Orkney Things to Do

  Earl's Palace - inside, 1st floor
by iaint
 
  • Earl's Palace - inside, 1st floor
      Earl's Palace - inside, 1st floor
    by iaint
  • Earl's Palace - again, 1st floor
      Earl's Palace - again, 1st floor
    by iaint
  • the 3 main stones
      the 3 main stones
    by iaint
  • with people (and sheep) for scale
      with people (and sheep) for scale
    by iaint
  • Skara Brae
      Skara Brae
    by iaint
 
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Reviews from VirtualTourist Members

Orkney Fossils and Heritage Museum

by supercarys

The Fossil and Heritage Centre on the small island of Burray is a quaint find. It houses THOUSANDS of years of Orkney's history, ranging from dinosaur and other prehistoric fossils, right up through ancient history of the stone ages, through to modern history of the 20th century world wars and beyond.It really is such an interesting museum, I have never seen anything so small that has everything on one place's history. It even (and yes, I am a nerd) has this really cool section where you can light up some rocks with ultra violet light and see the different colours they show. There are many books you can read on the local history and old newspapers to look through. I could have spent all day here!It also has a cafe and a gift shop.It costs around £3 to get in.Open daily April - September 10am to 6pm

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Lambholm 'Italian Chapel'

by GeoV

This incredible building was constructed by Italian prisoners of war between 1943 and 1945, often from unlikely materials. The body of the chapel is formed from two Nissan huts. Anyone who has seen the ugly interior of an ordinary corrugated iron Nissan hut will marvel that a thing of beauty can be fashioned from it - especially in such extraordinary circumstances. This chapel is worth seeing just as much as Kirkwall cathedral.

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5000 year old Tomb, Artefacts

by supercarys

The Tomb of the Eagles is a tomb dated at around 3000 BC, named after the many eagle talons found amongst the burials. It was actually found and excavated by a farmer in the 1950's, who is still there and gives a talk in one of the ancient houses on site.There is a Stone Age tomb, a Bronze Age house and you can look at all the Neolithic artefacts and handle some of them at a demonstration in the visitor's centre. You then walk out to the house for another talk, then on to the tomb for a self guided tour of it (it's not very big). You have to lie down on what is essentially a large skateboard and pull yourself into the tomb by a rope to get inside - it's very low and would be difficult to enter otherwise. Everything has been removed from the tomb and is on display in the visitor's centre but there are some plastic skulls in the tomb for show. It is very interesting and well worth the...

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Learn to Make Fire

by engeluna

Take a tour with VT members Malcolm Wallace and his wife Rachel and their tour company in Stromness. It's called the Five Senses and it offers all kinds of cool workshops and tours around Orkney. Here is Malcolm making fire.

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Tomb of the Eagles

by BOB_B

Another important archaelogical find and a top place to visit on Orkney. It's probably best to do it when visiting the southern islands (connected to the mainland via the Churchill Barriers). The tomb is quite close to the cliff edge. Visitors first need to report to the centre and buy a ticket. You then get briefed about the site and get to examine/discuss soem of the finds. The staff are very helpful and go into lots of detail. You then set off for the first site, an Iron age settlement. It is quite small but you don't need much imagination to get a picture of what it looked like. The tomb lies about half a mile from here. It is well signposted. You access it by means of a skateboard, which is fun. Inside the places feels a bit eerie. But it's very intereting and with so few tourists the place feels special. If you've seen Skara Brae this is quite different in ways. The views are...

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Skara Brae

by BOB_B

This is possibly one of the most famous sites on Orkney. It is very impressive, and with its location on the coast (Bay of Skaill) it makes it all the more worthwhile. The ticket also covers you for Skaill house, which is worth a look, although personally the Neolithic village is the main draw. After the admissions desk you visit an exhibition explaining the history of the site and some 'hands-on' stuff. You then wander through a replica house to get a feel of what it was like. After that you follow a time line into the village. Visitors can now only walk on footpaths and not venture into the buildings, however, this is a good idea as they need to be preserved. There's a guide book and it is probably worth the effort as you get a lot more out of your visit. You will only need a few hours but don't forget Mawes Howe and the Standing Stones nearby (see my pages).

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Mawes Howe

by BOB_B

One of the most impressive archaeological sites in Orkney. There are more questions than answers with this burial tomb, which makes it a fascinating place to come and visit. First things first: it can get busy and because of this there is a ticket allocation system. All tickets need to be collected/reserved at the nearby Tormiston Mill. Once you've collected you're ticket it's a short walk to the (highly visible) tomb. All tours are guided and the guides are very good. You can ask questions and admire the Viking scrawls. Of course you have to crawl through the entrance of the chamber which adds to the atmosphere of the place. I'd love to be here at the winter solstice to witness the sun shining through the entrance but willl probably end up relying on the web cam...Make sure you visit here, the standing stones and nearby Skara Brae - they're all quite close together for a daytrip by car.

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Birdwatching at Marwick Head

by lnalba

Marwick Head at Birsay is where you will see the memorial to Kitchener and (hopefully) Puffins.If the name seems familiar, the face of Kitchener is what you see on that famous WWII poster "Your country needs YOU".Lord Kitchener and his crew were drowned off the coast in 1916 when their ship, the HMS Hampshire, on its way to Russia, was either hit by a torpedo from a German submarine, or hit a mine. An air of mystery shrouds the truth of what happened as the Navy wanted to maintain secrecy. Only twelve survived, out of a crew of 655. On a cheerier note, Marwick Head is a fantastic place for birdwatching from April to August, and is incredibly high up due to the fantastic sea cliffs, over 280 feet high. The area, known as "seabird city" is protected by the RSPB, and here you will hopefully see Puffins, Guillimots and Fulmars as well as other birdlife. Hopefully you will not see too many...

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Maes Howe

by lnalba

Maes Howe is a 5000 year old chambered tomb, possibly the finest in Europe, and is a fascinating place to visit. It has been designated a World Heritage Site, along with other sites on Orkney such as the Ring of Brogar, Skara Brae and the Stones of Stenness.Maes Howe can be seen very clearly from quite a distance, as intended by those who built it. It's a symbol of power, religion, land ownership and ritual. When you visit, you will get the opportunity to hear about the Vikings that broke in and sheltered there - and you will be able to look at their graffitti and find out what they were saying - quite entertaining!One of it's main attractions is when the winter solstice occurs as the passageway is aligned so that the sun shines on the back of the tomb on that day. Visit the Maes Howe webcam to see it if you don't get an opportunity to visit - it was booked up for quite a few years when...

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Kirkwall

by engeluna

Kirkwall is the largest town on the mainland, Stromness coming in second.There is much to do here. One place I quite enjoyed was the giant St. Magnus Cathedral.Have a look inside, it's well worth it. A stroll around the outside is also nice.

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Fun things to do in Orkney

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Reviews and photos of Orkney attractions posted by real travelers and locals. The best tips for Orkney sightseeing.

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Things to Do: Cities in Orkney
  1. Stromness Things to Do
  2. Kirkwall Things to Do

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Questions and Answers

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Q:  I'm just beginning to plan a trip to Scotland and have decided on visiting Orkney. We will be there end of May beginning of June... 

leics profile photo

A: If you have a car then it will be extremely easy to travel around the islands...Mainland is linked by the Churchill barriers to Lamb Holm, Burray and South Ronaldsey.... 

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