Must see attractions in Orkney & Shetland

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

A narrow spit joins this peninsula to the eastern edge of Mainland. You reach the end of the road at Mull Head. A short walk from the car park brings you…

The folk here have been producing their brilliant Orcadian beers – Dark Island is a standout, while Skullsplitter lives up to its name – for years now,…

Alongside the Standing Stones of Stenness are the excavated remains of a village thought to have been inhabited by the builders of Maeshowe. Don’t skip…

Opened in 2018, this distillery and visitor centre on the waterfront is a new showcase for this tasty Orkney spirit. Tours run for an hour and include an…

This labyrinthine display in a former merchant’s house gives an overview of Orcadian history and prehistory, including Pictish carvings and a display on…

This atmospheric neolithic tomb, on a smaller scale than nearby Maeshowe, is a site that you may well get to yourself. It's a very tight squeeze down the…

This centre has displays relating to the Orkneyinga Saga, and an interesting video depicting some of the saga’s deeds. To get here follow signs for the…

Right opposite St Magnus Cathedral, the ruined but attractive Bishop’s Palace was built in the mid-12th century for Bishop William the Old. There’s a good…

A short walk from the road through Rackwick Glen, and an obligatory stop on the way to the Old Man of Hoy, the 5000-year-old Dwarfie Stane is the only…

The ruins of this palace, built in the 16th century by the despotic Robert Stewart, Earl of Orkney, dominate the village of Birsay. Today it’s a mass of…

This fortified site, just under a mile southwest of Lerwick's town centre, was occupied from the 7th century BC to the 6th century AD. It’s impressively…

This large shed is a boatie’s delight, packed with a beautifully cared for collection of Shetland rowing and sailing boats, all with a backstory. Old…

A mile north of the centre of Lerwick, this four-square stone house, birthplace of P&O founder Arthur Anderson, was also once a fish-curing station. It…

This working watermill is a satisfying sight – it's still running, and producing flour from bere (a type of barley) that you'll find in baked morsels…

This gallery has really rejuvenated the Orkney modern-art scene with its sleek lines and upbeat attitude. It’s worth a look as much for the architecture…

This headland gives a marvellous perspective of the entrance to Lerwick's harbour, as well as Breiwick (bay) and Bressay. There's a golf course, parkland,…

This heritage centre houses a modern museum with a history of the Shetland pony and a recreation of a croft house.

The most distinctive feature of this small, flat island – in fact, the name comes from the Norse for 'flat island' – is the 68m-tall flare stack rising…

Earl's Bu, in Orphir, has the foundations of a 12th-century manor house belonging to the Norse earls of Orkney. There are also the remains of St Nicholas’…