A Tour of the Main Monuments

Orkney has a wealth of Neolithic sites to visit, of which Maeshowe, the Standing Stones of Stenness, the Ring of Brodgar and Skara Brae are the most spectacular.

The great chambered cairn of Maeshowe is the largest and grandest of its type and dates from about 2750BC, while the Standing Stones and the Ring of Brodgar were erected at about the same time.

All three monuments are situated in the heart of the West Mainland, surrounded by farmland and near the lochs of Stenness and Harray, in turn ringed by heather-covered low hills. There is a timeless and spacious feel to this landscape as a result of the dramatic confluence of sky, water and land.

The Neolithic village of Skara Brae lies on the shore of the Bay of Skaill, and its well-preserved 5,000 year-old houses give a very good impression of life then. All four monuments form a World Heritage Site.

There is a Visitor Centre at Skara Brae with a museum, replica house and a shop, while at Tormiston Mill, next to Maeshowe, there is a shop and interpretative display.

There are many other fascinating monuments and sites of interest ranging from the Neolithic to the 20th century which can be visited all over Orkney. Every parish and island has something different and special left by the people who inhabited the countryside during the last six millennia.

The Brough of Birsay is a tidal island off the north-west of the Mainland, and is the site of both Pictish and Viking settlements, with secular and monastic remains. In the nearby village of The Palace, the ruins of the 16th century Earl’s Palace provide a gaunt reminder of the more recent past, while St Magnus Kirk is built on the site of a much older church.

The continuity of settlement in Orkney is well demonstrated by the Broch of Gurness, which is one of the best examples of over a possible 100 such structures in Orkney. It dates from the late Iron Age, the last centuries BC. The site was occupied for hundreds of years at least until early Norse times.

The 12th century St Magnus Cathedral in Kirkwall was built by the Norse Earl Rognvald Kolson in honour of his murdered uncle, Earl Magnus Erlendson. It dominates the town, and its warm-coloured Old Red Sandstone, unmarked by air pollution, makes the building especially attractive. The interior is particularly impressive and well proportioned.

During WW2 several hundred Italian prisoners-of-war worked on the construction of the Churchill Barriers which were built to defend the eastern approaches of Scapa Flow. They built the Italian Chapel in their camp on Lamb Holm. This unusual and charming artefact of war survives now as a symbol of hope and peace.