Witches of Orkney Walking Tour

Only on MondaysNot available on 22/12/2025, Kirkwall

A guided walk through Kirkwall exploring Orkney’s historical witchcraft trials.

Discover Orkney’s historical witchcraft trials, held 400 years ago. During those dark days, more than 70 Orkney women and men were taken to court accused of witchcraft, sorcery and necromancy.

The one and a half hour tour starts at Parliament Close, on the corner of Bridge Street and Albert Street in Kirkwall. The costumed guide will take you to the Tolbooth where witches were imprisoned, show you the cathedral where witches were tried (outside view), to the home of a merchant who fought for decades to clear his mother from accusations of dancing with the Devil, and the spooky ruined palace of the Earl of Orkney, cousin to the notorious witch-hunter King James VI and instigator of Kirkwall's first witchcraft trials in 1594. Along the way, you will hear the dramatic tales of the sheriff who presided over witchcraft trials while himself banished to Orkney for theft, and of the Westray Storm Witch who single-handedly rescued a ship but suffered the suspicion of her neighbours.

The tour is just over half a mile and concludes at the town's old execution site, now home to a special memorial to all those who lost their lives due to witchcraft trials.

Find out more about book online.