice: While most of the sites ofinterest are open to the public andhave marked access, many are on pri-vate land. Right of access is notimplied, and if in doubt it is alwayspolite to ask. Not all roads and tracksare rights of way.

Midsummer at Yesnaby, West Mainland

WELCOME TO ORKNEY

St Magnus Cathedral in Kirkwall dates from 1137

Puffins and other seabirds come ashore to breed in summer

WELCOME TO ORKNEY

Midsummer dawn at the Ring of Brodgar

Brochs The continuity of settle-ment in Orkney is well demon-strated by the Broch of Gurness.With its surrounding settlementand ramparts, this is one of thebest examples of over a possible100 such structures in Orkney. Itdates from the late Iron Age, thelast centuries BC. The settlementwas occupied for hundreds ofyears at least until early Norsetimes. Pictish houses can beviewed here.

Picts and Vikings The Brough ofBirsay is a tidal island off thenorthwest of the Mainland. It isthe site of both Pictish and Vikingsettlements, with secular andecclesiastic remains. Theseinclude Norse houses and a wellpreserved church. In the nearbyvillage of The Palace, the ruins ofthe 16th century Earl’s Palace pro-vide a gaunt reminder of the morerecent past, while St Magnus Kirkis built on the site of a much olderchurch.

St Magnus Cathedral The 12th

century St Magnus Cathedral inKirkwall was built by the NorseEarl, Rognvald Kolson, in honourof his murdered uncle, EarlMagnus Erlendson. It dominatesthe town, and its warm colouredOld Red Sandstone, unmarked byair pollution, makes the buildingespecially attractive. The interioris particularly impressive and wellproportioned.

Italian Chapel During WWIIseveral hundred Italian prisoners-of-war worked on the construc-tion of the Churchill Barriers.This was to defend the easternapproaches to Scapa Flow fromGerman seaward attack. Duringtheir time here, the prisoners builtthe Italian Chapel in their campon Lamb Holm. This unusualand charming surviving artefact ofwar stands now as a symbol ofhope and peace.

Neolithic Orkney There is awealth of Neolithic sites to visit,of which Maeshowe, the StandingStones of Stenness, the Ness ofBrodgar, the Ring of Brodgar andSkara Brae are the most spectacu-lar. The great chambered cairn ofMaeshowe is the largest andgrandest of its type. All of theseancient precincts date from theearly third millennium BC.

Together these monuments formthe UNESCO World HeritageSite, “The Heart of NeolithicOrkney”. They are situated in theheart of the West Mainland, sur-rounded by farmland and near thelochs of Stenness and Harray, inturn ringed by heather-coveredlow hills. There is a timeless andspacious feel to this landscape as aresult of the dramatic confluenceof sky, water and land.

The Neolithic village of SkaraBrae lies on the shore of the Bay ofSkaill. Its well preserved 5,000year old houses give a very goodimpression of life then, havingbeen protected under sand dunesfor several thousand years, beforebeing revealed by storms.

There is a Visitor Centre at SkaraBrae with a museum, replicahouse and a shop. TormistonMill, next to Maeshowe, also has ashop and interpretative display.The nearby excavation at the Nessof Brodgar is an essential visitduring summer. BarnhouseVillage, the Watchstone and theRing of Bookan are nearby.

There are many other fascinatingmonuments and sites of interestranging from the Neolithic to the20th century which can be visitedall over Orkney. Every parish andisland has something different andspecial left by the people whoinhabited the countryside duringthe last six millennia.

FROM THE NEOLITHIC AGE TO THE 20TH CENTURY

Broch of Gurness aerial view showing the broch and settlement

St Magnus Cathedral dates from 1137

Brough of Birsay aerial view showing Viking Age settlement ruins

The Italian Chapel was built during WWII by Italian POWs

A TOUR OF THE MAIN MONUMENTS

The Ring of Brodgar is a spectacular henge monument over 100m across

Maeshowe entrance passage lit up by the winter solstice sunset

The Neolithic site at the Ness of Brodgar is under excavation

Skara Brae Neolithic village was rediscovered after a storm in the 19th century

The combination of constantlychanging weather and fluctuationsin day length make for a huge vari-ety of lighting conditions. Thismakes Orkney a paradise forartists, photographers and loversof the landscape in all seasons.Thus there is no “best” time tovisit. Just wait a few minutes andeverything will be different.

There are many good locations forobserving wildlife, including sev-eral RSPB Reserves. During thesummer many thousands of birdsbreed in Orkney. The cliffcolonies of seabirds are especiallyimpressive at Marwick Head inBirsay, and Noup Head onWestray. Waders, waterfowl andseveral species of raptor are alsocommon. Both Grey andCommon Seals, as well as Ottersalso breed here.

Maritime Heath, for example, onPapay and on Rousay is home tothe diminutive and endemicPrimula scotica. They are also afavourite nesting site for Ternsand Arctic Skuas, while theHeather Moorland on the hills ishome to Hen Harriers, Merlinsand Short-eared Owls as well asmany species of Waders.Oystercatchers, Curlews, Dunlin,Redshanks, and Golden Ploversare particularly abundant.

Orkney is also a fine place to seemigrants and winter visitors suchas Great Northern Divers, Long-tailed Ducks, Goldeneye, IcelandGulls and other species. ThePeedie Sea, harbours at Kirkwalland Stromness and the lochs inthe vicinity of the StandingStones are good places to look forthese birds. The beach at Scapa,near Kirkwall is perhaps thehandiest to reach of many, whilethe sheltered waters round theChurchill Barriers are usuallyattractive to Great NorthernDivers and seaducks.

Natural Environment As well asthe huge array of ancient andmore recent monuments, Orkneyalso has a rich and interesting nat-ural environment. The combina-tion of fertile farmland with agreat variety of other habitatsmakes it a very good place forwildlife, especially birds. Thereare cliffs, beaches, marshes, moorsand maritime heath as well assheltered bays, small islands andlochs, all of which attract a varietyof different species, depending onthe season and weather.

The many superb beaches, dra-matic cliffs and inland paths pro-vide wonderful opportunities forwalking. Whether just a strollalong the Bay of Skaill orAikerness after visiting Skara Braeor the Broch of Gurness, or one ofthe many more adventurouswalks, Orkney will never fail toplease. The islands are also greatfor cycling, as the hills are notsteep, and the side roads are(mostly) quiet.

The predominant daytime colourshere are the greens, blues andbrowns of grass, water, moor andsky. The hues vary with the sea-son and are particularly vibrant insummer, but more muted in otherseasons. Orkney is also famousfor its sunsets and its long hoursof daylight in summer. TheNorthern Lights or AuroraBorealis are occasionally seen,usually on a dark moonless winternight. Skies are generally not pol-luted by light, so the stars andplanets are easily observed.

The Orkney climate is muchinfluenced by the sea, which variesin temperature by only a fewdegrees over the year. Thisensures that winters are mild, butalso that summers are never hot.The weather is very variable, andit is possible to have every seasonin a day.

Aurora borealis from Wideford Hill in autumn

Orkney is home to a large number of Grey Seals which pup in autumn

Puffins are one of the many bird species which can be seen in Orkney

Midwinter sunset at the Loch of Stenness

NATURE AND ENVIRONMENT

Aikerness beach in Evie overlooks Eynhallow Sound

NATURE AND ENVIRONMENT

There are many superb beaches in Orkney, like Grobust on Westray

Rough seas at Skipi Geo, Birsay

The Old Man of Hoy is one of Orkney’s “trade marks”

In addition there is a good selec-tion of Orkney food and drinkproducts such as Highland Parkand Scapa Malt Whisky, OrkneyHerring, Orkney Cheese, freshand smoked fish and shellfish ofvarious kinds and of course thefamous Orkney Beef.

Eating Out There is a widechoice of establishments aroundKirkwall offering food and drink.These range from first classrestaurants to chip shops andauthentic Indian and Italian eater-ies. All offer local produce andfriendly service.

Highland Park Visitor Centre onthe southeastern edge of the townoffers visits to the distillery. Aninteresting audiovisual introduc-tion to Orkney and the making ofHighland Park Malt Whisky pre-ceeds a guided tour. The shopstocks many items, mostly brand-ed, as well as the full range ofHighland Park Malt Whisky.

Wideford Hill is a fine vantagepoint from which to gain an over-all impression of Orkney. Just tothe west of Kirkwall on the OldFinstown Road, the summit(226m) can be reached by foot-

path or by road. From here thereis a panoramic view of most of theNorth and South Isles, East andWest Mainland and Scapa Flow.Scotland can be seen in the fardistance to the south. The sum-mit is a fine vantage point for sun-rises and sunsets.

Scapa Beach is about 2km(1.5mi) south of the town andmakes a fine walk. There areexpansive views over Scapa Flowfrom here. This is a good place forbird watching at all times of year,especially for waders and seaducks.

KIRKWALL (ON Kirkjuvagr,Church Bay), as the main settle-ment in Orkney, is a good startingpoint for a visit to the islands. It isfirst mentioned in the OrkneyingaSaga. It was the dwelling place ofEarl Rognvald Brusison about1035, who built a church dedicat-ed to King Olav of Norway there.

Later, the town developed aroundthe Cathedral, and became theadministrative and commercialcentre. Its access to the NorthIsles, central position and shel-tered harbour in the then muchbigger Peedie Sea made it an obvi-ous location.

Today the winding main streetstill follows the shape of the origi-nal settlement. Many of the fineold houses with end-on gables

date from the 16th to 18th cen-turies. Narrow lanes run off theStreet which has many attractiveshops. At Broad Street it opensinto the expanse of the grass cov-ered Kirk Green in front of StMagnus Cathedral.

The harbour front is the scene ofmuch activity with ferries, fishingboats and, in summer, cruiseships. Over the last 200 years thepier has greatly expanded, but itstill retains much of its charm.The marina is home to pleasurecraft and is visited by many yachtsin the summer. Occasionally oneor more tall ships lends a taste ofnostalgia to the scene.

Orkney Museum is housed inTankerness House, parts of whichdate from the 15th century. This is

an excellent starting point fromwhich to gain an insight intoOrkney’s rich past. TankernessHouse Garden, behind the muse-um, is a pleasant place for a seat ona nice day. St Magnus Cathedralis across the road, and makes ansuitable finale to a visit, with itspeaceful interior.

Palaces The nearby Bishop’s andEarl’s Palaces date from Norseand Scottish times. The formerwas first built at the same time asthe Cathedral, and was whereKing Haakon Haakonson died in1263 after the “Battle” of Largs.The “Moosie Tower” was builtduring the 16th century.

The Earl’s Palace was built by thenotorious Earl Patrick Stewart inthe early 17th century, but was onlybriefly occupied. It was rooflessby 1750. Patrick was executed fortreason in 1615 and so had littletime to enjoy his palace, which hasbeen described as a ScottishRenaissance Masterpiece.

Shopping The Kirkwall street isan good place to seek out interest-ing souvenirs or presents, with itswide variety of quality shops.They stock knitwear, Orkney jew-ellery, local crafts and books, aswell as many other home pro-duced items. There is plenty ofopportunity for retail therapy.

Tankerness House is the home of the Orkney Museum

KIRKJUVAGR

Kirkwall is dominated by the 12th century St Magnus Cathedral

The Earl’s Palace was built about 1600 Bishop’s Palace - “Moosie” Tower

KIRKWALL

Crown copyright

KIRKWALL

St Magnus CathedralOrkney MuseumEarls’ PalaceBishop’s PalaceThe HarbourPeedie SeaThe Street - Old BuildingsThe Street - ShoppingHighland Park Visitor CentreWideford HillScapa BeachEating OutEvening EntertainmentKirkwall Ba’ Game

St Magnus Cathedral is built fromOld Red Sandstone, said to havebeen quarried at nearby Head ofHolland, and also on Eday. Itlends the slightly austere exterior awarm look, which is particularlyapparent in early morning orevening light. The varied use ofcolour is very effective.

The interior of the Cathedral isabout 69m long and 30m acrossthe transepts, while only 5m sepa-rates the pillars in the nave.Despite this, the overall impres-sion is of space and balance withthe attractive colours of the stonegiving a very welcoming feel.

The Cathedral belongs to the peo-ple of Kirkwall and Orkney, hav-ing been largely financed by themover the centuries. It is the princi-pal venue of the annual StMagnus Festival, whose foundersinclude the composer, Sir PeterMaxwell Davies, and theStromness poet, George MacKayBrown.

The nearby St Magnus Centre, iscontinued evidence of the strongrole that the Cathedral continuesto play in the Orkney community.It has a cafe open in summer,meeting rooms and a large hall.Weddings, conferences talks andother gatherings take place here.It also offers fine views of the eastend of St Magnus Cathedral overthe graveyard.

ST MAGNUS CATHEDRALremains a symbol of the 600 yearNorse sovereignty over Orkney,and of the power and wealth ofthe Norse Earldom. For over 875years it has dominated Kirkwall.

In 1103 the cousins MagnusErlendson and Haakon Paulson succeeded to the Earldom. Atfirst all went well, but by c.1117,disputes had arisen, and it wasagreed to meet on Egilsay on 16th

April. The plan was that eachEarl was to take only two ships,but Haakon arrived with eight

and in an uncompromising mood.Soon it was resolved to executethe rival Earl.

Eventually Haakon’s cook, Lifolf,was ordered to kill Magnus, whichhe did by cleaving his skull. Acenotaph now stands on the spotwhere this act is said to have takenplace. The roofless 12th century StMagnus Church on Egilsay is oneof many churches named after themartyred Earl.

Magnus was buried at Christ’sChurch in Birsay; soon prayers

were being said to him, and mirac-ulous cures were claimed to betaking place. Later, Earl Haakonmade a pilgrimage to Rome, andon his return had the now ruinedSt Nicholas Round Church builtat the Bu in Orphir, in about1122.

He was succeeded by his son Paul,who was deposed in 1135 byMagnus’ nephew RognvaldKolson. Rognvald had vowed tobuild “a stone minster at Kirkwall,and to dedicate it to Earl Magnusthe Holy”. In 1137 on St Lucia’sDay (13th December) he is said tohave laid the foundation stone.

Much of the finance came fromlocal farmers under pressure fromthe Earl. Durham masons weredrafted in to supervise construc-tion work. The church was conse-crated about 1150 when Magnus’remains were transferred to ashrine in the east end of the build-ing. This was in the apse, whichwas later extended to form thepresent St Ronald’s Chapel.

The choir was lengthened in the13th century, and the nave extend-ed also so that by the 14th centurythe Cathedral was more or lesscomplete. Over the centuries itwas allowed to fall into disrepair,but extensive restoration workshave been carried out since thelate 19th century. This work con-tinues today.

West nave stained glass window

St Magnus Cathedral nave from the west door

HMS “Royal Oak” memorialMemorial to the 19th century Arctic explorer, John Rae

“THE GLORY OF THE NORTH”

St Magnus stained glass window

ST MAGNUS CATHEDRAL

St Magnus Cathedral from the southeast

12th century consecration cross carving St Magnus Church, Egilsay

4 - Tun Room - the milled malt is fermented in the mash tuns, and sampledat regular intervals

3 - The Kiln - drying the malted barley - the peat smoke imparts a richaroma to the malt

THE WORLD’S MOST NORTHERLY MALT WHISKY DISTILLERY

1 - Maltings - after steeping the barley, it is spread out on the malting floorand allowed to germinate

6 - Bonded Warehouse - the distillate is placed in sherry casks and laiddown to mature for up to 25 years

5 - Still Room - when fermentation is complete the result is distilled twice inthe familiar pot stills.

2- Loading the Kiln - the malted barley is then placed in the kiln where it isdried over a peat fire

HIGHLAND PARK DISTILLERY

The Highland Park Distillery, the most northerly inScotland, was founded in 1798, on the site of a housewhich belonged to Magnus Eunson, a smuggler andillicit distiller, but also a Church Officer. On hearingthat the Excisemen were after him, he removed all hiscasks from the kirk to his house, covered them with acoffin lid and a white cloth and called the congregationtogether around the whisky. When the customs arrivedhe was apparently conducting a funeral service, and a

whispered “smallpox!” sent them off rapidly.

The site was chosen on account of the water supplywhich comes from springs in a small field called“Highland Park”. The distillery has been owned by sev-eral people, having been founded by a DavidRobertson. It was even owned by a minister of theUnited Presbyterian Church for a time! The Grantfamily of Elgin first became associated with the distill-

has been owned by several people, having been founded by aDavid Robertson. It was even owned by a minister of theUnited Presbyterian Church for a time! The Grant familyof Elgin first became associated with the distillery in 1888,finally selling to the Highland Distilleries Co, in 1936,which in turn was taken over by the Edrington Group in1999.

Apart from the main five archaeo-logical sites, there are many othersto visit. These include Neolithicchambered cairns at Bookan,Unstan, Cuween and WidefordHill. The Broch of Gurness is thebest preserved of many such IronAge sites. There are Pictish andNorse ruins the Brough of Birsay,and a 16th century Earl’s Palace inPalace Village.

The Farm Museums at Corrigalland Kirbuster, the Click Mill andBoardhouse Mill, all date from the19th century. Skaill House, next toSkara Brae is a restored laird’shome full of interesting artefacts.

Stromness has its internationallyacclaimed Pier Arts Centre and adelightful small Museum, reachedthrough narrow, winding streets.

The sheltered harbour was calledHamnavoe by the Norse.

Orphir offers fine views over thegreat natural harbour of ScapaFlow, once home to the BritishFleet, and last resting place of theWWI German Grand Fleet. TheSt Nicholas Round Kirk is Norse,and was built by Earl Haakon inatonement for his murder of Earl ,later St, Magnus.WEST MAINLAND The West

Mainland includes “The Heart ofNeolithic Orkney”, a designatedUNESCO World Heritage Site,which includes Maeshowe, theStanding Stones of Stenness, theNess of Brodgar, Ring of Brodgar,Skara Brae, and parts of the sur-rounding area.

There is a strong argument for thewhole of Orkney to be a WorldHeritage Site in view of its uniquenatural and cultural heritage,however for now the designationis cultural only. The WestMainland encompasses in a smalland accessible area most of what isbest about the archipelago.

Apart from the Neolithic attrac-tions, there are other many sites ofinterest. These include dramaticcoastline such as at Yesnaby,Marwick Head and the Brough ofBirsay as well as fine beaches suchas Warebeth, the Bay of Skaill,Birsay, Aikerness and Waulkmill.

For birdwatchers and botanists,the huge variety of habitats

ensures a wide range of species tosee at any season, while anglershave a choice of several lochs onwhich to try their skills and luck.Walkers will also find a diverseselection of interesting routes,coastal or inland, easy or morestrenuous. There is much to do inthe West Mainland.

THE WEST MAINLAND

Aerial view of the heart of Orkney

Yesnaby Castle

“THE HEART OF NEOLITHIC ORKNEY”

“Grooved Ware” pottery Ancient fossils at Yesnaby

Crown copyright

WEST MAINLAND

World Heritage SiteSkara Brae, Ring of Brodgar,Ness of Brodgar, Barnhouse,Stones of Stenness, MaeshoweOther Places to Visit

Brough of BirsayYesnabyMarwick HeadBroch of GurnessSkaill HouseFarm Museums & MillsStromnessOrphirLochs of Harray & StennessScapa FlowCraft WorkshopsGalleries

Due to the small amount of flintin Orkney, chert was served tomake cutting tools. Bone wasmuch utilised, but wood was notwell preserved, though presum-ably it would also have beenextensively used. Although noevidence of textile making wasfound, many possible leatherworking tools were found, sug-gesting that the people may havebeen quite well dressed, perhapsusing skins and furs.

Skara Brae is contemporary withthe other Orkney Neolithic mon-uments. It is so far the best pre-served village to have been foundand the only one which can be vis-ited, apart from the houses atKnap of Howar on Papa Westrayand the settlement at Barnhousein Stenness. The fact that it is soimpressively designed and builtsuggests that its inhabitants werewell settled in Orkney and notnewcomers.

SKARA BRAE The 5,000 year-old Neolithic village of Skara Braewas buried under sand dunes atthe Bay of Skaill, in the WestMainland, until 1850, when it wasrevealed during a violent storm.The houses are so intact that it iseasy to imagine their inhabitantsgoing about their lives. The sitewas occupied from about 3100BCto about 2600BC, and consists ofat least six dwellings, all joinedtogether by a “street” and buried ina mound of midden except for thefreestanding “workshop”.

The huts are well constructedwith drains, (perhaps) damp-proof courses, stone dressers,beds, cupboards and tanks. Thereare even cells with drains whichmight be toilets. All are quite sim-ilar in design and vary from about6m x 6m to 4m x 4m. The roofsmay have been supported bywhalebone or driftwood rafters.They would have been coveredwith hides, turf and perhaps withstraw or reed thatch, all held downwith heather or straw ropes.

Hut 8 appears to have been theworkshop, with evidence of stoneworking, and pottery making.“Grooved Ware” pottery wasfound along with many bone andstone tools as well as jewelleryitems made from bone and shells.

The people were stock farmerswho reared cattle, sheep, somepigs and deer. They also fished inthe sea, which would have beenprolific with Cod, Haddock,Saithe and many species of shell-fish. They also grew Bere Barley.

The “Street”

Aerial view of Skara Brae

Hut 7 - now not visible to the public

Hut 1 with its stone dresser, beds, central fireplace and sea view

Panoramic view of Skara Brae with the Bay of Skaill in the background

SKARA BRAE “THE HEART OF NEOLITHIC ORKNEY”

NEOLITHIC TIME-LINE

BCc.3600 Knap of Howar oldest

Unstan Ware potteryc.3300 Barnhouse earliest probable

oldest Ness of Brodgarc.3200 Earliest dates Skara Brae

Oldest Tomb of EaglesStalled cairns

c.3100 Quanterness cairnGrooved Ware pottery Knap of Howar latest

c.3000 Wall of Brodgar builtStanding Stones,QuoynessSkara Brae phase II

c.2700 Ness of Brodgar 1, 8 & 12Maeshowe built

c.2600 Ness of Brodgar 10 builtBarnhouse 8 builtRing of Brodgar

c.2500-2300 Ness of Brodgar 10Latest chambered cairns

c.2300 Ness of Brodgar 10 infilledc.2200 latest Skara Brae datesc.2200-2100 latest Ness of Brodgarc.2000 Bronze Age burials

Carved stone object - possibly a bull’s head with geometric carvings

THE RING OF BRODGAR (ON Bruar-gardr, Bridge Farm) issituated on a peninsula betweenthe Lochs of Harray andStenness, in the heart of the WestMainland. This very fine stonecircle originally comprised 60megaliths, of which 27 remainupright. It is a perfect circle,103.7m in diameter and is sur-rounded by a rock-cut ditch 10macross and over 3m deep.

Dating from the same Neolithicperiod as Maeshowe and SkaraBrae, the construction of the

henge and ditch would have takena lot of labour, implying an organ-ised society with spare resourcesand some kind of strong beliefs.As with Maeshowe, the monu-ment has been carefully situated,with clear views in all directions.

The monoliths resemble theuprights within Maeshowe in sizeand shape, ranging from about 2mto 4.5m in height, and often withangular faces or notches on oneside. They are all aligned withtheir flat sides facing into the cen-tre of the circle.

There is an outlying standingstone, the Comet Stone, to thesouth east as well as severalmounds nearby which could datefrom the Bronze Age. They mayperhaps be points for viewing thevariety of solar alignments relatingto the solstices, equinoxes, Beltaneand other dates which have beenobserved or suggested.

This may have been the intentionof the designer or not, but willalways remain enigmatic.Alignments with lunar phenome-na have also been observed and

suggested, particularly at thetimes of major lunar standstills,every 18.6 years.

Nowhere does the feeling of space,where water, land and sky all seemto merge feel stronger than atBrodgar. The constantly changingOrkney light and weather meanthat the site can be visited at anyseason or time of day and alwayslook different. Although we knownothing about the beliefs of theNeolithic people who built theRing of Brodgar it is clear thatthey were a highly motivated andimaginative society.

Ring of Brodgar midsummer sunrise

The Ring of Brodgar takes on a pristine appearance in the snow

“THE HEART OF NEOLITHIC ORKNEY”THE RING OF BRODGAR

Ring of Brodgar - panoramic view from the centre of the ring - looking towards Harray Loch

Ring of Brodgar - aerial view from the north-west

The Comet Stone

Ring of Brodgar midsummer sunset

Flagstone Roofs These buildingsmay have been partly roofed byflagstone slates in a similar man-ner to traditional Orkney houses.A layer of large, worked, rectangu-lar flagstones was discovered onthe floor of two of the structures.These well formed “slates” hadbeen skillfully trimmed.

Interiors Dressers and centralhearths similar to those at SkaraBrae were present, but the scale ofthe buildings and lack of evidencefor long term occupation suggeststhat these were not houses for liv-ing in. More probably they wereused for special occasions as hasalso been suggested for those atBarnhouse Village.

Abandonment The latest radio-carbon dates so far found arec.2300BC from cattle bonesaround structure 10. This wasfirst built around 2600BC andinvolved much demolition andburial of earlier buildings.Development continued for aboutanother 300 years, after whichstructure 10 was put out of use. Itwas filled with midden and rub-ble.

Hundreds of cattle tibia were alsofound here, perhaps representingfeasting at the final closure of thesite. Neolithic cultural activitycontinued for perhaps another200 years, but on a minor scale.

Nick Card, Project Manager hassaid, “The discoveries are unparal-leled in British prehistory, the com-plexity of finds is changing the wholevision of what the landscape was5,000 years ago and that it’s of ascale that almost relates to the classi-cal period in the Mediterraneanwith walled enclosures and precincts.The site could be more importantthan Stonehenge.”

NESS OF BRODGAR is thenarrow peninsula north of thebridge from which the area takesits name. In 1925 a stone decorat-ed with Neolithic lozenges andchevrons was found in the areanow being excavated, having beenreused as the lid of a Bronze Agecist burial.

Discovery The site was revealedby geophysical surveys in 2003.After exploratory digging in 2004,excavations have been carried outhere every year since then. So faronly a small fraction of the build-ings here have been investigated

Walls The site is bounded to thenorth and south by well builtwalls. The northern one was ini-

tially 4m wide, and up to 100mlong. The walls were paved on theoutside and must have been mostimpressive when built. Originallythey could have been 3m or morehigh and enclosed an area roughly125m by 75m. The oldest radio-carbon dates found so far are frommaterial under the southern walland are from c.3200-3100BC.

Buildings The largest building,structure 10, is 20m square withwalls 5m thick. It is surroundedby paving and has stonework ofremarkable quality. The crossshaped interior includes standingstones and in design is reminis-cent of Maeshowe, with which theentrance seems to be aligned.

All of these buildings have sidechambers built into the walls, cen-tral fireplaces and are alignedroughly north to south. Largequantities of Grooved Ware pot-tery and other artefacts have beenfound. In 2011 the “Brodgar Boy”clay figurine added to the growingfinds of anthropomorphic arte-facts in Orkney.

Painted Stones One of the mostinteresting finds was paintedstones. Iron based pigmentsmixed with animal fat or eggwhites were used to create the yel-low, red and brown coatings.Some have scratched designsobvious when new and whichresemble other incised Neolithicartwork.

THE NESS OF BRODGAR “THE HEART OF NEOLITHIC ORKNEY”

Brodgar Stone found in 1925

High quality stonework and paved path

North Wall of BrodgarSide cell

Ness of Brodgar under excavation

“Brodgar Boy” figurine

Excavation work in progress 2008

Arrow head

Broken mace head

BARNHOUSE VILLAGENearby is the Neolithic Village ofBarnhouse on the edge of theLoch of Harray. The bases of atleast 15 free-standing houses areindicated here, each with a centralhearth, and beds similar to thoseat Skara Brae. Two were biggerthan the rest, the largest being 7msquare internally with 3m thickwalls. At midsummer the settingsun shines directly down theentrance passage of one house.

These structures resemble someof the chambered cairns, especial-ly Maeshowe. This may have beena meeting-place associated withevents at the Standing Stones.Flint and other stone tools werefound as well as Grooved Warepottery, similar to that from SkaraBrae, the Standing Stones and theNess of Brodgar.

There are strong similarities withthe apparently slightly later struc-tures at the Ness of Brodgar, justover the bridge from here. Clearlymuch remains to be discoveredabout this fascinating area ofNeolithic Orkney. This is all partof the fascinating story ofOrkney’s archaeology.

Barnhouse Neolithic village - large house entrance

Watchstone - midsummer sunset

Hoy Hills and Loch of Stenness - midwinter sunset with “flashing” sun

“THE HEART OF NEOLITHIC ORKNEY”

THE STANDING STONESOF STENNESS originally com-prised of a circle of perhaps 12monoliths, surrounded by a ditch2m deep, 7m wide and 44m indiameter. The tallest stone is over5m high. In addition there is ahearth-like stone setting in thecentre. The site dates from about3000BC and is thus older thanMaeshowe or Brodgar.

Socket holes for more stones orwooden uprights were also discov-ered within the circle and nearby,suggesting that the site was origi-

nally more complex. The covestructure within the ring may havealignments with Maeshowe andUnstan Cairn.

The nearby Watchstone stands atthe side of the Loch of Stenness.Observed from here some daysbefore and after the winter sol-stice, the sun disappears behindthe southern flank of the WardHill of Hoy, and then reappearsmomentarily on the north side,before finally setting.

There are several other standing

stones in the vicinity, theBarnhouse Stone near the mainroad, and a pair of smaller mono-liths on the north side of theBrodgar Bridge. In addition thereused to be the Stone of Odin,which was destroyed in 1814.

This stone was broken up andused to build a shed, but was afamous landmark. It had a holethrough which lovers and otherscould hold hands and thus sealtheir vows. The Oath of Odin wasbinding on any contract, and alsocredited with healing powers.

THE STANDING STONES OF STENNESS

Standing Stones of Stenness - midsummer sunset

Standing Stones of Stenness with the Hoy Hills and the Loch of Stenness The Stone of Odin

Barnhouse Stone

Barnhouse midsummer sunset

Grooved Ware pottery

Cromarty group, which haveupright “stalls”, shelves at one orboth ends and corbelled roofs.They may also have cells leadingoff the main chamber at floorlevel. Examples include Unstan inStenness, the Tomb of the Eagleson South Ronaldsay as well asseveral on Rousay.

Excavation of a few of these cairnshas yielded the remains of largenumbers of people, and providedmuch information on lifestyle, lifeexpectancy and diseases sufferedas well as artefacts such as potteryand tools. Two types of potteryhave been found - “Grooved Ware”and “Unstan Ware”.

Some of the tombs seem to havebeen associated with a particularanimal, such as Sea Eagles at theeponymous Tomb of the Eagles,and dogs at Cuween. TheNeolithic people went to greatlengths to provide “houses for thedead” and clearly their ancestorswere very important to them. Thecairns may well have been used forrituals as well as burials.

Whether Maeshowe was everused as a tomb is unknown, but itsambience today is rather that of a“Neolithic Cathedral” than a bur-ial chamber. Today its solitarygrandeur is perhaps being chal-lenged by recent dramatic discov-eries at the Ness of Brodgar.

MAESHOWE, or Orkahaugr inthe Orkneyinga Saga, is one of thefinest of all chambered cairns, ofwhich there are many in Orkney.These tombs were built byNeolithic people from around3200BC and were often used over

a long period. Maeshowe datesfrom perhaps around 2700BCand is the largest and most splen-did of its type to Orkney.

The stonework is engineered withgreat skill, with massive stone

slabs which have been expertly cutand positioned. Also the moundhas been carefully situated withthe entrance passage aligned suchthat the setting sun illuminatesthe chamber for several weeks inthe afternoon before and after thewinter solstice.

Very few artefacts were foundwhen the mound was cleared outin 1862, but the discovery of alarge number of 12th centuryNorse runic inscriptions andother carvings somewhat mitigat-ed this. These runes were carvedabout 1153 by Norsemen return-ing from the crusades and are ofthe form “Ingibiorg, the fairwidow...” or “Thorfinn carved theserunes”.

The chamber measures 4.5msquare, similar to the smallerhouses at Skara Brae, while thepassage is 14.5m long and 1.4mhigh. It is lined with very largestone slabs, each of which weighsseveral tons. The three chambersare similarly roofed with singlehuge flagstones. The mound issurrounded by a ditch dating fromabout 2750BC, but the bankseems to be more recent.

Maeshowe is very prominent inthe Stenness landscape. The qual-ity of its construction remainssupremely impressive 5,000 yearsafter it was built. It is highlydoubtful whether the expertise toquarry, transport and assemblethese massive flagstones existstoday. Today’s visitors can onlymarvel at the abilities of theseNeolithic builders and wonderhow they managed to do it all.

There are a number of otherMaeshowe-type chambered cairnsto visit in Orkney including thoseat Cuween Hill near Finstown, onWideford Hill near Kirkwall, andat Quoyness in Sanday. The othertype is referred to as the Orkney-

Maeshowe from the northeast

Maeshowe aerial view from the south-westThe Maeshowe “dragon”

Maeshowe sunset

Maeshowe interior showing passage, pillars and construction

“THE HEART OF NEOLITHIC ORKNEY”www.maeshowe.co.uk

(live each winter)

MAESHOWE AND CHAMBERED CAIRNS

Winter sunset down the passage on 12th January - www.maeshowe.co.uk

“Ingibiorg” runes carved by 12th century Vikings

Maeshowe sunset

There is a fine walk from the carpark to the Whale Bone, fromwhere there are spectacular viewson rough days. In summer thewhole area is awash with wildflowers, including Thrift, SpringSquill, Grass of Parnassus andSea Plantain.

To the south the Birsay Links area large area of sand dunes andmachair. They are a sea of colourwith wild flowers in summer.There are fine views over BirsayBay from Garson, on the southside. A path leads all the way toMarwick Head from here.

THE BROUGH OF BIRSAY isa tidal island off the northwestcorner of the Mainland. There areremains of a large Viking settle-ment, which is underlain byPictish buildings. Bronze castingwas done here in Pictish times anda large symbol stone was alsofound. Settlement seems to havestarted about the 6th century AD.Most of the ruins visible today areViking, the small church is 12th

century, but there may be an earli-

er Celtic one below it. On theslopes above the church are theoutlines of several Norse long-houses up to 20m long, togetherwith outhouses, which can beclearly seen from the air.

Near the church lies an extensivearea of buildings, complete withbath-house and under floor cen-tral heating. It is thought thatEarl Thorfinn the Mighty’s 11th

century cathedral and palace were

in the village, which is called “ThePalace”.

On the Point of Buckquoy anumber of figure-of-eight shapedPictish houses of similar age tothe one at Gurness have beenexcavated, but none are on display.However “Groatie Buckies”(Cowrie Shells) may be found onthe beach here in compensation.

Apart from the ancient monu-ments, the Brough has a light-house dating from 1925, and thewhole area is a very pleasant placefor a walk or to watch rough seasfrom the shelter of the car duringa winter storm. It is also possibleto see Puffins here during thebreeding season.

The Earl’s Palace at “The Palace”village was built by Earl RobertStewart in the late 16th centuryand consists of four wings sur-rounding a large courtyard whichhas a well in the middle. It wassaid to be “a sumptuous and statelymansion” in 1633. Stewart was ahalf-brother of Mary Queen ofScots.

The large exposed bay to the eastof the Brough is called Skipi Geo.

THE WEST MAINLAND

The Earl’s Palace dates from the late 16th century

Brough of Birsay aerial view showing Viking Age ruins

Skipi Geo and the Whalebone on a midsummer evening

THE BROUGH OF BIRSAY

Replica of Pictish symbol stone

Brough of Birsay from the south with a rough sea

Crown copyright

BIRSAY, EVIE & SANDWICK

Brough of BirsayThe PalaceEarl’s PalaceSkipi GeoBarony Water MillMarwick HeadBay of SkaillSkara BraeSkaill HouseYesnabyKirbuster Farm MuseumClick MillBroch of GurnessAikerness BeachEynhallow Sound

summer’s evening it appearsbenign and welcoming. During anorthwesterly force 12 gale withenormous seas breaking, the rawpower of nature is laid bare.

Wild Flowers This exposed placeis one of the best places to see therare endemic, Primula scotica. Itflowers in May and July and canbe spotted from the approachroad. This hardy little plant onlygrows in Orkney and the northcoast of Scotland. It has smallmagenta flowers. In summerSpring Squill, Thrift, Grass ofParnassus and Sea Plantain givethe maritime heath a warm glow.

Birsay to Evie From The Palacethe road returns to Kirkwallclockwise via Evie and Rendall.Costa Head above the Loch ofSwannay was the site of earlyaerogenerator experiments.Today Burgar Hill and nearbyHammars Hill are home to wind-farms.

Aikerness Beach (or the Sands ofEvie) faces Eynhallow Sound andRousay. This attractive beach iswell worth visiting as part of atour of the nearby Broch ofGurness. Seals, Otters and sead-ucks may be seen round theshores. The dunes, shoreline andbanks of the burn are all goodplaces for wild flowers.

Marwick Head (87m) lies about4km (2.5mi) to the south of ThePalace, and is an RSPB Reserve.In early summer it teems withbreeding seabirds and is a verygood place to view Guillemots,Razorbills, Fulmars, Kittiwakes,Rock Doves, Puffins, and evenperhaps a Peregrine. The clifftopsare carpeted by a profusion ofThrift, other wild flowers and yel-low lichens in summer, whichadds to the untamed wild beautyof the cliffs.

The Old Red Sandstone rock haslevel beds and weathers into amyriad of small ledges which areideal for nesting seabirds. Thereare also plentiful food supplies inthe neighbouring waters.

RSPB Bird Reserves There areseveral other RSPB Reserves inthe West Mainland. Theseinclude the Loons, near MarwickHead, the Birsay Moors andHobbister in Orphir. Other goodplaces for birds are the Loch ofHarray, Burgar Hill in Evie, theLoch of Skaill and StromnessHarbour.

The tower at the highest point ofMarwick Head was erected afterWW1 to commemorate theMinister of War, Kitchener, andthe crew of HMS Hampshire,which was sunk by a Germanmine here in 1916. The cruiserwas taking War MinisterKitchener to Russia when thesinking happened. There werevery few survivors.

Bay of Skaill Further south alongthe west coast of the Mainland liesthe Bay of Skaill. The famousNeolithic village of Skara Brae ison the southwest shore. SkaillHouse is adjacent and shares tick-eting with its more ancient neigh-bour. A stroll here is much rec-ommended at any season, whetherbenign on a summer’s day or wildin a winter storm.

The Head O’Row is on the southside of the bay and has superbviews to north and south. TheHole O’Row is a natural arch,through which waves explode on arough day. There is superbclifftop walk from the Bay ofSkaill to Yesnaby, with its the wildcliff scenery.

Yesnaby During a storm hugewaves crash into and over the westcoast cliffs. The Castle of Yesnabyis a mini version of the Old Manof Hoy, which can be seen fromhere. The coastal scenery here isnature in the raw. Stromatolites,fossils which date from about 350million years ago, may be seenhere. There are also igneousdykes, granite intrusions andancient lake beds to explore.

Yesnaby has many charactersdepending on the season, time ofday and weather. On a gentle

Yesnaby Castle with Thrift

Rough seas at Yesnaby

Primula scotica

Eynhallow Sound sunset from Aikerness

THE WEST MAINLAND

MARWICK, YESNABY AND ORPHIR

Marwick Head from the south Kitchener Memorial, Birsay

Bay of Skaill and Skara Brae Grass of Parnassus Spring Squill

FARM MUSEUMS The twoFarm Museums, at Kirbuster inBirsay and Corrigall in Harray, arein strong contrast to Skaill Houseand represent examples of ordi-nary houses from the early andlate 19th century respectively. Bothhave a dwelling house, byre, barn,corn drying kiln and outhouses.

Kirbuster Farm has no chimney,but instead an open fire with a“fireback” and a wooden smoke-hole in the roof with “skylin”. Thesmoke-hole also served to let extralight in. There is a neuk bed, rem-iniscent of the beds at Skara Braebuilt into one wall. Despite thelack of a chimney the house is notvery smoky inside.

Corrigall Farm is more modernwith chimneys and a higher roofbut is otherwise similar. The bed-room end has boxbeds, and thefloors are all of flagstone. On dis-play are a variety of old imple-ments, traditional crafts, furnish-ings and tools, as well as a varietyof livestock.

The Click Mill near Dounby is alate 19th century example of a so-called “Norse” vertical axis cornmill. Named because of the noisemade during operation, these werebasically mechanised quernstones,and were common from Vikingand possibly earlier times until thelater 19th century when largerwater mills became popular.

Boardhouse, or Barony, Mill is arestored 19th century watermillpowered by water from the nearbyLoch of Boardhouse. It was builtin 1873 and still grinds grain inthe winter. It incorporates a kilnfor drying the corn at the east endand mostly produces beremealfrom old fashioned 6 row BereBarley. The 4.1m overshot wheelturns at 12rpm and is said to useabout half a million litres of waterper hour under full load.

FARM MUSEUMS & MILLS

Kirbuster Museum showing fireback

Boardhouse Mill

Corrigall Farm Museum

Click Mill

SKAILL HOUSE is situatednear Skara Brae on the west coastof the Mainland. It is the onlymansion house in Orkney open tothe public as a museum and datespartly from the 17th century, whenpart of the Earldom estate passedto the Bishopric under BishopGraham in 1615.

This Bishop “acquired” a substan-tial amount of land from bishopricproperty and smallholdings, in thename of his eldest son, John, whobecame the first Laird. The pres-ent Laird, Major MalcolmMacrae, is the 12th and he has ren-

ovated the property as a museum.The oldest part was built byBishop Graham in the 1620’s andmuch of the house dates from the18th century, with further addi-tions over the next two centuries.

The tour is a good insight to thelives of the Lairds and their fami-lies, with connections to manyhistoric events and characters.These include some of CaptainCook’s dinner service, a cupboardcalled the Armada Chest, withpanels said to have come from aSpanish ship in 1588 and one ofBishop Graham’s beds.

The house is allegedly haunted,and during renovation work 15skeletons were found near the eastporch, which are thought to beearly Christian, perhaps Pictish.

There is a gift shop and the prop-erty is open from April toOctober. A visit makes an inter-esting contrast to Skara Brae.

Other mansion houses which maybe visited include Balfour Castleon Shapinsay, Carrick House onEday and Melsetter House onHoy, all by arrangement.

SKAILL HOUSE, SANDWICK

Skaill House from the west

Dining Room Bishop Graham’s bed

pottery and items with PictishOgam inscriptions. A 9th centuryViking female burial completewith grave goods was present nearthe top of the mound.

Pictish Houses At Gurness arethe only examples of shamrock-shaped multicellular Pictish hous-es currently on view in Orkney.These were rebuilt near theentrance as originally they werebuilt into the broch mound. Thesmall museum has a shop, and anexcellent interpretation area.

Other Brochs Other excavatedbrochs to visit include Midhowe

on Rousay, Burgar in Sandwick,Burrian on North Ronaldsay andBurroughstone on Shapinsay.There are many more visible asmounds.

Earthhouses Another interestingdevelopment starting in about600BC is the Earthhouse orsouterrain. Typical examples atRennibister in Firth and Grainnear Kirkwall can be visited.These underground structures arethought to be cellars from long-gone roundhouses. They wereprobably used for storage, and anyresemblance to chambered cairnsis most likely superficial.

BROCHS (ON Borg, strong-hold) are unique to Scotland andOrkney has about 100. Theydeveloped from roundhouseswhich first appeared around700BC. Brochs typically have alarge tower, up to 20m in diameterwith hollow walls up to 5m thickat the base.

The walls have an internal stair-case and the structures could beup to 15m tall. Most brochs aresited on or near the coast, butthere a number in the WestMainland that are inland. Someare solitary, but others are sur-rounded by settlements.

Broch of Gurness Over 2,000years after its construction, thisbroch at Aikerness remainsimposing. The site, with its ram-parts, ditches, broch tower andextensive surrounding settlementis an evocative place to visit. It wasoccupied from the Iron Agethrough Pictish to Norse times.

The broch is surrounded by threemassive ramparts and deep ditch-es, and may well have had a talltower. Inside there is a centralhearth and an elaborate under-ground well with a collecting tank.The space between the broch andthe defences encloses a small vil-

lage which could have been occu-pied by 30 or so families. Animposing entrance leads via asmall street to the broch doorwaywith its massive lintel.

The houses share walls and arefurnished in stone with hearths,cooking tanks, drains, box beds,storage cupboards and even toi-lets. Unlike at other monuments,the visitor is free to wander at willand imagine life millenia ago.

During excavation many artefactswere found, including fragmentsof Roman amphorae from about100AD, stone and bone tools,

THE WEST MAINLAND

The Broch of Gurness from the west with surrounding ditches and ramparts

Pictish houses at Gurness Rennibister Earthhouse

The Broch of Gurness with surrounding settlement, ditches and ramparts

The Broch of Gurness from the entrance on the east side

THE BROCH OF GURNESS, EVIE

Pictish symbol from Broch of Gurness

Pictish comb

Orkney Museum

several grocers and hardwareshops.. Parking is not very practi-cal in the narrow street but thereare plenty of spaces on theapproach road.

Ness Battery was an importantpart of the defence of Scapa Flowin both World Wars. The WWIIstructures are largely intact andinclude 6in gun houses, the bat-tery observation post, magazines,generator houses and serviceaccommodation.

Activities Apart from the time-less attraction of watching boatsand people around the harbour,Stromness has a golf course and avariety of fine walks. There is anexcellent panoramic view fromBrinkie’s Brae (94m) above thetown.

The beach of Warebeth lies to thewest and offers fine views of theHoy Hills and Hoy Sound.There is a fine coastal walk to itvia the Point of Ness, which con-tinues westwards to Breckness.This shore has many interestingrock formations which date from350 million years ago.

At the north end of Outertown,the Black Craig (111m) offers afine panorama from the old coast-guard hut. A little further on isNorth Gaulton Castle, a fine, butlittle visited, rock stack. At BilliaCru the European Marine EnergyCentre has testbeds for wave ener-gy devices which may be visible.

STROMNESS (ON Straum-nes,Stream Point) was also calledHamnavoe (Harbour Bay) by theVikings. This excellent harbour isthe ferry terminal for the crossingto Scrabster in Caithness. Thereare also many small fishing boatsand dive boats which work fromhere. One of Orkney’s threeRNLI Lifeboats is based here.

The town dates from the 17th cen-tury and for many years suppliedwater, stores and crewmen toships taking the northern routearound Britain as well as ships ofthe Hudson’s Bay Company andwhalers. During the HerringBoom in the late 19th and early 20th

centuries it was also very busy.

Street The winding, flagstone-paved street is the backbone of the

town. Many of the houses on theshore side have their own piers,while the houses higher up arereached by a multitude of narrowlanes. The lack of space for newdevelopment in the town hasensured that it has retained itsattractive character, with theindustrial area being situated onthe outskirts.

The intimate nature of the townmakes Stromness popular withvisitors and several events takeplace here including the OrkneyTraditional Folk Festival, theStromness Shopping Week and aBeer Festival.

Museum Stromness Museumhas a fascinating series of displayson mostly maritime and naturalhistory themes. These include the

Hudson’s Bay Company connec-tion, and the scuttle of the WW1German High Seas Fleet. Thereare also extensive exhibits ofOrkney birds, mammals, molluscsand insects.

Pier Arts Centre Also well wortha visit is the Pier Arts Centre withits permanent collection of 20th

century art and temporary exhibi-tions. This attractive old buildingwas once the agency and store forthe Hudson’s Bay Company and isbuilt on a pier near the ferry ter-minal. It has recently been refur-bished and extended to accommo-date a greater variety of work.

Shopping There are many inter-esting shops in Stromness, offer-ing a range of local crafts,knitwear, books and art, as well as

Warebeth beach with the Hoy Hills in the background

HAMNAVOE OF THE NORSE SAGAS

Hoy Sound and the Black Craig in winter

STROMNESS

Hamnavoe (Harbour)Pier Arts CentreStromness MuseumThe StreetLogin’s WellThe CannonPoint of NessNess Gun BatteryEMEC Test CentreWarebeth BeachBlack Craig

Stromness - Victoria Street

STROMNESS

Ness Gun Battery dates from WWI and WWII

Stromness from the ferry

Pier Arts Centre

Crown copyright

The wreck of HMS Royal Oakwas leaking considerable quanti-ties of fuel oil and became a pollu-tion threat. As a result the RoyalNavy has removed much of the oilfuel that remained aboard.

Churchill Barriers Greatlyincreased defences were orderedto be built by Churchill in 1940after the sinking of HMS RoyalOak to seal off the easternapproaches to Scapa Flow. Thefirm of Balfour Beatty wasappointed as contractors. To solvethe labour shortage, several hun-dred Italian prisoners of war weredrafted in from Libya early in1942 to assist in the work.

Camps and works were set up inthe East Mainland as well as onLamb Holm, Glimps Holm andBurray. Nearly 1 million cubicmetres of rock in wire bolsters wasused to complete the fourBarriers, and by late 1942 theywere breaking the surface. Over50,000 5 and 10-ton concreteblocks were then used to clad thesides.

WWII defences Up to 40,000men were based in Orkney at thepeak of activity in WWII, andonce secured maximum advantagewas taken of the strategicallyimportant position of Scapa Flow.Much evidence still remains of the

SCAPA FLOW was used as themain base of the British HomeFleet in both WW1 and WW2due to it being a large land-lockedharbour with deep entrances anddeep water anchorages. In bothwars it took some time to make itsecure.

WWI Early in the First WorldWar, Scapa Flow was selected asthe main base for the BritishHome Fleet. In 1914 it had nodefences in place, but by 1918 itwas very heavily defended.Coastal batteries, boom defencenets, controlled minefields andmany other measures were put in

place to make the fleet safe in itsanchorage. Early experimentswith shipbourne aircraft were car-ried out here for the first time.

Scuttle of German Fleet Theharbour saw dramatic actions inboth wars. After WW1, 74 ves-sels of the German High SeasFleet were interned here, and on21st June 1919 they were scuttled.Some were beached, but mostsank. The majority were salvagedduring the 1920s and 1930s, butthree battleships and four cruisersremain and are much visited byscuba divers today.

WWII At the start of the SecondWorld War, Scapa Flow had a fewgun emplacements left over fromthe previous conflict. It was soonrealised that extensive defenceswould be required to render ScapaFlow secure from German attack.

HMS Royal Oak In 1939 theGerman U-boat U47 crept intoScapa Flow through Holm Soundand torpedoed HMS Royal Oak,with the loss of 833 crew. Thiswas to result in the constructionof the Churchill Barriers and ahuge increase in the defences ingeneral.

German High seas Fleet in Scapa Flow, November 1919

“SMS Bayern” sinking in 1919 in Scapa Flow

Blocks for the Churchill Barriers

BRITISH HOME FLEET BASE IN TWO WORLD WARS

SCAPA FLOW

Diver examines gun on WW2 German wreck “SMS Dresden”

SCAPA FLOW

Ness Gun BatteryStromness MuseumHoutonWWI German FleetHatston Industrial EstateKirkwall AirportNetherbutton Radar StationChurchill BarriersItalian ChapelHoxa Head BatteriesLyness Naval BaseScapa Flow Visitor CentreHackness Martello TowerFlotta Oil Terminal

“HMS Royal Oak” firing her main armament

Blockships before Barrier #3 was built

Barriers #1, 2 and 3 with blockships in WWII

Tom Kent

Wildlife Scapa Flow is winterhome to many birds which breedin the Arctic, including GreatNorthern Divers and Long-tailedDucks. The Churchill Barriersare a good place to look for thesespecies. In summer many Terns,Eiders, Red-breasted Mergansersand other seabirds nest aroundthe shores.

It is occasionally visited by pods ofyoung Sperm Whales and variousspecies of dolphins, includingKiller Whales and Porpoises. Theshores are home to the elusiveOtter, while Common and GreySeals both breed in the area.

Transport Link Today theBarriers provide Orkney’s onlyfixed transport links between theMainland and other islands.Large sandy beaches have built upin Weddel and Water Sound onthe east sides of Barriers #3 and#4. The blockage of the channelshas also greatly affected the distri-bution of sand all around Orkneybeaches.

The Churchill Barriers are oftensubject to adverse weather condi-tions. During storms waves canmake crossing dangerous, particu-larly at high spring tides with astorm surge. Most visitors, how-ever, will only see Scapa Flow inbeautiful, benign and colourfulsummer weather.

defences, including coastal batter-ies, searchlight emplacements, oldairfields, and parts of the navalbase at Lyness on Hoy.

During WWII, aircraft carrierswere very important and Orkneyserved as a base for repairs andtraining for many of their aircraft.The action where Bismarck wassunk succeeded due to the seem-ingly archaic Fairey Swordfish tor-pedo bombers which doggedlysearched out the battleship and,despite their apparent frailty,damaged the ship’s rudder.

Scapa Flow Visitor Centre, basedin the old pumphouse at Lyness, isa museum and interpretation cen-tre about the wartime historyScapa Flow. Lyness was a majornaval base in both World Wars.During WWII large oil tankswere built into Wee Fea, the hillabove the harbour. Many arte-facts are on display from bothwars, ranging from large guns tosmall items. The remaining largeoil tank is also used for exhibits.

North Sea Oil In the 1970s oilwas first exploited in the NorthSea, and the Flotta Oil Terminalcontinues to process and exportlarge quantities of crude. Tankersremain a common sight in ScapaFlow. In addition vessels doingship to ship transfers or undergo-ing maintenance often call.

BRITISH HOME FLEET BASE IN TWO WORLD WARSSCAPA FLOW

Scapa Flow panoramic view from Glimps Holm

Gun mounted on Hackness Martello Tower at Longhope on Hoy“Swordfish” aircraft at Hatston Airfield, “HMS Sparrowhawk”

Coastal Defence Battery overlooking Holm Sound Scapa Flow Visitor Centre Pump House

Oil Tanker in Scapa Flow

Flotta Oil Terminal

Aircraft Carrier “HMS Victorious”

Holm The pretty village of StMary’s in Holm overlooks HolmSound, through which U47 sailedin 1939 on its way to sink HMSRoyal Oak. There is a good viewof the sound and the ChurchillBarriers from the hill east of thevillage.

The fertile area in the south eastcorner is known as Paplay, wherethe Vikings found a large monas-tic settlement. No archaeologicalremains have been excavated fromthis time here, but a high statusPictish farmstead at Skaill inDeerness was examined sometime ago.

Beaches In Deerness, Sandside,Newark and Dingieshowe are allvery fine beaches for a walk or pic-nic. Keep a good look out atNewark Bay in case you shouldsee the mermaid! There are sever-al attractive small beaches inTankerness. In Holm WesterSand and Howes Wick, near theOld Kirk, are pleasant.

Wildlife There are many goodbirding sites here including theflat muddy shores at Mill Sandsand St Peter’s Pool, in Tankerness.St Mary’s Loch and GraemeshallLoch in Holm, as well as the Lochof Tankerness should be checked.In Deerness the Mull Head cliffsand moors are home to breedingseabirds and moorland species.

EAST MAINLAND Theparishes of Tankerness, Holm andDeerness have much to offer thevisitor, having a charm all of theirown and being like a separateisland in many ways. The area isgenerally low lying and mostlyfarmland, but all the same hasmuch of interest to see and do.This includes many fine beaches,some spectacular cliffs and goodwalking.

Archaeology There is ample evi-dence of early occupation in theform of burnt mounds andbrochs, most notablyDingieshowe on the Deernessisthmus. The only ancient monu-ment open to the visitor isMinehowe. This enigmatic, well-

like Iron Age structure has 29stone steps which descend in twoflights to a small chamber.Minehowe is a small part of alarge unexplored prehistoric land-scape.

Rerwick Head is the most north-easterly point of Tankerness. Inboth World Wars there were gunbatteries on this headland, whichmay still be seen. There are finecoastal walks from here, south-wards along the low cliffs to theNess and Hall of Tankerness, oreastwards to the fine beaches atHeatherhouse and Redbanks.

Mull Head in Deerness is aNature Reserve with indicatedpaths. Near the entrance the

Gloup is a large partially collapsedcave, a deep chasm which can beobserved with care from a gallery.The low cliffs at Mull Head are agood place to see seabirds andseals. There is a fine circular walkaround the headland.

Brough of Deerness On the eastside of Mull Head , about 1kmnorth of the carpark, stands thepromontory of the Brough ofDeerness. There is a small chapeland a scatter of foundations ofbuildings. All are Norse, butPictish people were probably herein earlier times.

Covenanters’ Memorial Thistower on the north side ofDeerness is a poignant reminderof the spot where about 200 polit-ical prisoners were drowned in1679. Over 1,200 Covenantershad been captured at the Battle ofBothwell Brig and held atGreyfriar’s Kirkyard inEdinburgh. Those who were notexecuted or did not submit or diefrom exposure, were to be trans-ported to the West Indies asslaves.

The “Crown of London” leftEdinburgh in December 1679.The ship took shelter offDeerness but was driven ashore.The crew were saved, but only 50of the prisoners survived. Mostwere soon caught and sentonwards to Jamaica. TheCovenanters were vehementlyopposed to the imposition of theBook of Common Prayer byCharles I and later Charles II.

Copinsay is a small island andRSPB Reserve off the southeastof Deerness. It has a large seabirdcolony in summer on its east fac-ing cliffs. Many Grey Seals alsopup here in autumn. It is hard toreach, but well worth the effort if aboat can be procured.

TANKERNESS, DEERNESS & HOLM

Covenanters’ Memorial

Mull Head, Deerness from seaward

Newark Bay, where mermaids are said to appear

Copinsay cliffs from the east

EAST MAINLAND

Rerwick HeadMinehoweSt Peter’s PoolDingieshoweNewark BaySandsideThe GloupBrough of DeernessMull HeadCovenanters’ MemorialCopinsaySt Mary’sPaplayHolm Sound

EAST MAINLAND

Rerwick Head September sunset

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Chiocchetti returned to Orkneyin 1960, when he did much torestore the internal paintwork ofthe chapel. In 1961 his home-town, Moena, near Bolzano in theDolomites, gifted a waysideshrine, the carved figure of Christerected outside the Chapel, to thepeople of Orkney. More recentlymuch work has been done torestore and preserve the Chapel,the memorial statue and sur-roundings for the future.

The Italian Chapel is now one ofthe most visited monuments inOrkney and is a fitting memorialto those lost in wartime.Chiocchetti, in addressing theOrcadian people, said, "The chapelis yours, for you to love and preserve.I take with me to Italy the remem-

brance of your kindness and won-derful hospitality. I shall rememberyou always, and my children shalllearn from me to love you. I thank(you)....for having given me the joyof seeing again the little chapel ofLamb Holm where I, in leaving,leave a part of my heart."

It is somewhat ironic that most ofthe many visitors to Orkney cross

the Churchill Barriers to see theChapel. They come not toremember the British war leader,or to marvel at military engineer-ing, but to visit our little Italianshrine, which is a monument tohope and faith in exile. It is now70 years ago that the prisonersfrom the Libyan desert arrived ona chilly Lamb Holm, but theirchapel offers a warm welcome.

ITALIAN CHAPEL "TheMiracle of Camp 60" was built byItalian prisoners of war of Camp60, who arrived from Libya inJanuary 1942 to help build theChurchill Barriers. It is an unusu-al survivor and memorial to theSecond World War.

To brighten up the cheerless campof Nissen huts the Italians madepaths and planted flowerbeds.Artist, Domenico Chiocchetti made the St George and theDragon statue from barbed wireand cement, to preside over thecamp square. The prisoners soonhad a theatre and a recreationalhut complete with a concrete bil-liard table, but they lacked achapel.

In late 1943 two Nissen huts werejoined end to end and Chiocchettiset to work, aided by a small num-ber of other POWs. One end wasto be the Chapel, the other aschool. The hut was lined withplasterboard and an altar with therail cast in concrete.

Chiocchetti painted the Madonnaand Child behind the altar. Theimage is based on a 19th centurypainting by Nicolo Barabino froma card his mother had given tohim when he left for the war. Healso frescoed a White Dove, thesymbol of the Holy Spirit, at thecentre of the vault and includedthe symbols of the fourEvangelists around it, as well astwo Cherubim and two Seraphimlower down.

The upper parts of the interiorappear like brick with vaulting,while the lower walls are paintedto look like carved marble. The“vaults” in the ceiling are especial-ly well executed, and the visualeffect is quite stunning. Palumbo,a metalworker, made candelabraand the rood screen and gates. Afaçade was erected with the helpof Bruttapasta, with an archwayand pillars.

A belfry was mounted on top anda moulded head of Christ in redclay was placed on the front of thearch. The whole exterior of thehut was then covered with a thickcoat of cement, never in short sup-ply during the building of theBarriers!

The Italian Chapel interior

Head of Christ above the doorD Chiocchetti at work

“OVER THE BARRIERS”

ITALIAN CHAPEL AND CHURCHILL BARRIERS

The Chapel in 1944

The Italian Chapel was built by Italian prisoners of war in WWII

The Italian Chapel with some of the Italian prisoners of war

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St George and the Dragon The Italian Chapel with Holm Sound in the background

SOUTH RONALDSAY& BURRAYare easily accessed from theMainland by the ChurchillBarriers. There are many sites ofinterest apart from the Barriersthemselves, their associated block-ships and the lovely sandy beacheswhich have built up at on the eastside of #3 and #4.

Burray (ON Borgarey, BrochIsland) is low lying with very finebeaches on the east side.Echnaloch is particularly good forwildfowl at all times of year.Many overwintering bird speciescan also be seen from the Barriers.

Orkney Fossil and HeritageCentre has displays of Orkneyrocks and fossils and tells thestory of Orkney’s geology, as wellas relics of bye-gone days. Thereis a gift shop and tea room.whichis open from April to October.

South Ronaldsay (ON Rognvald’s-ey)has a special charm. The small vil-lage of St Margaret’s Hope datesfrom the 17th and 18th centuries.The bay is said to be named aftera 13th century Norse princess whodied in 1290 while on her way tomarry Prince Edward of England,but “Hope” comes from ON Hjop

(Bay), and not the English word“hope”. In the village are the OldSmiddy Museum, several interest-ing shops and craft workshops aswell as the renowned CreelRestaurant.

Boys’ Ploughing Match At Sando’Wright, the Boys’ PloughingMatch is held each August. Thegirls dress up as horses and theboys as ploughmen, before beingjudged as at a real horse event.Later, rigs are worked in the sandusing ploughs which have oftenbeen handed down over genera-tions. Old timers then decide onthe champion of the day.

Marine Life Aquarium PoolFarmhouse “offers a unique chanceto see and understand some aspectsof the marine environment.”

Hoxa Tapestry Gallery HereLeila Thomson weaves wonderfultapestries “inspired by the life andlandscape of Orkney.”

The Tomb of the Eagles is to thesouth, near Burwick. ThisOrkney-Cromarty type cham-bered cairn is only one of twowhich have been excavated recent-ly, and strongly resembles UnstanCairn in Stenness. The remains of

about 340 individuals were found.Of particular interest was the dis-covery of skeletons and talons ofSea Eagles - hence the name.

The cairn was built about3150BC and used for up to 800years. Over 40 broken UnstanWare pots were found, as well asfish and animal bones and charredbarley. Beautifully carved stoneobjects and rougher stone toolsare on display along with some ofthe skulls in the museum wherethey can be examined closely. Thehuman remains have revealedmuch about the people’s lives.

The nearby Liddle Burnt Mounddates from the Bronze Age, fromperhaps 1000BC. It has a centraltrough which was used to cookjoints of meat by throwing instones heated in a fire - hence themound of burnt stones.

Ferries John o’Groats Ferriesruns in the summer between Johno’Groats in Caithness andBurwick in around 45 minutes.Pentland Ferries also operate adaily roro catamaran ferrybetween Gills Bay in Caithnessand St. Margarets Hope, offeringa scenic alternative to the routebetween Stromness and Scrabster.

Tomb of the Eagles, interior of the main chamber

St Margaret’s Hope, South Ronaldsay

The Bay of Cletts and St Peter’s Kirk, East Side

Sea Eagles’ Talons Skull from Tomb of the Eagles

“OVER THE BARRIERS”

SOUTH RONALDSAY

BurrayGlimps Holm beachesFossil & Vintage Centre4th Barrier beachesSt Margaret’s HopeOld Smiddy MuseumHoxa Tapestry CentreBoys’ Ploughing MatchNewark BayTomb of the Eagles

Boys’ Ploughing Match, South RonaldsayFossil and Vintage Centre, Viewforth, Burray

BURRAY AND SOUTH RONALDSAY

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Dwarfie Stone Below the WardHill, on the road to Rackwick, liesthe enigmatic Dwarfie Stone withits hand carved chamber. Thismay be Neolithic, but is unique asthe only such tomb in the UK. Itmust have taken a lot of work toexcavate the cavity.

Scapa Flow There are good viewsacross Scapa Flow from the roadalong the east coast to North andSouth Walls (ON Vagr, Voe orBay). Most of the population lives

at the south end of the island,where the landscape is more likethe rest of Orkney.

Water of Hoy Near this smallloch, a small, fenced memorial toBetty Corrigall lies on the parishboundary. This young girl sadlycommitted suicide in the 19th cen-tury. She had become pregnant toa local man who subsequently lefton a whaling ship for theNor’Wast. She could not beburied in consecrated ground.

Pegal Burn, further south, is thelargest stream in Orkney. Thisattractive watercourse and estuaryis a fine place for a picnic and alsoto see an Otter if you are lucky.The shoreline has fabulouslyeroded sandstone boulders.

Lyness was a large naval base dur-ing both World Wars and wasknown as HMS Prosperine.Underground oil storage tanks, alarge harbour, dubbed “GoldenWharf” on account of its cost, and

HOY (ON Ha-ey, High Island) isthe second largest of the OrkneyIslands and different in characterfrom the others. The north end ishilly with the Ward Hill (479m)and Cuilags (433m) being promi-nent landmarks from many partsof Orkney. Much of the north endof Hoy is an RSPB Reserve.

Old Man of Hoy The north andwest coasts have spectacular cliffs,only the south end being low andfertile. One of Orkney’s most

well-known icons is the famousrock stack, the Old Man of Hoy(137m), which stands on a lavaplatform. The ferry passes theHoy cliffs on its way across thePentland Firth, allowing a stun-ning view of the noble stack.

Rackwick The wide sweep ofRackwick, on the north west sidewith a sand and boulder beachbounded on both sides by highcliffs, is well appreciated from thepath to the Old Man. This offers

good views across the PentlandFirth to Scotland. Rackwick has abeauty and climate all of its own,beware the midgies but admire thedragonflies and wild flowers.

St John’s Head The imposingcraigs at St John’s Head (351m)are the highest vertical sea cliffs inBritain. The horizontal beds ofsandstone have weathered to givedramatic reds and yellows, whichare especially vibrant with a lowevening sun.

Dwarfie Stone

SOUTH ISLES - HOY

St John’s Head (351m), Britain’s highest vertical sea cliff, has been chosen as one of “National Geographic’s” top ten world ocean views

Old Man of HoyWard HillRackwickDwarfie StonePegal Burn & Water of HoyLyness Naval BaseScapa Flow Visitor CentreMelsetter HouseLonghope Lifeboat MuseumHackness Martello TowerCantick Head lighthouse

SOUTH ISLES - HOY

Rackwick from the path to the Old Man of Hoy

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Convoys were introduced at thattime to guard merchant vesselsfrom attack, and Longhope was agood place for ships to gather.

The tower originally had a 24-pounder gun mounted on top,while the nearby battery had eight24-pounder guns, with barracks,stores and a magazine. The site isnow managed by HistoricScotland, and has been extensive-ly renovated inside and out.

Cantick Head Lighthouse wascompleted in 1858 by DavidStevenson and automated in1991. There are good views overthe Pentland Firth from here.Killer Whales have been seenclose in to the rocks here at times.

Nature In contrast to the dramat-ic cliffs of North Hoy, the lowcliffs, fine beaches and fertile landmake for more gentle walking.

Primula scotica and other mar-itime heath plants grow along thesouth coast. Otters and seals livearound the shores and many ofOrkney’s characteristic birdsthrive here. In winter North Bayis excellent for waders and winter-ing wildfowl. A flock of BarnacleGeese stays here each winter.

Viking Drama Perhaps the mostinteresting association dates from995, when King Olaf Tryggvason

of Norway forcibly converted EarlSigurd the Stout to Christianity.at Osmondwall. Refusal meantthe killing Sigurd’s son, so hechose to accept. He subsequentlyreturned to his former ways anddies carrying the Raven Banner atClontarf in 1014.

Hoy can be reached from Houtonor Stromness by ferry.Accommodation, taxis, tours andmeals are available on the island.

a huge array of buildings sprangup. Most of the military detritushas been cleared up, and Lyness isnow the ferry terminal forHouton on the Mainland and forFlotta. The wharf area has nowbeen converted into harbour facil-ities, hard standing and warehous-es for the marine renewablesindustry.

Lyness Naval Cemetery remainsas a poignant reminder of thehuman sacrifice involved inwartime. There are memorials toBritish and German servicemen ofboth World Wars, including thoselost on HMS Vanguard whichblew up in 1917 near Flotta.Recently standing stones wereerected near the ferry terminalremembering those lost in theWWII Russian convoys.

Moor Fea The Naval HQ andCommunications Centre on MoorFea, the hill above Lyness, has fineviews over Scapa Flow and to thesouth. The hill here is honey-combed by giant undergroundtanks installed in WWII byNorwegian miners.

Scapa Flow Visitor Centre is inwhat was the pumphouse servingthe Royal Navy fuel oil tanks dur-ing WWII. One of the oil tanks

has also been retained and con-tains displays of military equip-ment and artefacts. Inside thepumphouse the machinery hasbeen renovated and there are dis-plays of small artefacts, photo-graphs and documents relating tothe two World Wars. Outsideseveral WWI German guns, rail-way stock used in WWII and apropeller off HMS Hampshire canbe seen.

Melsetter House and Rysa Lodgewere designed by WilliamLethaby in Arts and Crafts stylefor the Middlemore family. AtMelsetter the original house dat-ing from 1738 is part of the 1898design, forming the most attrac-tive country house in Orkney. Itcan be visited by arrangement.

Longhope Lifeboat Station atBrims is a museum whose mainexhibit is the lifeboat, ThomasMcCunn, which served here from1933 to 1962. Since being estab-lished in 1874, many successfulrescues were undertaken fromhere. Perhaps the late coxswainDan Kirkpatrick was the mostdeserving of fame.

It was from here that he and hiscrew left in the lifeboat TGB to goto the aid of a Liberian freighter,Irene, in March 1969. Sadly allwere lost in tumultuous seas inthe Pentland Firth. A bronze stat-ue in Osmondwall Cemetery hon-ours the TGB crew. The presentLonghope Lifeboat, The HelenComrie, is of the latest Tamarclass, and was on station inOctober 2006. She is based in thelittle harbour at Longhope.

Martello Tower & Battery AtHackness there is a MartelloTower and gun battery, one of twoin Scotland. It was built duringthe early 19th century NapoleonicWars to protect shipping frommarauding American privateers.

SOUTH ISLES - HOY

The Hoy Hills and Hoy Sound from Stenness

Cantick Head LighthouseMelsetter House and Farm

Longhope Lifeboat Memorial

SOUTH ISLES - HOY

Scapa Flow Visitor Centre

Longhope Harbour

Hackness Martello Tower

WYRE Cubbie Roo’s Castledates from the 12th century. It isone of the oldest and best pre-served early stone built castles inScotland. Nearby romanesque StMary’s Chapel is also Norse. Bothare said to have been built byKolbein Hruga, a colourful char-acter in the Orkneyinga Saga. Hisson, Bjarni became Bishop ofOrkney in 1188.

EGILSAY was the location of themartyrdom of Earl Magnus. It isthe site of the fine 12th century StMagnus Kirk with its tall roundtower. A cenotaph marks theplace where the saint is said tohave been killed at Easter c.1117.Much of Egilsay is an RSPBReserve, managed for the benefitof wildlife. It makes a pleasantand peaceful day out.

ROUSAY (ON Hrolfs-ey, Rolf ’sIsland) has been called “The Egyptof the North” due to its concentra-tion of prehistoric tombs andother monuments. This round,hilly island has a road around thecoast and makes a pleasant excur-sion from the Mainland via theroro ferry from Tingwall inRendall.

Chambered Cairns Near the pieris the unusual two tiered cham-bered cairn of Taversoe Tuick.This unique little tomb also hastwo entrances. Further west aretwo more chambered cairns atBlackhammar and Yarso. Both areof the “stalled” type and are divid-ed up by upright slabs as in a byre.

Blackhammar contained only twoburials and a broken Unstan Warebowl, while Yarso had remains of

at least 21 people. In both casesflint and bone tools were found aswell as deer bones at Yarso.

Midhowe stalled cairn is thelargest intact chambered cairn inOrkney. The chamber measures23 by 4m and is divided by 12pairs of “stalls”. About 25 bodieshad been laid in a crouched posi-tion on or under shelves betweenthe stalls. The outside walls arecarefully built with stones set atangles, similar to the designs onUnstan Ware pottery.

Westness Walk Midhowe formspart of the Westness Walk, whichalso takes in the Midhowe Broch,whose walls still reach 4.3m inheight. This Iron Age buildingwas occupied from about 200BCto 200AD. Finds included someRoman artefacts, as well as pot-

tery and a bronze ladle. There wasevidence of metal working includ-ing crucibles, moulds and jew-ellery.

The site of a Pictish and Vikingcemetery lies at Moaness nearWestness Farm. Many Vikingbrooches, pins, tools and weaponswere found, including an elaborateCeltic brooch pin. The boatgraves contained the remains oftwo men buried with theirweapons, one of whom had fourarrowheads in his body.

There is another broch above theBay of Swandro. The ruins of aNorse Farm are adjacent to this,and nearby, on Moaness, there is aNorse boat shed and slipway.Skaill is an 18th century farmwhose tenants were evicted byGeneral Burroughs in the 19th

century. St Mary’s Kirk is the for-mer Rousay parish church. Itbecame disused in 1815 after thenew church was built. Westnesswas the most important part ofRousay for thousands of years,with continuous settlement sinceNeolithic times to the present.

RSPB Reserve The moorlandTrumland RSPB Reserve near thepier is a good place to see HenHarriers, Merlin, Peregrine andRed-throated Divers, while therare Primula scotica may be foundon the maritime heath of the westcoast.

Midhowe stalled cairn

Midhowe broch interior, Westness, RousayMidhowe broch entrance, Westness, Rousay

Westness Irish style brooch

“THE EGYPT OF THE NORTH”

Rousay aerial from the north west, Egilsay and Wyre are in the background and Eynhallow is on the right

ROUSAY

Trumland HouseRSPB Trumland ReserveMidhowe Chambered CairnMidhowe BrochKnowe of YarsoBlackhammarWestness WalkFaraclett WalkWyreEgilsay

NORTH ISLES - ROUSAY

Blackhammar chambered cairn Yarso chambered cairn

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2009 the “Westray Wife”, a tinystone human female figurine, wasfound at this site, along with alarge number of other artefacts.These include pottery, tools andlarge numbers of cattle bones.These sites were occupied fromabout 3000-2000BC.

Ruins of several chambered cairnsexist, but none are very impres-sive. At Point of Cott the outlineof an excavated cairn can be seen.A carved stone from a destroyedcairn was found at Pierowall andis now in the Westray HeritageMuseum.

Broch mounds can be seen atBurrastae and Queena Howe.Westray has been intensivelyfarmed for thousands of years

which may possibly explain therelative dearth of prehistoric mon-uments in good condition. Recentexcavations at Quoygrew (Norse)and Knowe o’Skea (Iron Age)have thrown some light on theisland’s past.

Quoygrew, on the north side ofRackwick, was partially occupieduntil 1937. Around AD1000 abuilding was erected near theshore. Extended many times overthe years., this Norse house cannow be examined by visitors.

WESTRAY (ON Vestr-ey, WestIsle), often referred to as “TheQueen of the Isles”, is the secondlargest of the North Isles, and inmany ways could be described as“Orkney in miniature”. The islandhas dramatic cliffs, good beaches,several ancient sites, and is thebest place in Orkney to seePuffins easily. There are dailyroro ferry and air services.

Pierowall The village is situatedat the head of a sheltered bay inthe northeast of the island. Thisexcellent harbour was doubtlessthe reason for its early settlement.Pictish and Norse graves havebeen found in the vicinity as wellas Neolithic and Bronze Ageremains. Although most of theartefacts are either lost or inmuseums elsewhere, some areslowly coming back to Westray.

Archaeology There was aNeolithic settlement at the Linksof Noltland, in the sand dunesabove Grobust beach. These arebeing steadily eroded, revealingmuch evidence of former habita-tion and cultivation. Excavationsin the late 1970s revealed aNeolithic house built into thesand. Grooved Ware pottery andmany other artefacts were found.

More recently, further work hasexposed a large farmhouse withmany associated field dykes. In

“THE QUEEN OF THE ISLES”

View looking northwest from Skelwick to the Bay of Tuquoy and Fitty Hill

Noltland Castle was built about 1560

WESTRAY

PierowallWestray Heritage CentreNoltland CastleGrobust BeachLinks of NoltlandQuoygrew Norse HouseNoup HeadFitty HillKnowe of SkeaBrough of BurrianRapness

Noup Head is an RSPB Reserve and a major seabird breeding site

NORTH ISLES - WESTRAY

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The Westray Wife Part of the Pierowall Stone

Beaches Sandy beaches areanother feature of Westray, withGrobust in the north being per-haps the best. Others includeMae Sand, Swartmill Bay, Sandso’Woo and Bay of Tafts. In fact asheltered beach can be found forevery wind direction for picnics.In rough weather it can be veryexhilarating to take a brisk walkalong the sand, watch the wavesand look for shells.

Fish & Chips Westray can be vis-ited for a day, but merits at least anovernight stay. The PierowallHotel has been recently refur-bished and offers “perhaps the bestfish and chips anywhere”, freshfrom the local whitefish fleet, aswell as a warm welcome.

Wild Flowers With its diverserange of habitats in a relativelysmall area, Westray is a good placefor the nature enthusiast. Thecombination of sandy beaches,clifftops, maritime heath of the

northwest coast (with Primulascotica), charming agriculturalcountryside, unimproved mead-ows and luxuriant verges theisland offers much to botanists.

Cross Kirk is on the shore nearTuquoy and dates from the 12th

century. It probably belonged toHaflidi Thorkelsson of Tuquoyand was dedicated to the HolyCross. The old part is mostlyintact. The remains of a largeViking settlement are eroding outof the shore nearby.

Westray Heritage Centre nowprominently hosts the PierowallStone as well as other artefactsfrom recent excavations. Displaysare changed annually, but the con-centration on nature and the envi-ronment continues. There areexcellent hands on activities forchildren and their parents. Thelarge skeleton of a Sperm Whalelies in the garden.

Noltland Castle The gauntunfinished shell of 16th NoltlandCastle overlooks the village. Itwas commenced about 1560 byGilbert Balfour, but never fin-ished. There are fine views fromthe upper storey. With its manygunloops it has been compared toa ship of the line.

The great hall is spacious, as arethe upstairs apartments.However the cavernous kitchencannot have been very salubrious.The Castle may have been partial-ly habitable as late as 1761,although the roof is said to havebeen pulled off in 1746 as a resultof the Jacobite sympathies of thethen owner, Jerome Dennison ofSanday.

Noup Head The landscape morethan makes up for lack of ancientsites on display for visitors. Thedramatic cliffs at Noup Head arean RSPB Reserve, which is sec-ond in numbers of breedingseabirds only to St Kilda. A sub-stantial colony of Gannets is nowestablished.

Puffins In the south the Castle ofBurrian and surrounding lowcliffs near Rapness Mill is the eas-iest place to see Puffins in Orkney.During the breeding season thisrock stack and the low cliffs in thearea are home to many of thecheeky little birds. It is possible toclosely observe the Puffins herewithout disturbance as they payscant attention to humans.

Cross Kirk at Tuquoy

“THE QUEEN OF THE ISLES”

Westray and Papay aerial view from the south west, Pierowall lies along the bay at left centre

NORTH ISLES - WESTRAY

Pierowall fish and chipsPuffin at Noup Head

Grobust Beach lies below Noltland, North Hill and Noup Head are in the background, seen here from the east

Gannets at Noup HeadMae Sand

Teistie Taing at the south end is agood place to see seals and thenearby Bay of South Cruive isgood for finding Groatie Buckies(Cowrie shells).

Flora The North Hill is mostlymade up of maritime heath andhas an interesting variety ofplants, many in dwarf form. Theseinclude several sedges and herbssuch as Dog Violet, Primrose,Spring Squill, Grass of Parnassus,Heath Spotted Orchid, MountainEverlasting and Primula scotica.

Shortest Scheduled FlightPapay is connected to Westray bythe shortest scheduled air route inthe world. The distance of about3km (2mi) is undertaken in as lit-tle as two minutes, depending onthe wind. The flight schedulevaries seasonally. The island canalso be reached via passenger ferryfrom Pierowall.

PAPAY or PAPA WESTRAY(ON Papey hin Meiri, Big Isle ofthe Papae), takes its name fromthe Celtic clergy who were therebefore the Vikings. This smallisland lies just east of Westray,across the shallow Papa Sound.

Knap of Howar is the oldestknown standing stone built housein Orkney and, like Skara Brae, itwas revealed after a severe storm.The walls of the well preserveddwellings still stand to a height of1.6m, and the stone interiors areremarkably intact.

Large numbers of artefactsincluding much Unstan Ware pot-tery was found, along with bone,flint and stone tools. Bones ofdomestic animals, fish, seals andbirds, including Great Auk wereabundant as well as many molluscshells. The earliest dates werefrom about 3600BC, 500 yearsbefore Skara Brae, and the latestabout 3100BC.

St Boniface Church near theKnap of Howar has been refur-bished and is worth a visit.Boniface was a 7th century Englishmissionary who becameArchbishop of Germany inAD728, and was massacred withhis followers in AD754.

It dates from the 12th century andis still in use today. The interest-ing grave yard has an 11th centuryhog backed gravestone which hasbeen dubiously linked to the bur-ial of Earl Rognvald Brusison inc.1045. This site has extensiveIron Age, Pictish and Norseremains, and there was probably amuch older chapel here before theVikings arrived.

Holland Farm has a fine 19th cen-tury steading with a circular horseengine house, doocot and corndrying kiln. The main part of thehouse dates from about 1636, andthere is an interesting folk muse-um in the bothy. Hookin Mill is a19th century undershot watermillon the shore south of the old pier.

St Tredwell’s Chapel is dedicatedto St Triduana and is built on topof an Iron Age broch on the eastside of Loch of St Tredwell.Triduana was a nun whose eyes, itis said, were so admired byNechtan, King of Picts, that sheplucked them out and sent themto him on a thorn branch to retainher virtue.

North Hill Reserve Papay isfamous for its birds, and theNorth Hill RSPB Reserve ishome to many breeding Terns andArctic Skuas in summer. There isa small bird cliff at Fowl Craig onthe east side, the site of the killingof the last Great Auk in Britain in1813. They bred here in 1812,when the female was shockinglystoned to death for a museum.

The island is also a good place tosearch for migrants in spring andautumn. The Mull Head is said tobe perhaps the best place for sea-watching in Orkney, as it forms anatural turning point. The beach-es, loch and meadows all providefood and cover for migratingwaders, waterfowl and passerines.

Beaches Like its larger neigh-bour, Papay has many attractivebeaches. The shore north of theold pier has fine stretches of sand,sheltered from the north and west.Near the south end there are goodsandy beaches at the Bay ofMoclett and on the west sidebelow Vestness. Between theKnap of Howar and St BonifaceKirk the shore hides a number oflovely little sandy coves.

Holm of Papay has two cham-bered cairns, the larger being ofMaeshowe-type with a chamberover 20m long with 12 side cells.This impressive and mostly intactstructure is well worth a visit.

The Holm of Papay from the North Hill

Crofts and fields on the east side of Papay

Holm of Papay South chambered cairn - interior

The Knap of Howar is the oldest known house in Orkney, and dates from about 3600BC

“THE BIG ISLE OF THE PRIESTS”

PAPA WESTRAY

Knap of HowarSt Boniface KirkSt Tredwell’s ChapelBay of MoclettHolland FarmNorth HillMull HeadSouth BayHolm of PapaySouth Cairn on Holm of Papay

NORTH ISLES - PAPAY

11th century hog-backed gravestone at St BonifaceSt Boniface Kirk dates from the 12th century

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NORTH RONALDSAY (ONRinansey, Ringan’s or Ninian’sIsle) lies to the north east ofSanday, which it resembles withits low lying landscape and sandybeaches. The island has a dis-tinctly different character, and stillretains many traditions and lan-guage usages now extinct in mostof the rest of Orkney. It is themost isolated of the North Islesand is mostly served by air link.

Sheep Dyke This unique featureof the island was built about 1832to keep the sheep off the agricul-tural land. The 19km (12mi) dry-stone dyke encircles the shore.The small, hardy, NorthRonaldsay Sheep are similar toSoay sheep, and graze the seaweedoff the shore as well as grass onthe small areas outside the dyke.The lean meat has a distinctiveflavour because of the unique diet.

During lambing time the ewes areallowed onto grass for a time.Special sheep punds around theshore are used for clipping anddipping. The white and brownfleeces make fine wool, suitable forknitwear, but the coloured onesare rather coarser.

Most of the houses are renovatedtraditional longhouses, with flag-stone roofs. The farming heretends to be less intensive and moretraditional than elsewhere inOrkney. As a result the island isvery attractive to many species ofbreeding birds in summer.

Bird Observatory (NRBO)North Ronaldsay is especially wellsituated on a migration crossroadsfor birds on passage to northernbreeding grounds in spring and ontheir return in autumn. A numberof rarities turn up every year. TheNRBO was set up to study thesemovements. It also offers guest

house and hostel accommodationas well as meals.

Archaeology There are severalsites of archaeological interest.These include the Iron Age Brochof Burrian on Strom Ness at thesouth end. The Stan Stein is aStanding Stone which has a smallhole through it in a field nearHolland. Traditionally peoplegathered here at New Year todance and sing. The MuckleGairsty and the Matches Dyke areancient “treb dykes” which dividedup the island.

Lighthouse North Ronaldsaylighthouse, at Kirk Taing onDennis Head, was the first inOrkney, and it was established in1789. This was the only light-house in the North Isles until theStart Point light was built in 1806on Sanday. The Dennis Headbeacon was extinguished in 1809and its light replaced by the ball ofmasonry removed from the oldStart Point beacon. There areambitious plans to renovate thebeacon and associated houses.

By 1852 the need for a lighthousewas clear and the new brick builtlighthouse was first lit in 1854. Itwas the last one in Orkney to beautomated, in 1999. At 42m it isthe highest land-based lighthousein Britain. Dennis Head light-house is open to the public by

arrangement. The NorthRonaldsay Trust owns the outbuildings, some of which nowhouse a small mill to process thelocal wool. A shop and cafe isopen in summer.

Walking North Ronaldsay isgood walking country, whetherthe long walk around the dyke orthe shorter walk to the lighthouse,the island will not disappoint.

Transport It is possible to reachNorth Ronaldsay by sea fromKirkwall once a week or on a fewtrip days in summer. These sail-ings are all weather dependent asthe pier is very exposed. Mostpeople travel on the LoganairIslander aircraft from KirkwallAirport. There are special faresfor those staying overnight, butadvance booking is essential.

Aerial view of North Ronaldsay from the northwest

Loganair Island aircraft serve North Ronaldsay

North Ronaldsay lighthouse Stan Stein - the stone with the hole

NORTH RONALDSAY - “RINGAN’S ISLE”

NORTH RONALDSAY

North Ronaldsay SheepSheep DykeBird ObservatoryStan Stein standing stoneDennis Head Old BeaconNorth Ronaldsay lighthouseBroch of BurrianMuckle Gairsty Treb DykeHooking LochLinklet BaySouth Bay

Kirk Taing, North Ronaldsay and old lighthouse beacon, 1789

North Ronaldsay sheep

NORTH ISLES - NORTH RONALDSAY

Fields, farm buildings and Dennis Head, North Ronaldsay

North Ronaldsay sheep eating seaweed on the shore

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Start Point lighthouse was firstlit in 1806, although an unlit bea-con had been installed in 1802.The present light was built in1870. It is painted with verticalblack stripes to distinguish it fromNorth Ronaldsay lighthouse,which has horizontal red stripes.Start Island can be reached at lowtide by crossing Ayre Sound.

Radar Station In WWII,Sanday was the only one of theNorth Isles to have a major mili-tary presence. A Chain Homeradar station called RAFWhalehead was built at Lopness.Along with its nearby reserveinstallations and a dummy airfieldthis brought a good deal of activi-ty to eastern Sanday at the time.

Wildlife The many flat, muddyand sandy beaches, backed bymachair, small lochs and marshesare very attractive to waders andwaterfowl, both breeders and visi-tors. Sanday’s easterly position,attractive shorelines and relativelylarge area makes it one of the firstlandfalls for migrants carried fromEurope or North America.

Otters frequent the shores andsmall lochs, and may be seen inthe early morning or late evening.Their presence can be noted fromthe distinctive tracks and fishyspraints which they leave. Many

Common Seals live aroundSanday, especially off the northcoast. Grey Seals breed on theHolms of Ire and Spur Ness.

Flora Sanday is famous for itsswards of summer wild flowers.The low intensity farming, sandymachair soil, lochs and marshesprovide a diverse habitat. In mid-summer the colours rival any ofthe Outer Hebrides.

Visiting There are two hotels atKettletoft for accommodation andmeals. Sanday can be reacheddaily by sea or air from Kirkwall.With its flat terrain and lovelyshoreline, Sanday is good forwalking and cycling, but it is easyto underestimate the length of theisland, so leave plenty of time tocatch your return ferry or flight.An exploration of the southeastshores makes a good short walk.

SANDAY (ON Sand-ey, SandyIsle) is the largest of the NorthIsles. It is very low lying, apartfrom at the south end, and hasmany beautiful sandy beachesbacked with machair. In summer

there is a riot of wild flowers,while the shallow sandy bays are afavourite with the many migrantand resident wading bird species.

Quoyness Chambered CairnAlthough there are many sites ofarchaeological interest, only theQuoyness chambered cairn isactually on display to the public.This impressive Maeshowe-typecairn on the peninsula of Elsnessdates from about 3000BC andvery much merits a visit. It islargely built from light colouredrounded beach stones, giving theinterior a quite special ambience.

Sanday was settled before4000BC, and the early farmers

would have found the light soilseasy to till. It was also probablythe first to be settled by theVikings for the same reason.Excavations at Pool have shownthat occupation was virtually con-tinuous from the Neolithic untilpost Viking times.

Scar Boat Burial In 1991, anexciting find at Scar was a Vikingboat burial, in which three peoplewere interred. A spectacularwhalebone plaque was among theartefacts found. This may be seen,along with other artefacts, at theOrkney Museum in Kirkwall.Although the wooden boat hadlong since decayed, its shape couldbe discerned from iron nails.

SANDAY - THE LARGEST OF THE NORTH ISLES

Backaskaill Bay

Tres Ness has very impressive sand dunes

Lopness Bay with remains of WWI destroyer, B98

Whalebone plaque from Scar

SANDAY

Quoyness Chambered CairnStart Point lighthouseB98 WWI destroyer, LopnessBackaskaill BayWhitemill BayLopness BayTres NessBea LochNorth LochKettletoft

NORTH ISLES - SANDAY

Quoyness chambered cairn, Sanday Start Point lighthouse, Sanday

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Calf of Eday lies across CalfSound from Eday. There are sev-eral chambered cairns. Theseinclude a long stalled cairn, a smalltwo-celled tomb and two intactBookan-type cairns. OppositeCarrick are the remains of a 17th

century saltworks which was peatfired. Cormorants and manyother seabirds breed on the island.

Beaches There are several verynice beaches. These include in thesouth, the Bay of Greentoft, aswell as the Sands of Doomy andthe Sands of Mussetter. facingFersness Bay in the northwest.Mill Bay and the Bay of London,in the east, are muddy and areespecially good for waders.

Transport Eday can be reacheddaily by ferry from Kirkwall, andless frequently, by air fromKirkwall Airport. There is a puband accommodation on the island.

The Red Head of Eday Vinquoy chambered cairn

Aerial view of Eday and Stronsay from the north west, Holm of Faray and Faray in foreground

EDAY - “THE ISTHMUS ISLE”

Carrick House

Stone of SetterVinquoy Chambered CairnCarrick HouseCalf SoundMill LochRed Head of EdayEday Heritage WalkWarness WalkBeachesLondon AirportCalf of Eday

EDAY (ON Eid-ey, Isthmus Isle)is less fertile than the other outerNorth Isles and much of it ispeaty heather moorland. Its cen-tral position means that there areexcellent views of much of Orkneyfrom, for example, the top of theWard Hill, or from the Red Head.

Stone of Setter is 4.5m high andvery prominent as it is set in openterrain overlooking Calf Soundand near the Mill Loch, in a focalpoint of the landscape. Theweathered monolith is covered inlichen, which emphasises its time-worn appearance..Chambered cairns There aremany chambered cairns on the

island, some in good conditionand some ruinous. Vinquoy, is aMaeshowe-type cairn which over-looks Calf Sound. This interest-ing structure has been repairedand is built of large sandstoneblocks. It has two pairs of sidecells and the main chamber is over3m high inside.

Braeside is a small tripartite cairnwhose entrance passage directlyfaces the Stone of Setter, while thenearby Huntersquoy is on twolevels like Taversoe Tuick onRousay. The upper chamber haslargely gone, but the bottom one isintact.

Recent excavations at the southend have revealed a Neolithic set-tlement. Although there areBronze Age burnt mounds, so farno brochs, Pictish artefacts orNorse houses have been found.

Carrick House was first built in1633 and in 1725 nearby CalfSound was the scene of the cap-ture by its then owner, James Fea,of “Pirate Gow”. John Gow wasthe son of a Stromness merchant,who went to sea. In 1724 he and5 others mutinied aboard the ship“Caroline” off Spain, murdered theofficers and proceeded to harryshipping.

Having little success they endedup in Stromness, but the ship was

recognised and they sailed toEday, looking for assistance fromFea, who had been at school withGow. However Gow and his fel-low pirates were captured and heand 7 of his crew were executed inLondon.

Wildlife The hide on the MillLoch is a very good place fromwhich to observe Red-throatedDivers, and other waterfowlwhich nest here. Whimbrels,Hen Harrier, Merlins, ArcticSkuas and Short-eared Owls mayalso be seen on the island duringthe summer.

Eday Heritage Walk takes in themost interesting sights in thenorth of the island. It starts at theshop and passes the Mill Loch,Stone of Setter, chambered cairnsand Noup Hill, from where thereare fine views over the North Isles.

The bright red sandstone here isquite soft and does not erode toconvenient ledges for birds to neston. However a quarry at Fersnessis reputed to be one of the mainsources of stone for St MagnusCathedral.

Warness Walk does the same atthe south end, starting fromBackaland Pier and going roundthe southwest part of the island.With the nearby pub this is agood between ferries walk.

Calf Sound from the east, Carrick House is mid left

NORTH ISLES - EDAY

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The Stone of Setter

STRONSAY (ON Strjonsey,Profit Island) is one of the mostfertile islands in Orkney. It has amuch indented coastline, withmany very fine beaches, as well aslow cliffs on the south east side,with several large caves, and a nat-ural arch at the Vat of Kirbuster.

Although most of the island isagricultural land, the headland ofRothiesholm is moorland, thusthere is a large variety of habitatand feeding areas for wildlife.

Archaeology There are a numberof archaeological sites on theisland, but none of great interest,no doubt because it has beenintensively farmed for many years.

There is a large chambered cairnat Kelsburgh near the Bu and twosmaller ones at Lamb Head.

Herring Stronsay was a majorcentre for Herring fishing for cen-turies. The Dutch were fishing inOrkney waters in late Norse timesand by the 17th century had over2,000 boats working the NorthSea. The island was used as a har-bour for Dutch and Fife boatsduring the season for hundreds ofyears up until 1937, when thefishery collapsed.

Whitehall Village was very busyduring the fishing season, andonce boasted the longest bar inScotland. On Sundays there were

hundreds of boats tied up; howev-er, the increased catching power ofthe steam drifter meant that thestocks of Herring were exhaustedbefore WWII.

Today the harbour is home to afew inshore creel boats. The for-mer Fishmarket has been done upas an interpretation centre, cafeand hostel. The Stronsay Hotel inWhitehall has recently been reno-vated and offers food and accom-modation.

Kelp-making was introduced toStronsay about 1719, to makepotash and soda, which were usedin glass and soap manufacture andwere in short supply due to theFrench Wars. Kelp was producedby burning dried seaweed in pitson the shore. The expansivebeaches in the North Isles wereexcellent sources of seaweed,which had traditionally been cart-ed onto the land as fertiliser. Atthe peak, Orkney was exporting3,000 tons of kelp per year.

The boom lasted from 1780 to1830, and brought much moneyin to the landowners, some ofwhich was invested in farmimprovements. Kelp pits can beseen at many places round theshore, especially at Grice Ness,east of Whitehall.

Beaches On Stronsay there is abeach for every wind direction. StCatherine’s Bay, the Bay ofHolland, the Bay of Huip andMill Bay have the largest expansesof sand, but there are many othersmall beaches to explore.

Papa Stronsay, now occupied byTransalpine Redemptoristmonks, has a chambered cairn, the“Earl’s Knowe”, and a chapel site,dedicated to St Nicholas. Thechurch recently excavated datesfrom the 11th century, but the sitemay go back to the 8th century.

Wildlife Stronsay is an excellentisland for birdwatching, being wellsited to attract migrants in springand autumn. The diverse range ofhabitats attract many unusual birdspecies at times. Grey Seals haulashore to pup at several placesaround the island, with largenumbers on Links Ness and onLinga Holm, as well as on GriceNess, Odness and Lamb Head.Common Seals are also .present.

Walking and Cycling Being flat,the island offers easy walking andcycling, with several waymarkedofficial trails. These include OdinBay to Houseby, Sand ofRothiesholm and Baywest, St

Catherine’s Bay, Grice Ness andHolland Farm to Torness. A bicy-cle would allow most of these tobe done between ferries.

Transport Stronsay can bereached daily by roro ferry and byair from Kirkwall.

Whitehall Village from the East Pier

Stronsay, aerial view from the south

Whitehall Village from the West Pier

STRONSAY - FARMERS AND FISHERMEN

STRONSAY

Whitehall VillageHerring Fishing (Fishmarket)St Catherine’s BayBay of HollandMill BayLamb HeadVat of KirbusterRothiesholmGrice Ness, Grey SealsLinga HolmPapa Stronsay

NORTH ISLES - STRONSAY

The Vat of Kirbuster - a collapsed cave

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HJALPANDISEY, OR “HELPING ISLE”NORTH ISLES - SHAPINSAY

SHAPINSAY (ON Hjalpand-isey, Helping Island) is only 20minutes from Kirkwall by roroferry. It was one of the first areaswhere the old runrig system waschanged to larger fields, and isnearly all cultivated today.

Broch of Burroughston This isthe only archaeological site whichis on display, having been excavat-ed in 1862. It is surrounded by aditch and rampart, and has a well-preserved interior, nearly 3m highinside. There is an intact cor-belled cell in the entrance passageand a large central well accessed bysteps.

Mor Stane The 3m Mor Stane isof indeterminate date and is saidto have been thrown by a giantfrom the Mainland at his depart-

ing wife. On the north side belowLairo Water, Odin’s Stone mayhave been a Norse meeting place.

Norse Power Shapinsay featuredin the unsuccessful bid by KingHaakon of Norway to reassertNorse power in the west ofScotland in 1263. The great fleetwas mustered here in Elwick Bay,before its departure for the Clyde.

Balfour Castle The house ofSound was built in 1674 byArthur Buchanan, on the site ofthe present Balfour Castle. In1775 Thomas Balfour marriedFrances Liginier, whose moneypaid for the Sound Estate. Soonthe island was transformed with anew house, Cliffdale, the village,then called Shoreside, farm build-ings and dykes all being built.

In 1846 David Balfour, who hadmade a fortune in India, inheritedthe estate, which now included thewhole island. He had the housetransformed into the presentbuilding. The Castle interior hasnot changed much in 150 years,with most of the original furnish-ing and interior decor still in place.

RSPB Milldam Reserve Thedisused Elwick Mill is one of thelargest water mills in Orkney, andthe artificial loch behind it is nowthe RSPB Mill Dam Reserve.Good views of many kinds ofwaders and waterfowl may be hadfrom the hide on its west side.The small lochs of Lairo Waterand Vasa are also fine places forbirds, while the tidal Ouse andmudflats of Veantrow Bay areattractive to waders.

Beaches The island boasts anumber of fine sandy beaches,including Skenstoft, Sandside,Innsker, Noust of Erraby andSandy Geo on the north side. Thebest is probably the south-facingBay of Sandgarth in the southeastcorner of the island, said to be theShapinsay folk’s favourite.

Walks Shapinsay is one of theeasiest of islands to visit fromKirkwall. A walking or cyclingtour round the whole island

would take a whole day, making afine introduction to one of theNorth Isles.

Helliar Holm is on the south sideof Elwick Bay. Many CommonSeals lie up on the flat rocks of the

bay. There is a chambered cairn atthe highest point of the island.The lighthouse was built in 1893to guide the eastern approach toKirkwall Bay. In former timesthere was a fishing station nearthe present jetty.

Transport Shapinsay makes apleasant short excursion fromKirkwall. There is an excellentrestaurant, the Smithy. B&Baccommodation is available on theisland.

Elwick Bay and Balfour Village, with Balfour Castle in the background, Shapinsay

Balfour Village Harbour and MV “Thorsvoe”

Burroughston BrochThe Mor Stane

SHAPINSAY

Balfour CastleBalfour VillageThe Smiddy Heritage CentreRSPB Milldam ReserveElwick Mill PotteryBroch of BurroughstonOdin’s StoneMor StoneElwick BayHelliar HolmLochsBeaches

Dishan Tower and Balfour Castle, Shapinsay Sunset over the Wide Firth

AIRCRAFT AND FERRIESGETTING TO ORKNEY

GETTING TO ORKNEYAlthough apparently isolated,Orkney is very well served by trans-port links. There are good dailyyear-round connections by air fromall four major airports in Scotland.Ferries run several times daily toCaithness and several times perweek ro Aberdeen and Shetland.

Land travel to the ports is facilitatedby car, bus and rail is straightfor-ward. Contrary to the advice givenby some travel agents, no passport isneeded by UK citizens for entry toOrkney, prices are reasonable, andthere are a plenty of services.

AIR ROUTES Today it is not nec-essary to go to the lengths that thefirst airborne visitors had to. In1910, the author’s grandfather wassurprised to find two youngGermans from Munich on hisdoorstep. They had gone for a bal-loon flight, hoping to reachSwitzerland. Much to their conster-

nation the weather changed andthey crossed the North Sea, landingat the back of Park Cottage,Kirkwall, after seeing the lights ofthe town!

Kirkwall Airport (Grimsetter) isopen seven days per week and isequipped with an InstrumentLanding System, which greatlyimproves the reliability of flights inadverse weather conditions. The air-port is about 4km (3mi) east of thetown, and is easily reached by taxi orscheduled bus.

Flybe (franchised to Loganair) oper-ate several flights into KirkwallAirport (KOI) every day, fromAberdeen, Inverness, Edinburghand Glasgow. There are also dailyflights to and from Shetland.Loganair use Saab 340 aircraftwhich carry 34 passengers with acruising speed of 250kt at 20,000ft.FlyBe has a codesharing agreementwith BA for onwards flights.

Flybe Flight Details, informationand bookings can be found online,or by calling FlybeTel 0871 200 7000flybe.com

Information can also be had fromthe Loganair desk at KirkwallAirport.Tel 01856 872233

British AirwaysGeneral Reservations andEnquiriesTel 0844 493 0787ba.com(Note: BA can only assist where the book-ing is on a codeshare flight with a directconnection to a BA service)

Kirkwall Airport is operated byHIALInformation Desk

Tel 01856 886 210Live flight information athial.co.uk/kirkwall-airport

ADS (Air Discount Scheme)Reservations and AssistanceTel 0844 800 2855

Mon-Fri 0700-1700Tel 01496 302022

Sat 0900-1300Sun 1530-1830

SEA ROUTES Regular sea linksto Scotland have been operatedfor many centuries. Today themain routes are from Stromnessto Scrabster, St Margaret’s Hopeto Gills Bay and Kirkwall toAberdeen and Lerwick. There isalso a passenger ferry in summerfrom Burwick to John o’Groats.All sailings are subject to weatherconditions, and disruption due tostorms can occur in winter espe-cially.

NorthLink Ferries currentlyoperate MV Hamnavoe betweenScrabster in Caithness andStromness. This large ferry takesabout 1½ hours to cross thePentland Firth, passing the Old

Man of Hoy on the way. Shecrosses up to 3 times daily andcarries up to 180 cars and 500passengers. NorthLink also oper-ate MV Hjaltland and MVHrossey, which run betweenAberdeen, Kirkwall and Lerwick.These vessels call several times perweek all year round.

Please note that the Northern IslesFerry Service is being retendered asfrom July 2012. The operator, con-tact details, timetables and vesselsmay thus be changed.

NorthLink Ferries Ltd,Ferry Terminal, Stromness,Orkney KW16 £2BH Reservations 0845 6000 449Admin 01856 885500Fax 01856 851795northlinkferries.co.uk

Pentland Ferries operate year-round services from St Margaret’sHope to Gills Bay in Caithnesswith MV Pentalina, a large cata-maran. The scenic trip takesabout 1 hour with 3 or more serv-ices per day (3 in winter).

Pentland Ferries Ltd, Pier Road,St Margaret’s Hope, OrkneyKW17 2SW Tel 01856 831226Fax 01856 831614 pentlandferries.co.uk

John o’Groats Ferries run a sum-mer passenger service betweenJohn o’Groats and Burwick inSouth Ronaldsay with MVPentland Venture. There are coachservices to Kirkwall, while a spe-cial bus service from Invernessconnects with the ferry. Severalvariations on day trips are avail-able.

John o’Groats Ferries, John o’Groats,Caithness KW1 4YR Tel 01955 611353Fax 01955 611301 jogferry.co.uk

Getting to Scrabster The A9trunk road north from Perth isnot a good road, and it takes atleast 6 hours to drive the 300km(250mi) north from Edinburgh orGlasgow. Care needs to be takenon this section of the A9 whichhas some short sections of dualcarriageway.

The road north of Inverness isvery scenic and less busy, thoughstill tortuous in places. There areplenty of good hotels and B&Bsto stay in Caithness overnight,and indeed some time exploringthis area is strongly recommend-ed.

MV “Pentalina” in Hoxa Sound en route for Gills Bay

VisitOrkney

MV “Hrossey” at Hatston Terminal, Kirkwall on a midsummer evening

Loganair SAAB 340 in FlyBe colours at Kirkwall Airport

MV “Hjaltland” at Hatston Ferry Terminal

GETTING TO ORKNEY

BUSES AND TRAINS Landtransport links from Edinburghand Glasgow to Aberdeen andThurso are operated by ScottishCitiLink and by First ScotRail.Details of services and timetablesare available from the companies.

Scottish Citylink Coaches Ltd,Buchanan Bus Station,Killermont St, Glasgow G2 3NPTel 08705 505050Fax 0141 332 4488 citylink.co.uk

First ScotRail Customer Relations,PO BOX 7030Fort William PH33 6WXTel 0844 556 5636scotrail.co.uk

The Orkney Bus is operated inpartnership with John o’ GroatsFerries daily from Inverness andto John o'Groats and back whenthe ferry is running.Tel: 01955 611353jogferry.co.uk

Stagecoach in the HighlandsInverness Bus Station,Farraline Park,Inverness IV1 1LTTel 01463 258933stagecoachbus.com

Connections There are coachconnections between Thurso trainstation and Scrabster as well asbetween Wick and Gills Bay.Citilink buses also meet some sail-ings of the Hamnavoe. It shouldbe noted that the timetables arenot always synchronised and thusit is important to check out suchexpected connections in advance.All of the times may be checkedout on the websites listed here.

PRIVATE CAR FromEdinburgh or Glasgow it is about64km (40mi) by motorway toPerth, from where Inverness is184km (114mi). This should takeroughly 2-3 hours, through someof Scotland’s most spectacularscenery. The A9 should be tack-led with care, patience and atten-tion as it can be very busy. Thereare many good viewpoints andplaces to stop for a meal.

From Inverness to Scrabster is180km (111mi). This road takesabout 2-3 hours and offers manygood stop-off opportunities at theattractive towns, villages and sitesof interest along the route. Whentime allows, a slightly moreleisurely journey can become adelightful part of the Orkneyexperience.

Alternative routes north or southinclude taking the west coastroute from Dingwall to Ullapooland the loop around the northcoast via Durness. This passesthrough spectacular and remotecountryside, especially inSutherland. The companionCharles Tait guide “The NorthHighlands of Scotland Guide Book”covers all of the area north ofInverness in detail.

Board our beautiful, purpose-built ships - which offer the highest standard of safety and comfort - and enjoy our first-class service and on-board facilities as you sail north.

Contact us today for a copy of our brochure

is a pleasure

Contact us today for a copy of our brochure

John o’Groats Ferry “Pentland Venture” in harbour

John o’Groats FerriesDay Tours & Short BreaksDirect Coaches from Inverness

John o’Groats Ferries, Caithness Tel 01955 611 353

ivor@jogferry.co.uk jogferry.co.uk

Cross in only 40 minutes!

TRANSPORT SERVICES AND TOUR OPERATORSGETTING ABOUT IN ORKNEY

ISLAND VISITS A trip toOrkney is not complete without avisit to one or more of the islands,as well as visiting all the interest-ing places on the Mainland. Sinceeach island is different, with itsown charm and the inter islandtransport system is good, it is botheasy and interesting to visit all ofthe islands as well as theMainland parishes.

INTER-ISLAND SEATRANSPORT The main inter-nal sea transport operator isOrkney Ferries, which operates tomost inhabited Islands fromKirkwall, Tingwall, Houton andStromness. They publish anannual timetable with details ofservices. Further informationfrom the head office at thePierhead, Kirkwall Tel 01856872044

All services are roro except thoseto Papay, North Ronaldsay andGraemsay, where vehicles are han-dled by crane. The modern fleet ofships runs frequent daily servicesto all islands except NorthRonaldsay, which is once or twiceweekly. The services run as fol-lows:

Outer North Isles services departfrom Kirkwall for Westray, PapaWestray, Eday, Sanday, Stronsayand North Ronaldsay. To book Tel 01856 872044

Rousay, Egilsay & Wyre servicesdepart from Tingwall in Evie. To book Tel 01856 751360

Papay services depart fromPierowall, Westray.To book Tel 01857 677216

Hoy and Flotta services departfrom Houton in Orphir. To book Tel 01856 811397

North Hoy & Graemsay servicesdepart from Stromness. To book Tel 01856 850624

Fares. There are two levels offares to the islands. Tickets forthe inner islands of Hoy, Flotta,Rousay, Egilsay, Wyre andShapinsay are cheaper than thoseto the Outer Isles of Westray,Eday, Sanday, Stronsay and NorthRonaldsay.

INTERNAL AIR SERVICESLoganair operate daily services tomost of the Outer North Isles,including Westray, Papay, NorthRonaldsay, Sanday and Stronsayand to Eday on Wednesdays onlywith 8-seat Islander aircraft.Flying from Kirkwall airport, thisservice is very popular, and book-ing is generally required.

Special deals exist for visitors toPapay and North Ronaldsay whenan overnight stay is included.

Loganair Internal FlightsBookings and Inquiries:Tel 01856 872494 or 873457Mon-Sat 0815-1745Sun 1330-1630)

Fax 01856 872420 loganair.co.uk

PUBLIC TRANSPORTStagecoach is the main bus opera-tor in Orkney. They run a largenumber of services betweenKirkwall and Stromness, to ferryterminals and various locations onthe Mainland.

Public Transport Timetable. Fulldetails of all these and otherschedules are published byOrkney Islands Council every sixmonths in the Orkney PublicTransport Timetable. This book-let is indispensable to anyonewishing to make best use of thecomplexity of routes and times.

Car Hire Orkney is very much acar-orientated society, and inde-pendent transport makes it mucheasier to see the areas not servedby public transport. Several firmshave cars for hire, including onmany of the islands.

Taxis Taxis are available through-out Orkney, either for normalhires, or tours. See advertise-ments for telephone numbers.Please check in "The Orcadian" orask at the Tourist Office for fur-

ther information. There are taxiranks at the Pier Head, BroadStreet and the Airport in Kirkwalland in Stromness at the PierHead. Taxis may also be orderedto meet ferries, etc.

Bicycle Hire Orkney, being rela-tively flat, is good country forcycling, but note the wind direc-tion before setting off, it could bemuch harder getting back! On anice day there is no better way toabsorb the rhythm of the country-side than from a bike. Bicyclesmay be hired in Kirkwall and inStromness as well as on several ofthe islands.

Tours of Orkney Apart from theMaxi Tours offered by Johno’Groats Ferries, smaller operatorsoffer tours on the Mainland andseveral of the islands. Check withVisitOrkney, or locally, for thetours currently being run.

Orkney Ferries vessels at Kirkwall Pier

VisitOrkney

John o’Groats Ferries tour bus at Brodgar

A Loganair “Islander” aircraft

Fresson Memorial, Kirkwall Airport

developed from ordinary house-hold furniture or utensils. TheOrkney Chair is now an expensiveand sought after piece of furniture.In the past was a homemade utili-ty chair made from driftwood andspare oat straw.

The Bride’s Cog remains a featureof every Orkney wedding. Madefrom wooden staves boundtogether with metal rings, it is real-ly a bucket with handles. Thehappy couple circulate after thefirst dance and offer their guests adrink from the cog. Made fromrum, whisky, dark ale, sugar andspices, the strong liquid is an essen-tial component of every wedding.

Art and Poetry Orkney hasinspired many artists over theyears. These range from painterssuch as Stanley Cursiter to poetslike George MacKay Brown,musicians as for example, the com-poser, Sir Peter Maxwell Davies orcinematographers, includingMargaret Tait. Today local artistJane Glue is one of the best knownand has her studio in Finstown.

The Pier Arts Centre is of coursethe centrepiece of art in Orkneywith its permanent and temporaryexhibitions. A number of othervenues including OrkneyMuseum, the waterfront Galleryin Stromness and the WorkshopGallery in the Hope also hold reg-ular shows.

Many people have been inspired towrite about Orkney and a visit toone of the bookshops just what alively publishing scene the countyhas. Book lovers will find delightin perusing the shelves of outlets inKirkwall and Stromness as well as

those at some of the main visitorattractions.

Traditional Music is anothervibrant part of Orkney. A revivalwas started by the inspirationalOrkney Islands Council practice ofoffering free tuition in schools.The thriving Orkney Folk Festival and the St Magnus Festival aretwo of the very successful results ofthis. The Wrigley Sisters’ “TheReel” on Broad Street is a goodplace to find out about musicalevents.

Knitwear has always been a cot-tage industry in Orkney, perhapsless well known than its Shetlandequivalent, but nevertheless stillvery much alive. A number ofshops specialise in knitwear. Theseinclude The Quernstone inStromness, Judith Glue and RAFinn in Kirkwall and theWorkshop Gallery in StMargaret’s Hope.

Crafts Trail An annual bookletproduced by the Orkney CraftsAssociation showcases its mem-bers work. These include jewellery,silversmiths, textiles knitwear, art ,photography, woodwork and pot-tery. orkneydesignercrafts.com

Services For its size, Orkney has avast range of services available.There are garages, bike shops,builder’s merchants of every type,tradesmen and people who can fixjust about anything. Everything iseasy to find, but if in doubt just asklocally, and if they do not know,they will put you in touch withsomeone that does. This prettymuch sums up finding out thingsabout Orkney. Do not hesitate toask as you are sure to get a helpfuland often interesting reply.

STAYING, EATING & SHOPPING IN ORKNEY

Accommodation Orkney offersthe usual range of visitor accom-modation, including hotels, guesthouses B&Bs, self catering, hostelsand camp sites. Full informationon all of these is available in thecurrent VisitOrkney brochure.Advance booking is essential in themain holiday season and stronglyadvised at other times.

Most of the hotels and guest hous-es are clustered around Kirkwall

and Stromness. Self catering holi-day lets are normally weekly andare easily the most popular type ofaccommodation. They are scat-tered throughout the islands.visitorkney.com

Eating Out There is a wide rangeof hotels, restaurants, bars, cafes,tea rooms and fast food outletsoffering meals to everyone’s taste.Most use local produce as far aspossible, including beef, lamb,seafood, potatoes, fruit and vegeta-bles in season.

Kirkwall, being the main townprobably has the best selection, butthere are establishments servingfood in nearly every parish andinhabited island. Expectationsmay frequently be exceeded.Unusual types of fish, meats suchas North Ronaldsay Lamb, locally

grown tomatoes or strawberriesand of course prime OrkneyAberdeen Angus beef are some ofthe treats awaiting.visitorkney.com

Shopping Although an islanddestination like Orkney might notinitially appear to have shoppinghigh on the agenda, this is far fromthe truth. There has been a renais-sance in the retail experience inrecent years, especially in Kirkwall,where “The Street” now offers ahost of enticing shopping opportu-nities.

Designer Jewellery has long beena hallmark in Orkney, ever sinceOla Gorie pioneered her innova-tive pieces in the 1960s. Based ini-tially on Neolithic, Pictish andNorse symbols these themes havebeen developed by her and laterdesigners to include nature, andOrkney in its widest sense.

There are several jewellery shops inKirkwall, all different in character,and reflecting their own inspira-tion from Orkney and its heritage,both cultural and natural. Aroundthe Mainland, several smaller stu-dios offer their own personal anddistinctive pieces.

Orkney is synonymous with highquality traditional crafts, most of

Bride’s Cog

Folk Festival

ESSENTIAL INFORMATION

Scallops

Orkney Chairs

Aberdeen Angus fillet steak

Traditional designer jewellery

Accommodation 92Aikerness Beach 37Air Routes 86Art And Poetry 93Aurora Borealis 8Balfour Castle 82Barnhouse Stone 28Barnhouse Village 29Bay Of Skaill 22, 36Birsay 34Bishop Graham 38Bishop’s Palace 12Black Craig 43Boardhouse, Or Barony, Mill 39Boys’ Ploughing Match 56British Home Fleet 46Broch Of Burroughston 82Broch Of Gurness 7, 40Brochs 7, 40, 64Brodgar 6, 20, 24,26Brough Of Birsay 7, 34Brough Of Deerness 52Burray 56Buses And Trains 88Calf Of Eday 79Cantick Head Lighthouse 61Carrick House 78Castle Of Yesnaby 36Chambered Cairns 6, 30, 64, 78Churchill Barriers 7, 47, 49, 54, 56Click Mill 39Climate 8Comet Stone 24Copinsay 53Corrigall Farm Museum 39Covenanters’ Memorial 52Deerness 52Domenico Chiocchetti 54Dwarfie Stone 59Earl Rognvald Brusison 12, 14Earl Thorfinn The Mighty 34Earl Rognvald Kolson 7Earl’s Palace, Kirkwall 12, 34Earl’s Palace, Birsay 34Earthhouses 41East Mainland 52Eating Out 13, 92Eday 78Egilsay 14 65Evie 40FlyBe 86Fossils 36German High Seas Fleet 46Getting To Orkney 86Groatie Buckies 34Grooved Ware 22, 29, 31Haakon Paulson 14

Helliar Holm 83Herring Fishing 80Highland Park Distillery 16Highland Park Visitor Centre 5, 13HMS Royal Oak 46Holm 52Holm Of Papay 70Hoxa Tapestry Gallery 56Hoy 58Hudson’s Bay Company 42Inter-Island Sea Transport 90Italian Chapel 7, 54Italian Prisoners Of War 47, 54Kelp-Making 80Kirbuster Farm Museum 39Kirkwall 12Knap Of Howar 70Loganair 86, 91Longhope Lifeboat Station 60Lyness 59Lyness Naval Cemetery 60Maeshowe 6, 20, 30Magnus Erlendson 14Maritime Heath 9Martello Tower & Battery 60Marwick Head 36Melsetter House 60Midhowe 64Migrants 9Milldam RSPB Reserve 82Mull Head 52Natural Environment 8Neolithic Monuments 4Neolithic Orkney 6, 20Ness Battery 43Ness Of Brodgar 6, 20, 26Noltland Castle 68North Hill RSPB Reserve 70North Ronaldsay 72North Ronaldsay Lighthouse 73North Ronaldsay Sheep 72North Sea Oil 48Noup Head 68Old Man Of Hoy 58Old Red Sandstone 4Orkney Ferries 90Orkney Fossil & Heritage Cent 56Orkney Museum 5, 12Orkney Trad Folk Festival 42, 93Orkneyinga Saga 12Painted Stones 26Papa Stronsay 80Papa Westray 70Picts 7, 34, 41Pier Arts Centre 42Pierowall 66Point Of Ness. 43

Primula scotica 9, 37Public Transport 91Puffins 68Pytheas The Greek 4Quoyness Chambered Cairn 76Rackwick 58Rerwick Head 52Ring Of Brodgar 6, 20, 24Rousay 64RSPB Reserve 9, 36, 53, 64, 68, 70Runes 30Sanday 76Scapa Beach 13Scapa Flow 7, 46, 59Scapa Flow Visitor Centre 48, 60Scar Boat Burial 76Scuttle Of German Fleet 46Sea Routes 87Shapinsay 82Shopping 12, 42, 92Shortest Scheduled Flight 71Skaill House 38Skara Brae 6, 20, 22Skipi Geo 34South Ronaldsay 56St Boniface Church 70St John’s Head 58St Magnus Cathedral 7, 14St Magnus Festival 15, 93St Tredwell’s Chapel 70Standing Stones Of Stenness 20, 28Start Point Lighthouse 77Stone Of Odin 28Stone Of Setter 78Stromness 42Stromness Museum 42Stronsay 80Tankerness 52The Heart Of Neolithic Orkney 20The Palace 7, 34Tomb Of The Eagles 56Traditional Music 93Unesco World Heritage Site, 20Unstan Ware 31Viking 7, 34Warebeth 43Watchstone 28Welcome To Orkney 4West Mainland 20Westness Walk 64Westray 66Westray Heritage Centre 68Whitehall Village 80Wideford Hill 13Winter Solstice 30Wyre 65Yesnaby 36

BIBLIOGRAPHY

BOOKS ON ORKNEY

A small selection of useful books on Orkney is listed below. The most comprehensive and up to date Guide Book is the new edi-tion of the Orkney Guide Book. This 624 page book covers every aspect of the islands in depth and the latest edition was pub-lished in 2012. It includes a very full bibliography of sources. Orkney bookshops include The Orcadian and David Spence inKirkwall, Stromness Books and Prints, as well as outlets at Skara Brae, Tormiston Mill, Skaill House, Orkney Fossil andHeritage Centre and the Tomb of the Eagles.

The Orkney Guide Book, 4th edition Charles Tait Charles Tait 2012

HISTORY & ARCHAEOLOGY

Between the Wind and the Water Caroline Wickham-Jones Windgather 2006The New History of Orkney William PL Thomson Mercat Press 2001Last Dawn, Royal Oak Tragedy David Turner Argyll Publishing 2009Orkney Land and People William PL Thomson Orcadian 2008The Kirkwall Ba’ John DM Robertson Dunedin Academic Press 2005

LOCAL GUIDE BOOKS

The local Guide Books produced by Historic Scotland and others are all worth buying. These include:Orkney's Italian Chapel, Skara Brae, Maeshowe, Brochs of Gurness & Midhowe, Bishop’s and Earl’s Palaces, St MagnusCathedral and the Tomb of the Eagles.Walking on the Orkney & Shetland Isles Graham Uney Cicerone 2009

NORSE SAGAS

Orkneyinga Saga trans. H Pálsson & P Edwards Hogarth 1978Magnus' Saga trans. H Pálsson & P Edwards Perpetua 1987

RECENT MILITARY HISTORY

Orkney at War Vol 1 World War I Geoffrey Stell Orcadian 2011Cox’s Navy Tony Booth Pen & Sword 2005Scapa Flow Ludwig von Reuter Wordsmith 2005Scapa Flow Defences 1914-45 Angus Konstam Osprey 2009

NATURAL HISTORY

Collins Bird Guide Mullarney, Svensson, Zetterstrom & Grant HarperCollins 2000Scottish Birds: Culture & Tradition Robin Hull Mercat Press 2001Orkney Bird Report eds Booth, Cuthbert & Meek 1983-2011Guide to Sea & Shore Life Gibson, Hextall & Rogers Oxford 2001The Natural History of Seals W Nigel Bonner Helm 1989Sea Mammals of the World Folkens, Reeves et al A&C Black 2002Butterflies & Moths Sterry & Mackay Dorling Kindersley 2004Wild Flowers of Britain & Ireland Blamey, Fitter & Fitter A&C Black 2003Plants & People in Ancient Scotland Dickson & Dickson Tempus 2000Scottish Wild Plants Lusby & Wright Mercat Press 2001

OS Landranger Map 5 Orkney – Northern Isles Ordnance Survey 2008OS Landranger Map 6 Orkney - Mainland Ordnance Survey 2007OS Landranger Map 7 Orkney – Southern Isles Ordnance Survey 2008OS Explorer Map 461 Orkney - East Mainland Ordnance Survey 2007OS Explorer Map 462 Orkney – Hoy, South Walls & Flotta Ordnance Survey 2010OS Explorer Map 463 Orkney – West Mainland Ordnance Survey 2007OS Explorer Map 464 Orkney – Westray, Papa Westray, Rousay, Egilsay & Wyre Ordnance Survey 2007OS Explorer Map 465 Orkney – Sanday, Eday, N Ronaldsay & Stronsay Ordnance Survey 2007

Charles Tait Publications

Kelton, St Ola, Orkney KW15 1TR

c h a r l e s - t a i t . c o . u k

Guide BooksThe Orkney Guide Book (624 pages)The Outer Hebrides Guide Book (224 pages)The Shetland Guide Book (176 pages)The North Highlands Guide Book (400 pages)The Isle of Skye Guide Book (176 pages)

PostcardsOrkney, Shetland, Outer Hebrides, North Highlands and Wildlife

landscapes, seascapes, archaeology and main visitor attractions

Annual CalendarsOrkney, Shetland, Outer Hebrides, North Highlands, Puffins

12 pictures and cover, size 21x25cm

Photo LibraryOrkney, Shetland, Outer Hebrides, Caithness, Sutherland, Ross-Shire, Skye and Wildlife

landscapes, seacapes, archaeology, history, culture, main attractions

Tel 01856 873738 Fax 01856 875313 charles.tait@zetnet.co.uk

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