Orkney: A look back in time
The word that came to my mind as the ferry approached Stromness Harbour was surreal. The stone buildings against the green hills, the blue sea and sky – it looked like an ancient, miniature town. Orkney is a pretty tiny part of the world, but it punches above its weight when it comes to historic sites. And its small size means it’s easy to visit many sites in a short time.
My must-do recommendation is the Heart of Neolithic Orkney. The heart encompasses four monuments and together they’re a UNESCO World Heritage Site. They’re all definitely worth a visit:
One of the dwellings in Skara Brae — Europe’s most complete Neolithic village.
Ring of Brodgar. The remains of this stone circle captured my imagination immediately. Who build it? What was it used for? Why the stones, the ditches and the circle? Spend any time there and you’ll be daydreaming too.
Standing Stones of Stenness. At first glance, these stones are less impressive than the Ring of Brodgar. They’re thought to be the oldest henge site in the British Isles so it’s pretty unbelievable that they’re accessed by simply walking through a farmer’s field.
Maes Howe. The largest tomb in Orkney thought to be built in 2800 BCE. The entire site was closed to the public when I was there, so I couldn’t get close. But even from a distance you can view the considerable grass mound and wonder at the chambers and passages beneath it.
Skara Brae. This prehistoric village is the star of Neolithic Orkney. I visited at the end of the day, but I would recommend visiting it first because it really does provide a lot of context for the entire area. The settlement was buried for thousands of years until an intense winter storm in 1850 uncovered parts of it. Now, you can see a mock dwelling as part of the museum before heading outside to walk among the ancient homes with stone seats, beds and even a primitive sewer system. I gotta say, it’s hard not to feel insignificant thinking about the ~ 5,000 years between families living in the settlement and me looking into their homes.
Orkney also has several sites featuring viking heritage, WWI and WWII so there’s no shortage of history to take in. Some of my other favourites were:
Highland Park. Since 1798 some truly great whisky has been produced in Kirkwall – and some really great people too! When I turned up they had just shut down their tour season the day before, but they graciously made an exception letting us in, treating us to some tastings and a short tour. I treated myself to bottle of their 18 year peated single malt – I can highly recommend that too!
Chuchill Barriers. You’ll spot bits and pieces of the legacy of WWI and WWII all around Orkney. Perhaps the most significant are the Churchill Barriers constructed to keep U-boats out of the area. Driving along them you’ll see sunken ships on either side used to reinforce the causeway.
St Magnus Cathedral. I’m generally of the mind if you’ve seen one cathedral, you’ve seen them all. But St. Magnus Cathedral is different. It has the dubious claim of being the only cathedral in the British Isles that has its own dungeon. Why a dungeon in a cathedral? Well, “witches” of course. This is where they were imprisoned and put on trial before being executed. You can spot the ‘Marwick Hole’ where the prisoners were held on the south wall near the choir area. Since my visit, I’ve learnt that the Orkney Heritage Society has commemorated the county’s witch trial victims with a memorial plaque which is really good to hear.
Know before you go:
Consider arriving and departing from different harbours so you get to see different parts of Orkney from the water. I took the ferry from Scrabster to Stromness (about $115 CAD for car plus driver – add $30 CAD per passenger). This allows the opportunity to see The Old Man of Hoy – an 450-feet sea stack – from the ferry. When leaving I caught the ferry in St. Margaret’s Hope which was a great chance to travel along Churchill Barriers and visit the Italian Chapel.
In Stromness I made the mistake of driving along the main street. This is some very tight driving in parts. (There’s some dashboard cam videos on YouTube if you’re curious.) I recommend instead is parking on Ferry Road in the car parks along the water and just walking to the main street. It’s not far and much less stressful!
xx Rachel
Visit Highland Park for amazing whisky and a different type of Orkney history.
The Standing Stones of Stenness are thought to be the oldest henge site in the British Isles though little is known about why they were built.
The Ring of Brodgar with the purple heather is completely stunning and worth a wander around.
Tight spaces make driving the main road in Stromness an adventure. Plus if you’re used to driving on the right, the left-handed car and direction just adds another layer of complexity.