by 7 people |
Welcome to Orkney - the Orkney Islands, in North Scotland, UK
Here is a website with superb pictures showing a different perspective of Orkney, plus places to visit, the best accommodation, reasons for visiting and other honest info.
Places to Visit and Things to Do
An insider's guide to the Orkney Islands Scotland
(or put another way, what are the main names of places to visit whilst actually busy doing the inportant things - which will be:
Relaxing in a safe and friendly place
Meeting interesting locals and making friends
Getting lots of fresh air and more
Eating tasty food, and ice cream mmmm
Learning about the ancient past and recent stuff too
Discovering yourself and what matters in life
Dancing, drinking and playing.
F = free at point of access
- Stromness - cobbled streets, harbour and lanes (F)
- Skara Brae - neolithic village (5,000 years old)
- Stones of Stenness - 5,000 year old mystery (F)
- Ring of Brodgar - perfect stone circle (F)
- Maeshowe Chambered Cairn - often called a Tomb
- Tomb of the Eagles - Neolithic Chambered Cairn
- Old Man of Hoy - sandstone rock pillar (F)
- Dwarfie Stane - unique rock cut chamber (stone age) (F)
- Broch of Gurness - Iron Age fort
- Knap of Howar - oldest house in Europe (F)
- The shortest scheduled flight in the world - Papa Westray
- Brough of Birsay - Pictish and Viking settlement
- Birsay - Headland, beach and marine wildlife (F)
- Saint Magnus Cathedral - Red Sandstone Architecture (F)
- Kirbuster Farm Museum - Unique Old House (F)
- Cuween Hill Chambered Cairn - best preserved Stone Age structure (F)
- Craft Trail - many local crafts people, potters, silversmiths, textiles, glass, furniture (F)
- Scapa Flow - Dive Shipwrecks or revisit World War history (F)
- Italian Chapel and Churchill Barriers - WW11 history (F)
- Earl's Palace, Birsay - Stuart dynasty's extravogance crumbling (F)
- Barnhouse Village - Stone Age site beside Harray Loch (F)
- Ness of Brodgar - amazing discovery on going in World Heritage Site (F)
- Marwick Head and Bay - Puffins and HMS Hampshire memorial (F)
- Yesnaby Cliffs - wild and windswept seascape (F)
- Click Mill - beautiful, simple horizontal mill restored (F)
- Rennibister Earth House - underground secret chamber, Iron Age (F)
- Earl's Bu and Saga centre - Viking Farmstead and interpretation (F)
- Fishermen's Huts - Skipi Geo and Marwick Bay (F)
- Brough of Deerness - Remote Headland and Celtic Church (F)
- Minehowe - Iron Age mystery underground
- Rackwick - "Rock Bay", crofting township beside Atlantic (F)
- Betty Corrigall's Grave - Lonely Grave and tragic story (F)
- Orkney Museum - Wonderful Museum opposite Cathedral (F)
- Stromness Museum - delightful museum
- Pier Arts Centre - Architectural restoration and quality art (F)
- Holland Farm - traditional farm and folk museum (F)
- Taversoe Tuick - unusual and evocative stone age structure (F)
- Midhowe Broch and Cairn - more fantastic old stuff (F)
- Fusion - Nightclub and bar (I got tired of old stuff)
- Via House Storytelling - be prepared to dance and inhale peat smoke
- Art of Ancient Fire Making - Primitive Skills by Five Senses
- Balfour Castle - more old stuff :)
- No more please - you get the idea - lots to occupy brain and body
Flickr Photos of Orkney Scotland
Pictures from Orkney Islands Scotland
I would like to share a few pictures that show what makes Orkney special, unique and magical:
Below them is a section about trees in Orkney, why to visit Orkney, useful books, weblinks and some of the 'down-sides' to life in the northern isles.
Seaweed in a shallow pool of seawater caught in the morning light of summer in O...
Red telephone box in Orkney, Scotland, still working and used by the nearby hous...
Learning how to make fire by friction, the way it was done in ancient times, on ...
Early morning light in summer at the Brough of Birsay - where a tidal causeway l...
Skara Brae
The tiny chapel built on one of the Orkney islands during the second world war,...
Traditional Orkney chair, straw backed and using reclaimed wood. Also an ols spi...
Stromness has many delightful street scenes tucked away where few visitors fond ...
The traditional cooking arrangement with a peat fire and fire back (stone) in th...
A typical view of Orkney moorland, here overlooking the World Heritage Site at N...
Stromness street scene, with Town Hall visible at rear, up steps.
Blue sky and lots of grass - a typical Orkney scene. Orkney Mainland.
Orkney cliffs with sea spray off the Atlantic Ocean, looking south.
The sandstone cliffs of Hoy, and the Atlantic Ocean, with a fulmar in flight. Th...
Orkney fire making, blowing a bundle of dry grass to flame.
Typical view of Stromness, Orkney Islands, on a typical cloudy day.
The use of colour is a rare thing in Orkney. This house in Stromness breaks the ...
Stromness lifeboat and fishing boats on a calm day in the harbour, with two gull...
Classic shot of Ring of Brodgar, a perfect stone circle, 3rd largest in UK, at 1...
Lichen is a wonderful clean air indicator, growing away from pollution, very wel...
Stromness Hamanvoe Restaurant and lane.
Stromness street scene showing the natural sandstone and the impact of a little ...
Stromness architecture within the preservation area - Alfred Street.
A close up of the dry stone work, demonstrating the block like shape to Orkney s...
Wooden farm building, South Ronaldsay, Orkney Islands, Scotland, with rusting ba...
Interior of an abandoned Orkney croft, once someone's home but now open to the w...
Abandoned farmhouse or Orkney croft. Note the flagstone and turf roofing and the...
Pier Arts Centre, Stromness, Orkney, exterior view, as seen from the ferry, on a...
Yellow lichen reflects clean air, in the early morning sun, with a pale moon. Or...
Orkney sea stack showing the layers of sandstone. In this picture I increased co...
Cliffs, east side of Orkney Islands, South Ronaldsay, early morning sun.
Sea stack off West Mainland, Orkney Islands, with not long until it collapses in...
Limpets sticking to rock, Marwick Bay,, Orkney Islands Scotland. Food source.
The edible part of a limpet, removed from the rock. Part of a Five Senses Tour a...
Five Senses
The Dwarfie Stane is the only rock cut chamber in the UK. It is hollowed out wit...
Farm gate and old machinery, mid summer, Orkney Islands.
Plenty of cattle in Orkney, here they are waiting to be fed the lush grass the o...
Stromness harbour, with old fishing boats and new walkway for the Northlink Ferr...
Sycamore trees and stone walls at the traditional Orkney farm.
A secret garden, sheltered by healthy sycamore trees, in Stromness, Orkney.
A public garden in Orkney, sheltered by trees and houses from the cool breeze.
Interior of traditional Orkney farmhouse showing the central smoke hole in the r...
The oldest house in northern Europe, still standing anyway. This is called Knap ...
Burnside cottage in the old township of Rackwick (Viking for Rock Bay) is an atm...
Neolithic Chamber cut into a sandstone Boulder, during the Neolithic / Stone Age...
The Old Man of Hoy viewed from land, with a Fulmar caught in flight, hard to do ...
This is called
Neolithic Chambered Cairn in the World Heritage Site of Orkney
Seaweed photographed at dawn in June, with an unnaturally looking intensity of g...
Birsay tidal causeway, Orkney Islands, revealing amazing seaweed at low tide.
Why come to Orkney?
It is a long way and costly after all
The very reasons why you should question coming to Orkney are in fact the very reasons why you should make it a priority to get there.Isolation has enabled this place to become and remain somewhere special - and now as the world rushes headlong into globalisation and stress and fear, Orkney offers a haven, of sanity, community, genuine crafts and a better way of life.
Protected by being islands, cut off from mainland UK, the Orkney Islands have managed to prosper. Not only does it have all the old stuff (listed above) but it has:
# Great libraries
# Festivals (St Magnus, Science, Folk)
# College and superb schools
# A thriving community
# Great shops and artists
# Supermarkets and family stores
# No unemployment
# No crime (worth talking about)
# It's own history and identity
# A Norwegian heritage
# Cinemas and sports centres
# Superb meat, ice cream, beer, whisky, cheeses :)
I could go on - you get the idea?
(See the Guestbook below for some of the downsides and disappointments that you could encounter, depending upon your attitude and expectations)
I reckon some of the best things about Orkney are the very things that a first time visitor might describe as dull or boring. In a world of instantanious gratification, and over stimulation, pollution and incessant provocation - we actually need to get back in touch with what really matters - the basics: feeling safe, fresh air, clean water, friendship, community, a sense of belonging and shared history, awareness of the environment around us and of the mess we, as a species, are making of our world. These are the real reasons for visiting these old piles of stones all over Orkney: To get a perspective on our lives, sort ourselves out, de-stress and live better lives.
Orkney is becoming a very special place to be, for what it is and can become, not just what it was. Orkney represents a future we should seriously consider - a blend of ancient wisdom and modern technology - solutions to global warming and social problems.
Orkney Links - The Best Websites
Find out about Orkney with these Links:
- Orcadian Newspaper Online
- The number one site for news, weather and stories about the Orkney Islands. Read online.
- Orkneyjar's Amazing Orkney Heritage Site
- Sigurd Towrie's private masterpiece about Orkney heritage has become one of the most searched sites about the islands.
- Orkney Tours and Primitive Skills Courses
- Explore using your senses: Five Senses runs private tours of Orkney and teach primitive survival skills: Learn to make fire, navigate and find wild foods, in the vicinity of the ancient sites.
- Orkney Tourist Board Official Site
- The Orkney version of VisitScotland's tourism 'service'. A good general resource and the main site for accommodation listings.
- Where to Stay in Orkney
- A personal review of accommodation in Orkney - the best places to stay, in comfort.
- Travel Advice for getting to Orkney
- A personal account of travel options to Orkney, including great pictures and advice.
- Driving Itineraries, Edinburgh to Inverness to Orkney
- Very useful and detailed information about travel to Orkney by car, with suggestions for places to visit along the way, not just the towns of Edinburgh and Inverness either. Also all the ferry options.
- Northlink Ferries to Orkney
- Ferries to Orkney from Aberdeen, Shetland and Scrabster (Thurso). The main but not the only ferry service to Orkney.
- Orkney Community Websites
- A large and complicated site containing much about Orkney - for those who live there or have time to dig deep for juicy information.
- Orkney Islands Council
- The local government body for the county of Orkney and a site full of hidden information - not just for residents to use.
- Do Good Design - Website Designer
- Orkney based website designer offers website design and business support for ethical, creative and personal businesses. Includes portfolio, articles, design tutorials and advice.
- Useful Links
- A large list of Orkney links, crafts, travel and accommodation.
Orkney Books and Maps - Recommended
Books and maps packed with useful information about Orkney History
Reader Feedback
Your chance to add your own comments, advice and useful info for world explorers.
Gordon_Hamilton wrote...
Orkney is not a place I have yet visited but you certainly present a powerful case for doing so. A very warm, though belated, welcome to the Destination Scotland group!
Posted June 03, 2008
Maryanne Pearce wrote
Five Senses showed our family of 4 plus my sister and her husband around for a week. It was incredible. The highlight of 3 weeks in the UK - and we plan to return. We could not have seen 1/3 of what we saw without Malcolm. It was not a "okay so look at this for 20 seconds" type event. Malcolm asked us all kinds of questions for weeks before we arrived. Once there, he learned more about us -- and surprised us with a stop off at a rare breed sheep farm, as well as a combination wool shop / bookstore, to satisfy all 6 of us. I would highly recomend Malcolm and FIve Senses to anyone. It is not costly when you realize how much you end up doing, seeing and expereincing.
We shall be back.
Posted April 01, 2008
Ashley Willett wrote
Fantastic page, Malcolm. We'll come visit one of these days!
Posted March 17, 2008
Very nice informative lens you have made.% stars from me and thanks for joining my group Travelmania.
Posted March 10, 2008
More Books!
Interesting research and stories about Orkney
A Special Section - George Mackay Brown
Stromness writer and poet, GMB, whose writing can evoke the essence of the place and life better than most pictures. Highly recommended.
Orkney Books - continued
Books, books, books!
Orkney Trees - Life in the Northern Isles of Scotland, without many trees
The facts about trees, attitudes to trees, and why there are so few
I love woods - Now I find myself living in Orkney, a place almost devoid of trees. So much so you appreciate and worship individual trees! True. You do not see woods here - you see trees!Orkney is grass pasture farmland in the most part, with the uplands being left to heather and grass moorland (good for birdlife). It wasn't always like this.
There are some trees.
The dominant species nowadays is Sycamore, non native. A programme of reintroducing native trees hs been very successful and has lead to the spread of Willows, Birch, Alder, Aspen, Hazel etc
Berriedale - The most northerly native woodland in Britain - is on Hoy, Orkney. (details to follow)
Lots more to follow on this subject - check in to see more pictures, links and writing. (11 March 08)
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