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…
Must-see attractions in Orkney & Shetland
Orkney
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…
Orkney
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,…
Orkney
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…
Kirkwall
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…
Orkney
This uninhabited island just off the eastern shore of Papa Westray is notable for its three chambered cairns, the largest of which (South Cairn) is most…
Shetland
At Boddam a side road leads to the Shetland Crofthouse Museum (donations welcomed). The years drop away when you enter and step back into a primitive…
Shetland
Scalloway's most prominent landmark is its castle, built around 1600 by Earl Patrick Stewart. The turreted and corbelled tower house is fairly well…
Kirkwall
This labyrinthine display in a former merchant’s house gives an overview of Orcadian history and prehistory, including Pictish carvings and a display on…
Orkney
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…
Orkney
This bird reserve at Westray's northwestern tip is a dramatic area of sea cliffs, with vast numbers of breeding seabirds from April to July. You can walk…
Orkney
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…
Kirkwall
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…
Orkney
This heritage centre has displays on local history, nature dioramas and archaeological finds, with some famous neolithic carvings (including the 5000-year…
Orkney
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…
Shetland
South of Boddam, a minor road runs southwest to Quendale. Here you’ll find the small but excellent, restored and fully operational 19th-century Quendale…
Orkney
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…
Lerwick
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…
Shetland
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…
Lerwick
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…
Orkney
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…
Eday Heritage & Visitor Centre
Orkney
Set in a former church, this place has a range of local history exhibits, as well as an audiovisual display about tidal energy initiatives: there's a big…
Orkney
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…
Orkney
This museum in the former temperance hall has intriguing displays on various aspects of island history, including fishing, WWI, archaeology and shipwrecks…
Lerwick
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,…
Shetland
The excellent Fetlar Interpretive Centre has photos, audio recordings and videos on the island and its history. You'll find it 4.5 miles from the ferry,…
Shetland
This gloriously white sandy beach is backed by dunes and is Shetland's finest strand. Near it, Spiggie loch is an important bird reserve and also draws…
Orkney
Right at Sanday's northeastern tip, this is a major prehistoric funerary complex with over 500 graves from the Bronze Age as well as burial cairns and…
Orkney
This 18th-century seaweed shed has been impressively restored and holds an interesting exhibition on Papa Westray's history and craft traditions.
Shetland
This heritage centre houses a modern museum with a history of the Shetland pony and a recreation of a croft house.
Orkney
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…
Shetland
Just south of Veensgarth village, near a parking area at the northern end of the Loch of Tingwall, is the little tongue of land that was the site of Law…
Orkney
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’…
Kirkwall
Two miles south of Kirkwall's centre, on the shores of Scapa Flow, this is one of two Orcadian whisky distilleries and, though less famous than Highland…
Orkney
On a historic farm in the centre of Papa Westray, this tiny museum is packed full of objects from the everyday life of the island's past. Agricultural…
Orkney
On a farm at Tankerness, the mysterious Iron Age site of Mine Howe is an eerie underground chamber, about 1.5m in diameter and 4m high. Its function is…
Shetland
This picturesque, sturdy 16th-century tower house in Unst's southeastern corner was built by Laurence Bruce, foud (bailiff) of Shetland, who was, by all…
Shetland
Northwest of the small settlement of Mid Yell, on the hillside above the main road, stand the reputedly haunted ruins of Windhouse, dating from 1707. It's…
Orkney
At the southern end of Hoy, Longhope’s former lifeboat launching station holds a small lifeboat museum, centred around one of the old boats itself, the…
Shetland
Near Sandwick, Hoswick Visitor Centre has a great collection of old wirelesses (including the daddy of them all – the Murphy type). There are displays on…
