Must-see attractions in Orkney & Shetland

  • Viking settlement at Skara Brae, Orkney islands, Scotland, Uk

    Skara Brae

    Orkney

    Predating Stonehenge and the pyramids of Giza, extraordinary Skara Brae is one of the world's most evocative prehistoric sites, and northern Europe’s best…

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    Maeshowe

    Orkney

    Constructed about 5000 years ago, Maeshowe is an extraordinary place, a Stone Age tomb built from enormous sandstone blocks, some of which weighed many…

  • Herma Ness is the northernmost headland of Unst. It is a National Nature Reserve.

    Hermaness National Nature Reserve

    Shetland

    At marvellous Hermaness headland, a 4.5-mile round walk takes you to cliffs where gannets, fulmars and guillemots nest, and numerous puffins frolic. You…

  • In geography and geology, a cliff is a vertical, or near vertical, rock exposure. Cliffs are formed as erosion landforms due to the processes of erosion and weathering that produce them. Cliffs are common on coasts, in mountainous areas, escarpments and along rivers. Cliffs are usually formed by rock that is resistant to erosion and weathering. Sedimentary rocks most likely to form cliffs include sandstone, limestone, chalk, and dolomite. Igneous rocks such as granite and basalt also often form cliffs.

    Isle of Noss

    Shetland

    Little Noss, 1.5 miles wide, lies just east of Bressay. High seacliffs harbour over 100,000 pairs of breeding seabirds, while inland heath supports…

  • Sumburgh Head Visitor Centre

    Shetland

    High on the cliffs at Sumburgh Head, this excellent attraction is set across several buildings. Displays explain about the lighthouse, foghorn and radar…

  • Unst Bus Shelter

    Shetland

    At the turn-off to Littlehamar, just past Baltasound, is Britain's most impressive bus stop. Enterprising locals, tired of waiting in discomfort, decided…

  • Tomb of the Eagles

    Orkney

    Two significant archaeological sites were found here by a farmer on his land. The first is a Bronze Age stone building with a firepit, indoor well and…

  • St Magnus Cathedral

    Kirkwall

    Constructed from local red sandstone, Kirkwall's centrepiece, dating from the early 12th century, is among Scotland's most interesting cathedrals. The…

  • Midhowe Cairn & Broch

    Orkney

    Six miles from the ferry on Rousay, mighty Midhowe Cairn has been dubbed the 'Great Ship of Death'. Built around 3500 BC and enormous, it's divided into…

  • Knap of Howar

    Orkney

    By the seashore, this sturdy stone-built farmhouse and storeroom are solidly built testimony to crofting life on Papa Westray island…5500 years ago. An…

  • Highland Park Distillery

    Kirkwall

    This distillery, South of Kirkwall's centre, is great to visit. Despite a dodgy Viking rebrand, it's a serious distillery that malts its own barley; see…

  • Stromness Museum

    Orkney

    This superb museum, run with great passion, is full of knick-knacks from maritime and natural-history exhibitions covering whaling, the Hudson's Bay…

  • Fossil & Heritage Centre

    Orkney

    This eclectic museum is a great visit, combining some excellent 360-million-year-old Devonian fish fossils found locally with a well-designed exhibition…

  • Noltland Castle

    Orkney

    A half-mile west of Pierowall stands this sturdy ruined tower house, built in the 16th century by Gilbert Balfour, aide to Mary, Queen of Scots. The…

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    Old Man of Hoy

    Orkney

    Hoy’s best-known sight is this 137m-high rock stack jutting from the ocean off the tip of an eroded headland. It's a tough ascent and for experienced…

  • Jarlshof

    Shetland

    Old and new collide here, with Sumburgh airport right by this picturesque, instructive archaeological site. Various periods of occupation from 2500 BC to…

  • Sandbar, known as a tombolo, connecting St Ninian's Isle with the mainland of the Shetland Islands off the north of Scotland.

    St Ninian's Isle

    Shetland

    A couple of miles beyond Bigton is the largest shell-and-sand tombolo (sand or gravel isthmus) in Britain. Walk across to beautiful, emerald-capped St…

  • Broch of Gurness

    Orkney

    Here is a fine example of the drystone fortified towers that were both a status symbol for powerful farmers and useful protection from raiders some 2200…

  • Brough of Birsay

    Orkney

    At low tide – check tide times at any Historic Environment Scotland site – you can walk out to this windswept island, the site of extensive Norse ruins,…

  • Earl's Palace

    Kirkwall

    The intriguing Earl’s Palace was once known as the finest example of French Renaissance architecture in Scotland. One room features an interesting history…

  • Italian Chapel

    Orkney

    The Italian Chapel is all that remains of a POW camp that housed the Italian soldiers who worked on the Churchill Barriers. They built the chapel in their…

  • Ring of Brodgar

    Orkney

    A mile northwest of Stenness is this wide circle of standing stones, some over 5m tall. The last of the three Stenness monuments to be built (2500–2000 BC…

  • Scalloway Museum

    Shetland

    This enthusiastic modern museum by Scalloway Castle has an excellent display on Scalloway life and history, with prehistoric finds, witch-burnings and…

  • Quoyness Chambered Tomb

    Orkney

    There are several archaeological sites on Sanday, the most impressive being this chambered tomb, similar to Maeshowe and dating from the 3rd millennium BC…

  • Scapa Flow Visitor Centre & Museum

    Orkney

    Lyness was an important naval base during both World Wars, when the British Grand Fleet was based in Scapa Flow. This fascinating museum and photographic…

  • Graemsay

    Orkney

    This tiny, low-lying agricultural island between Hoy and Stromness once supported a healthy population of crofting families (more than 200 people in 1841)…

  • Egilsay

    Orkney

    Egilsay is the larger of the two islands off Rousay, and is accessed from the same ferry. The RSPB have a base here; listen for the corncrakes at the…

  • Skaill House

    Orkney

    Next to Skara Brae, and entered on a joint ticket, Skaill House is an imposing step-gabled Orcadian mansion built for the bishop in 1620. It may feel a…

  • Wyre

    Orkney

    Wyre is just off Rousay, and accessed from the same ferry. It was the domain of the Viking Baron Kolbein Hruga (known as ‘Cubbie Roo’). The substantial…

  • Shetland Bus Memorial

    Shetland

    During WWII, the Norwegian resistance movement operated the ‘Shetland Bus’ from here. The trips were very successful, carrying agents, wireless operators…

  • North Ronaldsay Lighthouse

    Orkney

    At the northern end of the island, this lighthouse is over 100ft high and one of many built across Scotland by the Stevenson family. A visitor centre and…

  • Prehistoric Sites

    Orkney

    Rousay's major archaeological sites are clearly labelled from the road ringing the island. Heading west from the ferry, you soon come to Taversoe Tuick,…

  • Banks Chambered Tomb

    Orkney

    Discovered while digging was under way for a car park, this 5000-year-old chambered tomb has yielded a vast quantity of human bones, well preserved thanks…

  • Old Scatness

    Shetland

    This dig brings Shetland’s prehistory vividly to life; it’s a must-see for archaeology buffs, but fun for kids, too. Clued-up guides in Iron Age clothes…

  • Ness of Brodgar

    Orkney

    The spectacular finds from ongoing excavations at this archaeological site between the Standing Stones of Stenness and the Ring of Brodgar have…

  • Standing Stones of Stenness

    Orkney

    Part of this Mainland area's concentration of neolithic monuments, four mighty stones remain of what was once a circle of 12. Recent research suggests…

  • Da Gairdins i Sand

    Shetland

    Four miles north of Skeld, a side road leads to Sand, where you'll find Da Gairdins i Sand, a brave attempt to create a colourful woodland garden amid the…

  • Bonhoga Gallery

    Shetland

    It’s worth dropping into the Bonhoga Gallery in the restored Weisdale Mill. It has monthly, changing exhibitions, and everything – jewellery, crafts and…

  • Hackness Martello Tower & Battery

    Orkney

    Built during the Napoleonic Wars, when French ships passed through the Pentland Firth to prey on North Sea merchant vessels, this battery, accompanied by…

  • Mousa Broch

    Shetland

    On the island of Mousa, off Sandwick, this prehistoric fortified house, dating from some 2000 years ago, is an impressive sight. Rising to 13m, it’s an…