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Orkney

Orkney Festivals

Welcome

Festivals run through the Orkney year from May to November.

Here they are by the month each one usually falls in; dates change from year to year, so check them before you book. May – Orkney Folk Festival June – St Magnus International Festival July – Orkney Garden Festival July – Stromness Shopping Week August – Orkney Rock Festival August – North Ronaldsay Sheep Festival September – Orkney International Science Festival September – Orkney Blues Festival October – Brochtober Fest October – Orkney Storytelling Festival November – Film Focus Festival

The Daily

Arrives at 5am every day.

A free morning email to see what’s on this week, catch up on what’s happening in Scotland and find somewhere new to go.

The Daily for 31 October, from Scotland with love. A ring of standing stones set among mist and autumn birch
A short drive awayBirsay Bay TearoomA tearoom in Birsay looking out to the Brough of Birsay and Marwick Head, with scones baked every day.13 min by roadSee itScones in wire baskets under an Orkney Tea board in the Birsay Bay Tearoom, tables behind.

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  1. Green aurora swirling across a starry sky above a snow-covered peakThe Aurora Borealis in OrkneyThe aurora borealis, or northern lights, is a wonder to see in the night skyUnder a mile 1 min by road
  2. Fursbreck Pottery, a stone cottage with a red-edged roof and a garden of pots and benches, Harray.The Harray PotterA working pottery in Harray, founded in 1977, where you can watch pots being thrown and buy them.5 miles 7 min by road
  3. 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 10 min by road
  4. Skara BraeSkara BraeA 5,000-year-old village on the Bay of Skaill, the best-preserved Neolithic settlement in Western Europe, with its stone furniture in place.7 miles 14 min by road
  5. Broch of GurnessBroch of GurnessAn Iron Age broch and its village on the shore of Eynhallow Sound, facing Rousay, open daily from April to September.7 miles 17 min by road
Directions
Scones in wire baskets under an Orkney Tea board in the Birsay Bay Tearoom, tables behind.CafeBirsay Bay Tearoom8.1 miles
Pebble-dashed dormer bungalow with wooden garage door and gravel drivewayAttractionsThe Viking Village Birsay8.2 miles
AttractionsBrough of Birsay8.3 miles
A tall lichened stone of the Ring of Brodgar in the foreground, the circle behind in heather.AttractionsRing of Brodgar8.5 miles
Maeshowe, a great grassy mound in green fields under a grey sky.AttractionsMaeshowe Chambered Cairn8.7 miles
The layered sandstone cliffs of Yesnaby dropping into a calm dark sea, lit by low sun.AttractionsYesnaby8.7 miles
The tall, thin Standing Stones of Stenness on green grass, the loch and the hills of Hoy behind.AttractionsStanding Stones of Stenness9.7 miles
The Ring of Brodgar's standing stones beside Loch Harray, a short walk from the Ness of Brodgar.AttractionsNess of Brodgar10 miles
A white gallery at the Pier Arts Centre, framed paintings along the walls.AttractionsPier Arts Centre11 miles

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