Neolithic Sites of the Orkney Islands, Scotland, 2013

7 May 2013

With our trusty map in hand we set off early towards the UNESCO World Hertiage Site of Skara Brae, a stone built Neolithic village on the shores of the Bay of Skaill in Orkney’s west coast. Supposedly it is the biggest tourist attraction on the island.

(Remember to Click the photos to enlarge them)

Skara Brae (3200BC) is one of the earliest and best preserved prehistoric monuments in Scotland mainly because it had been covered by sand dunes until 1850 when it was  ”unearthed” during a violent storm. The site was then excavated by William Watt, the local Laird of Skaill and subsequently revealed 10 ancient dwellings with interconnecting passages. Most of the buildings contained shelves, sleeping areas, stone dressers, fish tanks and a central fireplace.  

There is an excellent reconstruction of Skara Brae House as well as a  hands on exhibition of some of the artifacts found at the site which is visited before heading to the actual site itself.

Tom inside the reconstruction.

As it is so close to the sea Skara Brae is under constant threat from further erosion so attempts have been made to construct a sea wall and wave breakers. It certainly is on very peaceful, picturesque site. We were surprised to see seals frolicking in the shallows.

Skara Brae with Skaill House in the Distance

Roslyn  at the site with the bay in the distance,

It was rather eerie wandering around the site and trying to contemplate what life must have been like all those years ago.

As Skaill House is only 400m away from the Skara brae site  we also visited that. It was built in 1620 and now houses many treasures belonging to the Skaill Lairds including a dinner set used by Captain James Cook on his last voyage!  

Tom with Skaill House in the Distance

Next we visited the UNESCO ancient site of the Ring of Brodgar which is a Neolithic henge and stone circle similar to Stone Henge. The ring is a 104 metre  in diameter and originally comprised 60 stones but only 27 remain standing today. This may be due to storms, lightening strikes, weathering and the passing of 4000 years!  

Fran with one of the stones.

We were pleased to be able to wander, take photos at our leisure and ponder the history of the site as the weather was a tad more pleasant than it had been, in fact the sun was even shining at one stage!

Little fishing boats beside the Loch near the site,

Our tourist day was not over yet so onwards we drove to the Standing Stone of Stenness which was not all that far away. This is a similar but smaller site of 9 to 12 stones with only 4 still standing but the stones are  taller, around 6 metres (19 feet) surrounded by a rock cut ditch.  The site is visible for miles around. However, they are hard to photograph!

We were fascinated by this kneeling sheep near the site,

Our final ancient site for the day was the Broch of Gurness, a ruined Iron Age broch village built in 1st Century AD.  Broch means tower and the remains of the central tower and the surrounding settlement are visible today. We couldn’t help but notice the massive width of the walls, no wonder they are still standing! Within the building there is the original central hearth, upright slabs as “walls” and underground water storage tank, and a well-worn quern (grinding stone). 

The Broch

Fran all rugged up for this chilly adventure.

What was fascinated us about this site was that there was certainly evidence  of later settlements including  visits by the Norse.

So ended another busy, busy day on the Orkney Islands