The Standing Stones of Stenness are one of the main stops on the Orkney tourist trail, with thousands of visitors taking the walk around the ancient circle every year. But nearby, the Barnhouse Settlement should also be on your islands itinerary.

This Neolithic site was first excavated in 1984 and is often overlooked, but it's only a little more than one hundred metres away from the stone circle. Thousands of years ago it would have been a small group of homes, not dissimilar to Skara Brae. Indeed, these homes also had their own hearths, box beds and stone furniture, just like its cousin on the coast in Sandwick.

Although all that remains at Barnhouse are the lower walls of just a few of the original 15 houses, you can really get a feel for what life would have been like here 5000-years-ago. Two of the structures are larger than any of the others here or at Skara Brae, leading archaeologists to the theory that these buildings housed people of great importance.

Another school of thought is that, with the proximity of the Standing Stones of Stenness, Barnhouse could have been home to the stonemasons who built the circle.

Barnhouse is a place where you have to use your imagination, but as you wander through the remains of these historic homes, that's not too hard to do.

Guided walks of the settlement are available throughout the year.