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Standing stones of the Ring of Brodgar in long summer grass and heather, the Loch of Harray behind.
Orkney

Ring of Brodgar

A great Neolithic stone circle on a strip of land between two lochs, at the centre of Neolithic Orkney; free, any time.

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Welcome

The Ring of Brodgar stands on a strip of land between the Loch of Harray and the Loch of Stenness, and it is one of the most spectacular prehistoric monuments in the British Isles.

With hills and water all round, standing in the middle feels like standing in a natural amphitheatre. The great circle was probably raised between 2600 and 2400 BC. It had 60 stones, of which 36 survive, some of them 4.7 metres tall, inside a massive ditch cut from the rock, and burial mounds lie round about.

Nobody knows for sure what went on here; it may have been a place for ceremonies binding the living to their ancestors, or for watching the moon. A local story says the stones were giants, dancing in a ring, frozen when the sun came up on them. The geologist Hugh Miller, visiting in 1846, thought they looked like stern old druids. It was among the first monuments in Britain protected by law, in 1882. It is free and open all year.

Close byNess of BrodgarThe Neolithic complex between the lochs, now covered over again.1 min by roadSee itNess of Brodgar
Before you go

Free and open all year.

About 5 miles north-east of Stromness on the B9055, with a car park. Follow the one-way path; parts of the inner path are rested at times. Strong shoes; no toilets, the nearest are at the Maeshowe Visitor Centre. Dogs welcome outdoors.

Getting there
B9055, about 5 miles north-east of Stromness.
Open
All year; free.
Toilets
At the Maeshowe Visitor Centre.
Where it is

B9055, near Stromness, KW16 3JZ.

Close byBetween the lochs.
  1. Standing Stones of StennessStanding Stones of StennessFour great stones of perhaps the oldest henge in the British Isles, raised about 5,000 years ago by the Loch of Stenness; free.1 mile2 min by road
  2. Maeshowe, a great grassy mound in green fields under a grey sky.Maeshowe Chambered CairnThe finest Neolithic tomb in north-west Europe, lit by the midwinter sun and scratched with Viking runes; by guided tour.2 miles4 min by road
  3. Unstan Chambered Cairn, a grassy mound with its low entrance and an information board, the loch beyond.Unstan CairnA 5,000-year-old chambered tomb by the Loch of Stenness, where you crawl in to see its stalls; free, any time.3 miles6 min by road
  4. Skara BraeSkara BraeA 5,000-year-old stone village by the Bay of Skaill, its houses still furnished with stone dressers, beds and hearths.6 miles12 min by road
  5. A white gallery at the Pier Arts Centre, framed paintings along the walls.Pier Arts CentreA free gallery on a pier in Stromness, with Margaret Gardiner's collection of Hepworth, Nicholson and Wallis.6 miles10 min by road
Directions
AttractionsNess of Brodgar0.6 miles
Fursbreck Pottery, a stone cottage with a red-edged roof and a garden of pots and benches, Harray.AttractionsThe Harray Potter6.0 miles
The layered sandstone cliffs of Yesnaby dropping into a calm dark sea, lit by low sun.AttractionsYesnaby6.2 miles
Musicians play fiddles and double bass on a ship's wooden deckAttractionsOrkney Festivals8.5 miles
Green aurora swirling across a starry sky above a snow-covered peakAttractionsThe Aurora Borealis in Orkney8.5 miles
AttractionsKirbuster Farm Museum9.1 miles
Scones in wire baskets under an Orkney Tea board in the Birsay Bay Tearoom, tables behind.CafeBirsay Bay Tearoom11 miles
The Foveran's dining room, tartan chairs at laid tables and big windows onto the fields and Scapa Flow.RestaurantsThe Foveran12 miles
Pebble-dashed dormer bungalow with wooden garage door and gravel drivewayAttractionsThe Viking Village Birsay12 miles
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