World Heritage Orkney Trail

Arriving at the 5000 year old Standing Stones of Stenness it is hard not to be awed by the size of the four standing stones, each about 5 metres tall, which are all that remain of the twelve original stones surrounded in prehistory by a bank and ditch.

Our Neolithic ancestors quarried, transported, and erected the stones without the aid of metal tools or machinery, in order to create an open-air ritual centre in the vast natural amphitheatre in the heart of Orkney’s Mainland.

In common with the nearby Ring of Brodgar, the Standing Stones of Stenness monument is in the care of Historic Environment Scotland and there is no charge for access. World Heritage Rangers lead informative walks at both sites throughout the year.

A short walk down a track from the Standing Stones of Stenness is the Barnhouse Settlement, the Neolithic occupants of which could have been among the monument builders.

Imagine living here near the freshwater loch of Harray as the stone ring takes shape nearby. The stonework you see now at Barnhouse is reconstructed, but follows the plan of the original prehistoric settlement.

There is a bird hide nearby, from which you can watch noisy flocks of overwintering birds on the loch.

Originally consisting of 60 standing stones (36 of which survive today) and surrounded by a deep rock-cut ditch, the Ring of Brodgar has been described as one of the most spectacular prehistoric sites in Britain, rivalling Avebury and Stonehenge.

As you walk round the ring, just think about the scale of the effort required to create it and the strength of belief that motivated the builders.

Orkney’s Stone Age farming communities were organised and industrious enough to undertake massive construction efforts, perhaps involving people from far and wide in communal projects. You can visit this site for free, but do follow signed guidance about access to the inner path which is regularly closed to help maintain the walking surface. World Heritage Rangers lead informative walks here throughout the year.

Standing just a mile away from the Ring of Brodgar is Maeshowe, one of Europe’s finest chambered tombs and a triumph of Neolithic construction ability. The low entrance passage leading to the burial chamber within is aligned so that the midwinter sunset illuminates the interior.

Perhaps Maeshowe and the other monuments in the Heart of Neolithic Orkney had astronomical purposes, helping these early farmers mark the changing seasons on which their lives depended.

Maeshowe is in the care of Historic Environment Scotland, which provides access to the atmospheric interior of the tomb on a daily basis by paid guided tour only. Tours, which must be booked well in advance, start from the Maeshowe Visitor Centre in the nearby village of Stenness.

The fourth location comprising the Heart of Neolithic Orkney is Skara Brae at the scenic Bay of Skaill. Here a Neolithic village was abandoned five millennia ago.

The small houses were eventually preserved beneath the sand before being exposed by a storm in the 19th century and the village, now in the care of Historic Environment Scotland, has been described as the best-preserved Neolithic settlement in Western Europe.

It is open daily for an entry fee, and has a small visitor centre telling the story of Orkney’s Stone Age prehistory alongside a replica house which you can walk inside in order to see how our ancestors lived. Booking is recommended, especially during the busier summer months.

In Stromness, the Stromness Museum’s permanent collection includes fascinating artefacts found at Skara Brae as well as a rich collection of items spanning millennia of Orcadian history.