Orkney's Archaeological Wonders

Travel through an area of rich farmland, rolling hills and moorland, fringed by magnificent cliffs, to see the great ceremonial megalith circles of the Ring of Brodgar and the Standing Stones of Stenness before arriving at Skara Brae.

Skara Brae is one of Orkney’s most exciting and oldest monuments, a 5,000 year-old Neolithic village, beautifully preserved and interpreted in a new visitors' centre. Lying beside the pretty, sandy crescent of the Bay of Skaill, this stone age settlement was totally buried under sand for thousands of years, until suddenly revealed during a fierce storm in 1850. Amongst the fascinating relics found here are tools, beads, pottery and whalebone artefacts. Looking across the village, it is easy to imagine how it looked all those centuries ago, and close inspection of the houses gives a unique insight into how our ancient ancestors lived.

The hardship of life in Skara Brae can be directly contrasted to Orkney's finest manor house, Skaill House, located next door. It was built by a powerful Bishop in 1620 on an ancient graveyard and is now surrounded by spacious lawned gardens in a beautiful secluded spot between the sea and the Loch of Skaill. Return to Kirkwall, passing by the historic bay of Scapa Flow, one of the most renowned stretches of water in the world.