A Day Uncovering Neolithic Orkney
Written by Graeme Johncock
If you’re interested in ancient history, there’s nowhere quite like Orkney. This archipelago off the north coast of mainland Scotland is packed with so many well-preserved neolithic sites that it’s earned UNESCO World Heritage status. These are more than just rocks too, they’re packed with stories that make them come alive and you can get round lots of them in just one day!
Skara Brae
Undoubtedly the busiest attraction in Orkney, I’d always recommend visiting Skara Brae first thing to try and avoid some crowds. This 5,000- year-old village lay buried under sand and turf until it miraculously appeared after a storm in 1850. Strange looking stacked stones were revealed and as archaeologists got to...
Ring of Brodgar
Heading inland, it’s not long until you reach the Ring of Brodgar, a dramatic circle of standing stones set in a natural amphitheatre between the loch of Harray and Stenness. Dating back to around 2600BC, it may have been built by the same people who lived in Skara Brae! It’s...
Standing Stones of Stenness
Just across a causeway, you'll find the Standing Stones of Stenness, believed to be the oldest stone circle anywhere in Britain. It adds more weight to the theory that whatever culture raised these monumental structures began here in Orkney, before spreading along the length and breadth of the British Isles....
Lunch at Julia’s Café Bistro
Take a trip to Stromness for a delicious lunch at Julia’s Café Bistro. I always try and pick up some local seafood when I’m there, but if that’s not your taste, then you can’t go wrong with anything that uses Orkney cheese! Either eat in, or takeaway and enjoy a...
Unstan Cairn
Speaking of stepping back in time, as well as standing stones and millenia-old villages, Orkney is packed with ancient cairns. At Unstan Cairn, you can step, or more like crawl, inside a 5000-year-old chambered tomb near the edge of the Loch of Stenness. It’s not the largest or most impressive...
Maeshowe Chambered Cairn
No Neolithic itinerary is complete without a visit to Maeshowe, one of Europe’s most impressive burial monuments. This is somewhere that you need to visit as part of a guided tour from Historic Scotland, with parking only at their visitor centre a short bus ride away. One you’re inside, you’ll...
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