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Baskets of scones beside a chalkboard reading "Orkney Tea, loose leaf tea blended in Orkney
Orkney

Birsay Bay Tearoom

A tearoom in Birsay looking out to the Brough of Birsay and Marwick Head, with scones baked every day.

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Welcome

Birsay Bay Tearoom sits in the village of Birsay, at the north-west corner of the Orkney Mainland, and its windows look out over the bay to the Brough of Birsay and the cliffs of Marwick Head.

It makes a good stop on a day at this end of the island, close to St Magnus Church and the ruins of the Earl's Palace.

A small, welcoming team runs it, with a menu built around Orkney's own produce and all the baking done in house, the scones fresh every day. There are gluten-free, egg-free and dairy-free choices on the menu and in the cake cupboard. When the weather allows, the small outdoor seating area is the place to be, and dogs are welcome there, though not inside. A few tables can be booked by phone; leave a message and they will ring back to confirm. It is open from April to September, Thursday to Monday, 10.30am to 4pm, and closed on Tuesdays and Wednesdays.

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The Daily for 31 October, from Scotland with love. A ring of standing stones set among mist and autumn birch
Close byBrough of BirsayA tidal island off Birsay with Pictish and Norse remains and a Romanesque church, reached on foot at low tide; free and open all year.3 min by roadSee itBrough of Birsay
Before you go

April to September, Thursday to Monday, 10.30am to 4pm; closed Tuesday and Wednesday, and October to March.

A few tables can be booked by phone. In Birsay, north-west Mainland.

Getting there
Birsay, north-west Mainland.
Season
April to September.
Hours
Thu to Mon 10:30 to 16:00.
Dogs
Outdoor seating only.

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Where it is

Birsay, Orkney, KW17 2LX.

Close byIn Birsay.
  1. Pebble-dashed dormer bungalow with wooden garage door and gravel drivewayThe Viking Village BirsayThe ruins of Viking longhouses at Birsay.2 miles 3 min by road
  2. Inside the firehoose at Kirbuster Farm Museum: smoke from the central peat fire rising towards a roof hole, with stone walls, a bench and low doorways beyond.Kirbuster Farm Museum5 miles 9 min by road
  3. Skara BraeSkara BraeA 5,000-year-old stone village by the Bay of Skaill, its houses still furnished with stone dressers, beds and hearths.8 miles 17 min by road
  4. Musicians play fiddles and double bass on a ship's wooden deckOrkney FestivalsFestivals across the Orkney Isles, month by month, from May to November.8 miles 13 min by road
  5. The layered sandstone cliffs of Yesnaby dropping into a calm dark sea, lit by low sun.YesnabyWild cliffs on the west coast of the Orkney Mainland, with a clifftop walk to the arched sea stack of Yesnaby Castle.12 miles 23 min by road
Directions
AttractionsBrough of Birsay0.9 miles
Green aurora swirling across a starry sky above a snow-covered peakAttractionsThe Aurora Borealis in Orkney8.1 miles
Fursbreck Pottery, a stone cottage with a red-edged roof and a garden of pots and benches, Harray.AttractionsThe Harray Potter9.2 miles
A tall lichened stone of the Ring of Brodgar in the foreground, the circle behind in heather.AttractionsRing of Brodgar12 miles
AttractionsBroch of Gurness12 miles
The Ring of Brodgar's standing stones beside Loch Harray, a short walk from the Ness of Brodgar.AttractionsNess of Brodgar12 miles
The tall, thin Standing Stones of Stenness on green grass, the loch and the hills of Hoy behind.AttractionsStanding Stones of Stenness13 miles
Unstan Chambered Cairn, a grassy mound with its low entrance and an information board, the loch beyond.AttractionsUnstan Cairn14 miles

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