Highlights of Orkney

We start our explorations on the island at Skara Brae, the amazingly well-preserved Neolithic village occupied for over 600 years. On the southern shore of the Bay of Skaill, buried for thousands of years of years beneath the sand, the stone buildings of Skara Brae were gradually exposed by storms until a sea wall was built to preserve them. Eight stone dwellings survive and their interior fittings give a unique glimpse of life as it was in Neolithic Orkney. After lunch, we visit the Brough of Birsay, a small island that can be reached on foot by causeway at low tide. Birsay has been settled continuously since Neolithic times and was once a centre of Viking power. The remains of a Norse settlement can be found at the top of the ramp leading onto the island as well as the ruins of a 12^th century Romanesque church. We end the day at Gurness Broch where we explore the remains of the 8-metre tower. Built between 200 and 100 BCE, the broch was a tall, easily defended tower surrounded by a series of small stone dwellings. These in turn were circled by outer defences comprising of three ramparts and three ditches.

Driving south we cross Scapa Flow to Churchill’s Barriers, where 52 German warships were scuttled just one week before the Peace Treaty was signed ending WW1. During the 1920s and 30s many of the ships were lifted by commercial contractors but the 7 wrecks that remain are classed as a nationally important archaeological site. We continue to the Italian Chapel erected by Italian prisoners of war during WWII, constructed from Nissen huts but highly decorated within. It has been restored and cared for with almost as much care as the elaborate medieval churches it sought to emulate. Mass is still held here. We end the morning at Cuween Chambered Cairn, a fine example of Neolithic architectural design similar in style to Maeshowe. It was excavated in the early 20^th century when a number of human and animal skulls were found. Returning to Kirkwall in the afternoon we spend time in town visiting the Orkney Museum; St Magnus’ Cathedral and the Bishop’s Palace.

Today we explore Orkney’s West Mainland home to some of the best-known ancient monuments. We start at Maeshowe the largest and most impressive of Orkney’s chambered cairns.  A zenith in European prehistoric architecture and accomplishment, this chambered tomb has been a distinctive presence in the landscape for millennia. During midwinter when the sun dips below the horizon, it shines directly through the entrance passage to illuminate the rear wall of the central chamber. We continue to one of Scotland’s oldest independent museums, Stromness Museum, which is maintained and managed by a group of volunteers. After lunch, we visit the Stones of Stenness and the Ring of Brodgar, two stone circles – henge monuments – each occupying an opposing promontory between lochs. With seasonal excavations underway, we will also visit the Ness of Brodgar where for over a decade, archaeological excavations have uncovered an astonishing array of Neolithic structures including monumental buildings and hundreds of examples or prehistoric artwork.

Today we depart Kirkwall and make our independent onward journeys.