Orkney Archive

Skara Brae – Solid Stone Living on Orkney

Owning your own terraced house was in high demand even in the Stone Age. At Skara Brae, its residents made that dream come true. The interior: standard issue for the era, right across the board … She sighed contentedly, casting one more checking glance at the fish bait in the storage tank. Here in Skara […]

St Magnus Cathedral – the Viking Saint of Orkney

For over 850 years, the cathedral in Kirkwall has commemorated St Magnus of Orkney. It’s also Britain’s most northerly cathedral – and a rather special one at that, with a few quirks of its own. St Magnus is admittedly a fairly small cathedral compared with Britain’s other buildings of this kind. But it’s beautifully adorned […]

Standing Stones of Stenness – Three Stone Giants

Es sind nur drei, aber sie flößen Respekt ein. Denn die Standing Stones of Stenness ragen bis zu sechs Meter weit in den Himmel. Sie sind scharfkantig geschnitten und weit über das flache Land von Orkney sichtbar.

Earl’s Palace – a Beautiful Lesson in Decadence

The former splendour is still easy to picture: Earl’s Palace in Kirkwall on Orkney is a thing of beauty, and at the same time a cautionary tale about the abuse of power, decadence and decline. The story behind today’s ruin is bound up with Patrick Stewart, a greedy and cruel ruler of the island who […]

Bishop’s Palace – the Moosie Toor Still Stands

An impressive round tower stands in the centre of Kirkwall on Orkney. It’s the Moosie Toor, part of the old Bishop’s Palace. The palace’s history stretches back to the days when the Norwegians still ruled over Scotland’s western isles. At first glance, the Bishop’s Palace is less impressive than Earl’s Palace right next door. Only […]

Unstan Chambered Cairn: A very special burial mound

The small burial mound Unstan Cairn on Orkney is not as famous as Maeshowe, but it is less frequented and can be visited free of charge. Head down and in through the narrow passage. Visitors have to be agile here. The Unstan Chambered Cairn is not that big and is perhaps not one of the […]

Old Man of Hoy – the old man and the sea near Orkney

It stands like a giant sentinel on the west coast of the Orkney Islands: the Old Man of Hoy. The rocky spire rises almost 140 metres out of the sea – the only question is: for how much longer?

Ring of Brodgar – Britain’s Third-Largest Stone Circle

Brooding clouds, heather and enormous stones – when the weather cooperates, the mysterious Highland atmosphere of the Ring of Brodgar draws visitors right in. Nothing shelters you here: no shade softens the sun, no canopy of leaves catches the rain, no mountain slows the wind. Here there is only the raw elements. Utterly exposed like […]

Cliffs of Yesnaby – a Dramatic Stretch of Orkney Coastline

The sea crashes loudly against the cliffs, spray hisses and churns between jagged rocks – the Cliffs of Yesnaby put on a truly spectacular natural show. The wild Atlantic has done some serious work here: at Yesnaby, on the west side of Orkney‘s Mainland, it has carved wonderful sculptures out of the soft stone. It […]