- Orkney Mainland is in Orkney, Scotland.
- Orkney
- Check access, weather and local guidance before travelling.
About Orkney Mainland
Orkney Mainland is the low, fertile heart of an archipelago where Stone Age monuments sit beside a wartime naval anchorage. Kirkwall and Stromness are its two historic towns, and the surrounding farmland holds some of the finest Neolithic sites in Europe.
The story of Orkney Mainland
The Heart of Neolithic Orkney is a UNESCO World Heritage Site comprising Skara Brae, Maeshowe, the Ring of Brodgar and the Stones of Stenness, built between roughly 3200 and 2500 BC. Skara Brae, a complete Stone Age village older than Stonehenge, was revealed in 1850 after a winter storm stripped away the dunes. Orkney was a Norse earldom until it was pledged to Scotland in 1468 as part of a royal dowry, and in the 20th century Scapa Flow served as the Royal Navy's main wartime base where the captured German High Seas Fleet was scuttled in 1919. The Italian Chapel on Lamb Holm was built by Italian prisoners of war from two Nissen huts in the 1940s.
Visiting with care
Fly into Kirkwall or take the NorthLink ferry from Scrabster to Stromness, then hire a car or join a tour. The Neolithic sites, the Italian Chapel and the distillery at Highland Park can all be combined in a long weekend.
Interesting facts
- Skara Brae predates the Egyptian pyramids and was occupied around 3180–2500 BC.
- Maeshowe is aligned so that the winter solstice sunset lights up its central chamber.
- The German High Seas Fleet, interned at Scapa Flow, was scuttled by its crews on 21 June 1919.
- St Magnus Cathedral in Kirkwall was founded in 1137 and is Britain's most northerly cathedral.
Getting there
Parking and access details — check locally for the latest information.