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Rusting blockship wrecks lying in the shallow water beside the Churchill Barriers.
Orkney

Churchill Barriers

Four wartime causeways linking the Orkney Mainland to Lamb Holm, Glimps Holm, Burray and South Ronaldsay, with blockships beside them.

Welcome

The Churchill Barriers are four concrete causeways that carry the road south from the Orkney Mainland across Lamb Holm, Glimps Holm and Burray to South Ronaldsay.

They were built in war. In October 1939 a German U-boat slipped into Scapa Flow and torpedoed the battleship HMS Royal Oak at anchor, with the loss of 834 lives, and Winston Churchill, then First Lord of the Admiralty, ordered the eastern entrances to the anchorage sealed.

Work began in May 1940 and took four years, and much of the labour came from Italian prisoners of war held in camps on Lamb Holm and Burray; on Lamb Holm they also made the Italian Chapel. The barriers opened in May 1945. Today they are one of the great drives in Orkney, with sandy beaches along the way and the rusting wrecks of the blockships, sunk to close the channels before the barriers were built, still showing above the water. Look out for seals and seabirds; divers and snorkellers visit some of the wrecks.

A short drive awayPolly KettleA family tearoom on Burray, cooking from scratch with Orkney produce and selling local pottery and crafts.6 min by roadSee itA cappuccino and a slice of iced cake on white plates at Polly Kettle.
Before you go

Open at any time and free.

The road south from Kirkwall crosses all four barriers to South Ronaldsay, where the Pentland Ferries boat from Gills Bay comes in at St Margaret's Hope.

Getting there
The road south from Kirkwall to South Ronaldsay.
Look for
Blockship wrecks beside the barriers.
Open
Any time; free.
Where it is

The barriers, Orkney.

Close bySouth of Kirkwall.
  1. Italian ChapelItalian ChapelTwo Nissen huts on Lamb Holm turned into a painted chapel by Italian prisoners of war in the 1940s.Under a mile2 min by road
  2. Wooden steps down through the dunes to the beach at Glimps Holm, the barrier and the sea beyond.Glimps Holm BeachA long, sheltered beach beside the third Churchill Barrier, with the wreck of the blockship Reginald offshore.2 miles2 min by road
  3. The Murray ArmsSeafood off the family's own boats, in St Margaret's Hope.6 miles10 min by road
  4. Highland Park Distillery's stone buildings and cobbled yard lit by lamps at dusk.Highland Park DistilleryOrkney's whisky distillery on the edge of Kirkwall since 1798, with tours, tastings without booking and a shop.6 miles9 min by road
  5. A chocolate and redcurrant dessert with honeycomb, drawn in chocolate on a white plate, the Lynnfield.Lynnfield HotelA small country-house hotel above Kirkwall, with a peat fire, over 300 malts and a restaurant built on Orkney produce.7 miles10 min by road
Directions
A cappuccino and a slice of iced cake on white plates at Polly Kettle.RestaurantsPolly Kettle4.0 miles
The front of Robertsons in St Margaret's Hope, its old General Merchants sign over the door.CafeRobertsons Coffeehoose Bar7.1 miles
AttractionsSt Magnus Cathedral7.4 miles
ShoppingSheila Fleet Kirk Gallery7.5 miles
The children's corner of the Orcadian Bookshop, shelves of picture books above small chairs and a table.ShoppingThe Orcadian Bookshop7.5 miles
AttractionsOrkney Wireless Museum7.7 miles
A plate of seared scallops with asparagus and potato at Helgi's.RestaurantsHelgi’s7.8 miles
AttractionsThe Orkney Distillery8.1 miles
The Foveran's dining room, tartan chairs at laid tables and big windows onto the fields and Scapa Flow.RestaurantsThe Foveran9.4 miles
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