Things to do in Orkney Islands

Balfour Castle stands on the island of Shapinsay in Orkney, Scotland, and is one of the finest examples of Victorian Scots Baronial architecture in the entire Northern Isles. It is a grand, turreted country house that today operates as a small and exclusive hotel, offering guests the rare experience of staying in a working castle on a remote Scottish island. The building dominates the gentle landscape of Shapinsay with its confident silhouette of battlements, crow-stepped gables and conical turret roofs, and it occupies an elevated position that affords sweeping views across the surrounding farmland and the waters of the Orkney archipelago. For visitors interested in Victorian architecture, island life, wildlife, or simply extraordinary seclusion, Balfour Castle represents one of the most unusual and memorable destinations anywhere in Scotland. The castle takes its name from the Balfour family, who were the driving force behind both the building itself and the remarkable transformation of Shapinsay as a whole during the nineteenth century. The land had earlier connections with the Traill family, but it was Colonel David Balfour who, from around the 1840s, undertook an ambitious programme of agricultural improvement on the island, reshaping its field systems, constructing a model village at Balfour (the island's only village), and commissioning the architect David Bryce — one of the foremost proponents of the Scottish Baronial style — to design or remodel the castle in its present form. The castle was substantially completed around 1848, incorporating and expanding upon an earlier house known as Cliffdale. David Bryce's involvement lent the building an architectural pedigree that places it firmly in the company of Scotland's most significant Victorian country houses. The Balfour family's vision extended beyond the castle walls to encompass the whole island, and their legacy can still be read in the neat, planned layout of the village, the stone gatehouse, and the well-ordered farmland that surrounds the estate. Physically, Balfour Castle is a confident and imposing structure built from local sandstone that weathers beautifully in Orkney's Atlantic light, shifting in colour between warm honey tones and a cooler grey depending on the season and the quality of the sky overhead. The main block is anchored by a prominent round tower, and the overall composition has the slightly theatrical quality typical of the Baronial style — designed to evoke romantic notions of medieval Scotland while providing thoroughly Victorian levels of internal comfort. Inside, guests find high-ceilinged rooms furnished with period antiques, wood panelling and open fires, creating an atmosphere of generous, slightly eccentric grandeur. The castle gardens are walled and well-tended, sheltering kitchen produce and ornamental planting from Orkney's persistent winds, and they add a note of unexpected lushness to the otherwise open island landscape. Arriving at the castle, particularly in the quieter months, it is easy to feel an almost total removal from the contemporary world. Shapinsay itself is a small, low-lying island of roughly thirty square kilometres, characterised by fertile green farmland, long views across open water, and the wide, luminous Orcadian sky. The island sits just a short distance northeast of the Orkney Mainland, and the ferry crossing from Kirkwall takes only around twenty-five minutes, making Shapinsay one of the more accessible of Orkney's inhabited islands while still retaining a genuine sense of island separateness. The coastline is varied, offering sandy bays, rocky shores, and excellent birdwatching, as Shapinsay lies on important migratory routes and supports populations of wading birds, wildfowl, and raptors including hen harriers. The sea around the island is rich, and seals are frequently seen hauled out on coastal rocks or watching curious-eyed from the water. The Orkney Mainland, visible across the sound, provides easy access to the world-famous Neolithic monuments of Skara Brae, the Ring of Brodgar, and Maeshowe, meaning that a stay on Shapinsay can serve as a tranquil base for exploring some of the most remarkable prehistoric sites in Europe. In practical terms, reaching Balfour Castle requires taking the Orkney Ferries service from the harbour in Kirkwall on the Orkney Mainland, with sailings running several times daily, though the timetable is seasonal and advance checking is essential. Kirkwall itself is reached by air from several Scottish mainland airports, or by ferry from Aberdeen, Scrabster or Gill's Bay. Because the castle operates as a private hotel with a small number of rooms, accommodation must be booked well in advance, particularly for the summer months when Orkney's long days draw visitors from around the world. Day visits to the island are possible, and the castle may arrange tours for day-trippers at certain times, but the full experience of the place is reserved for those who stay overnight and can appreciate the building and its landscape in the particular quality of light that comes at the end of a midsummer Orcadian evening, when the sun barely dips below the horizon. Autumn and winter visits offer a very different atmosphere — dramatic skies, near solitude and the possibility of witnessing the northern lights — which appeal to those seeking something even more elemental. One of the quietly remarkable aspects of Balfour Castle's story is the degree to which a single Victorian family managed to shape and in many ways reinvent an entire island according to their ideals of agricultural efficiency and aesthetic order. The model village, the harbour facilities, the road layout and the castle itself form a remarkably coherent ensemble, almost a private utopia built on Orkney stone and sustained by island labour. The castle also has the distinction of being one of very few Scottish Baronial houses to have survived into the twenty-first century not as a ruin, not as a corporate events venue stripped of atmosphere, but as a genuinely inhabited and cared-for home that happens also to welcome guests. There is something quietly moving about that continuity — the fires still lit, the gardens still tended, the ferry still crossing the same sound it has crossed for generations, connecting this particular castle on its particular island to the wider world just enough, and no more than that.

Quoyness Chambered Cairn stands as one of Orkney's most impressive Neolithic burial monuments, located on the low-lying peninsula of Elsness on the island of Sanday in the Orkney archipelago. This remarkable Stone Age tomb, dating from approximately 3000 BCE, represents the sophisticated funerary architecture of Orkney's earliest farming communities. The cairn belongs to the Maeshowe-type passage graves, a distinctive regional variant of chambered tomb architecture that showcases the technical skill and social organization of Neolithic Orcadians. Quoyness is particularly notable for its excellent state of preservation and the fact that it can be entered by visitors, offering a rare opportunity to experience the interior of a five-thousand-year-old burial chamber much as its builders left it. The history of Quoyness extends back to the early Neolithic period, when Orkney's agricultural communities constructed elaborate communal tombs for their dead. The cairn was excavated in 1867 by local antiquarian William Traill, who discovered human remains representing several individuals along with pottery, stone tools, and bone artifacts. Further investigations in the early twentieth century revealed that the tomb had been used for collective burial over an extended period, with successive generations adding bones to the chambers. The monument would have served not only as a final resting place but as a focal point for ritual activity and ancestor veneration, anchoring the community to their land and their past. The careful construction and ongoing use of Quoyness suggest it held profound spiritual and social significance for the people who built and maintained it. The physical structure of Quoyness is both imposing and architecturally sophisticated. The cairn measures approximately 14 meters in diameter and stands over four meters high, its grass-covered mound rising prominently from the surrounding landscape. Visitors enter through a low stone passage, about seven meters long, which requires stooping or crawling to reach the central chamber. Inside, the main chamber opens out into a corbelled vault, with six smaller side cells branching off from the central space. The stonework demonstrates remarkable precision, with carefully selected and fitted slabs creating weathertight walls and roofs that have endured for millennia. The atmosphere within is cool, dark, and profoundly atmospheric, the massive stone slabs creating an overwhelming sense of permanence and the weight of accumulated centuries. Quoyness sits in a relatively remote location on the northeastern tip of Sanday, surrounded by the windswept, low-lying coastal landscape characteristic of this part of Orkney. The cairn commands views across the bay toward the small island of Papa Westray, with the wider North Ronaldsay Firth stretching beyond. The surrounding terrain consists of improved grassland used for farming, with the nearby shoreline featuring rocky beaches and tidal zones rich in marine life. The landscape feels expansive and elemental, with big skies, ever-present winds, and a sense of standing at the edge of things. The other archaeological sites on Sanday include the Tofts Ness Bronze Age settlement and various other cairns and standing stones, testament to thousands of years of human occupation in this northern archipelago. Visiting Quoyness requires some planning, as Sanday is one of Orkney's more remote inhabited islands. Visitors must first reach Orkney Mainland, typically via ferry from Scrabster on the Scottish mainland to Stromness, or by air to Kirkwall. From Kirkwall, Orkney Ferries operates regular services to Sanday, with the crossing taking approximately 25 minutes from the terminal at Loth. Once on Sanday, the cairn is located about three kilometers northeast of the main settlement at Kettletoft, accessible via a minor road and then a short walk across farmland. The site is managed by Historic Environment Scotland and is free to enter, though visitors should bring a torch to properly explore the interior chambers. The entrance is kept locked but the key is available from nearby locations on the island, details of which are posted at the site. The best time to visit Quoyness is during the longer days of late spring through early autumn, when ferry schedules are more frequent and weather conditions generally more favorable for travel to the outer islands. However, the monument can be visited year-round for those prepared for Orkney's changeable maritime climate. Winter visits offer their own rewards, with dramatic light and fewer fellow visitors, though ferry services may be reduced and subject to cancellation in rough weather. The site can be appreciated in an hour or two, though many visitors find themselves lingering longer, drawn by the profound sense of connection to the distant past that such places evoke. Practical considerations include wearing suitable footwear for potentially muddy approaches and bringing warm, waterproof clothing regardless of season. Among the fascinating details about Quoyness is the discovery during excavation of animal bones within the chambers, including cattle and sheep, suggesting offerings or feasting associated with funerary rituals. The construction of the cairn would have required enormous communal effort, with estimates suggesting the movement and placement of several hundred tons of stone. The corbelling technique used to create the vaulted roof of the main chamber represents sophisticated engineering knowledge, with each successive course of stones projecting slightly inward until meeting at the top. Some researchers have noted astronomical alignments in the passage orientation, though these remain subjects of scholarly debate. The name "Quoyness" itself derives from Old Norse, reflecting the later Viking settlement of Orkney, with "quoy" meaning an enclosed or cultivated area, indicating the site's integration into the agricultural landscape even in medieval times.

Maeshowe in the Heart of Neolithic Orkney World Heritage Site is one of the finest Neolithic chambered cairns in Europe, a passage tomb of approximately 2800 BC whose combination of the extraordinary precision of the drystone masonry, the winter solstice alignment illuminating the chamber at the shortest days of the year and the remarkable twelfth-century Viking runic inscriptions carved into the walls creates a monument of quite exceptional layered historical significance. Historic Environment Scotland manages the site and guided tours are required. The quality of the masonry at Maeshowe surpasses that of any other Neolithic monument in Britain, the large flat stones fitted with precision to create walls and a corbelled roof of remarkable structural elegance. The monument was built approximately 500 years before Stonehenge and the engineering knowledge required to align the passage with the winter solstice sunset demonstrates the mathematical abilities of Orkney's Neolithic builders with unusual clarity. The Viking runic inscriptions, carved by Norse explorers who broke into the tomb in the twelfth century, include some of the longest runic inscriptions in existence written in colloquial Norse. They range from boasts about treasure to descriptions of a woman recorded as the most beautiful in Orkney.

The Unstan Chambered Cairn stands on a low promontory overlooking the Loch of Stenness in Orkney's West Mainland, a profoundly important Neolithic monument that has given its name to an entire category of prehistoric pottery. This extraordinary burial chamber, dating to approximately 3400-3000 BCE, represents one of Scotland's finest examples of a stalled cairn, a distinctively Orcadian form of chambered tomb characterized by upright stone slabs that divide the interior into compartments or "stalls." The site occupies a strategic position in one of Britain's most concentrated areas of prehistoric monuments, forming part of the Heart of Neolithic Orkney UNESCO World Heritage Site, though the cairn itself predates the better-known structures at nearby Skara Brae and the Ring of Brodgar. The cairn was first excavated in 1884, a relatively early archaeological investigation that nevertheless yielded remarkable finds. Within the stone chamber, excavators discovered the remains of multiple individuals along with a distinctive type of pottery decorated with incised geometric patterns, now known universally as "Unstan Ware." This pottery style, featuring shallow bowls with collared rims adorned with grooved decoration, became a defining characteristic of Orkney's early Neolithic culture and has been found at other sites across the islands. The human remains and grave goods suggest the cairn served as a collective burial place over many generations, with bones being moved and rearranged as new interments were made, reflecting complex funerary practices and beliefs about death and ancestry that we can only partially understand today. Approaching Unstan Cairn, visitors encounter a grass-covered mound approximately 18 meters in diameter, rising modestly from the surrounding landscape yet commanding attention through its evident antiquity and careful construction. The entrance passage, facing southeast toward the loch, leads into a rectangular chamber divided by pairs of upright stone slabs into five distinct compartments. The interior stonework displays the remarkable skill of Neolithic builders, with massive flagstones carefully selected and positioned to create a space that has endured for over five millennia. The chamber's corbelled roof, though partially restored, demonstrates the sophisticated architectural understanding of these ancient people. Standing within this enclosed stone space, one experiences an immediate sense of connection to the distant past, the cool, still air and subdued light creating an atmosphere that seems deliberately designed to separate the world of the dead from that of the living. The surrounding landscape positions Unstan within a sacred geography that must have held profound meaning for Neolithic communities. The Loch of Stenness stretches to the south and east, its waters connecting to the larger Loch of Harray to the north, creating a peninsula of land that seems to have attracted intense ceremonial activity. Less than two kilometers to the southeast stand the Stones of Stenness, one of Britain's earliest stone circles, while the great henge of the Ring of Brodgar lies just beyond. The Neolithic settlement of Barnhouse sits nearby, and the magnificent passage tomb of Maeshowe is visible across the lochs. This concentration of monuments suggests Unstan was part of an integrated ritual landscape where the living and the dead existed in carefully maintained spatial relationships, with burial places, settlements, and ceremonial structures occupying distinct but connected zones. The physical experience of visiting Unstan Cairn remains remarkably intimate compared to some of Orkney's more famous monuments. The cairn sits just off a minor road, accessible via a short walk across gently sloping grassland. The site is managed by Historic Environment Scotland and entry is free, though access to the interior chamber requires obtaining a key from a nearby custodian, a system that helps preserve the monument while ensuring genuine visitors can experience its interior spaces. This arrangement means the cairn rarely feels crowded, allowing for contemplative visits where one can truly absorb the monument's atmosphere without the press of tourist groups. The requirement to collect a key also adds a small element of adventure and personal responsibility to the visit, making the experience feel more like a genuine exploration than a passive tourist attraction. The best times to visit Unstan combine practical weather considerations with the atmospheric qualities that enhance appreciation of prehistoric sites. Orkney's long summer days, when sunlight extends well into the evening, allow for unhurried exploration and the chance to observe how light enters the chamber at different times. However, the quieter shoulder seasons of late spring and early autumn often provide clearer views across the lochs and more dramatic skies that emphasize the cairn's relationship to its landscape setting. Winter visits can be atmospheric but require preparation for Orkney's sometimes fierce weather, including strong winds and limited daylight hours. Regardless of season, the cairn's position means visitors should be prepared for exposure to wind coming across the open water and treeless terrain characteristic of these islands. Access to Unstan requires traveling to Orkney itself, which involves either a ferry crossing from the Scottish mainland or a flight to Kirkwall. Once on the Orkney Mainland, the cairn lies along the road connecting Stromness to the central part of the island, making it easily reachable by car in about fifteen minutes from Stromness or twenty-five from Kirkwall. The site has limited parking just off the roadside, and the short walk to the cairn crosses grazing land where livestock may be present. The interior of the chamber requires some stooping and care on uneven surfaces, making it potentially challenging for those with mobility limitations, though the exterior mound and its landscape setting can be appreciated without entering the chamber itself. Visitors should bring a torch to properly see the interior details even during daylight hours. Among the fascinating aspects of Unstan is how it demonstrates the distinct cultural identity of Neolithic Orkney while also showing connections to wider Atlantic traditions of megalithic tomb building. The stalled cairn design appears to be a specifically Orcadian innovation, yet the underlying concept of communal burial in stone chambers links these islands to monuments found from Ireland to Brittany to Scandinavia. The Unstan Ware pottery found here shows how material culture could define communities and mark territorial or group identities in ways that transcend simple utilitarian function. Recent analysis of the human remains has revealed evidence of complex mortuary practices including the circulation of ancestral bones between sites, suggesting the dead continued to play active roles in Neolithic society through their physical remains serving as connections between places, times, and communities.

Skara Brae on the west coast of Mainland Orkney is the finest Neolithic village surviving in western Europe and one of the most remarkable prehistoric sites in the world, a settlement of eight stone-built houses connected by covered passages and preserved in extraordinary completeness by the sand dune that covered and protected it for five thousand years until a storm in 1850 exposed the site to the modern world. The houses, their stone furniture, hearths and fittings still largely intact, provide a uniquely direct and intimate insight into daily life in a Neolithic farming community of approximately 3100 to 2500 BC. The stone furniture of Skara Brae is the feature that most immediately distinguishes it from other prehistoric sites. Because the settlers had no timber available for furniture on the treeless Orkney landscape, they built their beds, shelves, dressers and hearths from the same flat flagstone that provided their building material, and this stone construction has preserved household arrangements that would normally have long since decayed. The dresser of the largest house, a stone cabinet of two shelves facing the entrance, is one of the most vivid surviving objects from prehistoric domestic life anywhere in Europe. The site lies at the edge of the Bay of Skaill, the beach immediately adjacent, and the proximity of the Neolithic village to the sea it would have overlooked five thousand years ago gives the site a quality of temporal compression. The stone walls of the houses, their interiors visible from the viewing path above, feel inhabited rather than abandoned, the permanence of the stone construction creating a sense of presence that the decayed remains of similar settlements elsewhere rarely achieve. Skara Brae is part of the Heart of Neolithic Orkney World Heritage Site, which also includes the Ring of Brodgar, the Stones of Stenness and Maeshowe chambered cairn.

Newark Beach is a secluded sandy cove located on the northeastern coast of Orkney Mainland, specifically within the parish of Deerness. This relatively quiet and unspoiled beach sits on the eastern shore of the Deerness peninsula, offering visitors a peaceful retreat characterized by golden sands, clear waters, and dramatic coastal scenery typical of Orkney's rugged shoreline. The beach is part of a landscape shaped by centuries of Atlantic storms and tides, creating a setting that feels both wild and timeless. While not as widely known as some of Orkney's other beaches, Newark Beach attracts those seeking tranquility and a genuine sense of connection with Orkney's natural environment. The history of the area around Newark Beach is deeply intertwined with Orkney's rich archaeological and maritime heritage. The Deerness peninsula has been inhabited since Neolithic times, and the surrounding landscape is dotted with ancient sites including Iron Age brochs and Norse settlements. The name "Newark" itself suggests historical connections, possibly relating to a "new work" or settlement, though the precise origins of the name in this context remain somewhat obscure. The beach and its surroundings would have witnessed centuries of Norse and Scottish activity, with the waters offshore serving as routes for traders, fishermen, and occasionally raiders throughout the medieval period. Physically, Newark Beach presents itself as a relatively small but perfectly formed sandy bay enclosed by low cliffs and rocky outcrops that provide some shelter from the prevailing winds. The sand is fine and light-colored, often scattered with shells and fragments of seaweed deposited by the tides. The beach faces eastward toward the North Sea, meaning visitors can experience spectacular sunrises when weather permits. The sound of waves against the shore creates a constant, soothing rhythm, occasionally punctuated by the calls of seabirds including oystercatchers, Arctic terns, and various gulls that nest along the nearby cliffs. On calm days, the water takes on a remarkably clear, turquoise quality that might surprise those unfamiliar with Orkney's beaches. The surrounding landscape of Deerness is characterized by rolling agricultural land divided by traditional stone walls and fences, with scattered farmsteads dotting the peninsula. The area maintains a working agricultural character, with sheep and cattle grazing the improved pastures that slope gently toward the coastline. To the south of Newark Beach, the landscape becomes increasingly dramatic, culminating in the famous sea stack known as the Gloup and the archaeological site of the Brough of Deerness, a spectacular promontory fort that dates to the Pictish period. The proximity of these attractions makes Newark Beach an excellent stopping point for those exploring the wider Deerness peninsula. Access to Newark Beach requires some local knowledge and a willingness to explore minor roads and tracks. Visitors typically approach via the small settlements of Deerness, following the coastal road that runs along the eastern side of the peninsula. Parking is informal and limited, usually along the roadside near farm tracks that lead toward the shore. The walk to the beach itself is relatively short but may involve crossing fields or following rough paths, so sturdy footwear is advisable. The beach is not signposted as prominently as some tourist destinations, which contributes to its peaceful, undiscovered character but also means visitors should be prepared with good maps or GPS coordinates. The best times to visit Newark Beach depend largely on what experience you seek. Summer months from June through August offer the longest daylight hours, with Orkney's famous "simmer dim" providing near-continuous light and the possibility of warm, calm days perfect for beachcombing or simply sitting and absorbing the landscape. However, these months also bring the most visitors to Orkney generally, though Newark Beach itself rarely feels crowded. Spring and autumn can be particularly rewarding for wildlife enthusiasts, as migratory birds pass through and seal populations are often visible offshore. Winter visits offer dramatic storm-watching opportunities and a profound sense of solitude, though weather conditions can be harsh and access may be more challenging. One fascinating aspect of Newark Beach and the wider Deerness area is the evidence of past human interaction with the coastal environment. Beachcombers sometimes find pottery shards, worked stones, or other artifacts that speak to centuries of settlement and use. The beach also serves as a reminder of Orkney's unique position as a meeting point of different marine environments, where North Sea and Atlantic waters mix, creating rich feeding grounds for marine life. Local residents have long known Newark Beach as an excellent spot for observing seals, particularly grey seals that haul out on nearby rocks and skerries. The relative lack of development and human disturbance makes this stretch of coast particularly valuable for wildlife.

The Cliffs of Hoy on the west coast of the island of Hoy in Orkney are the highest vertical sea cliffs in Britain, the St John's Head section rising approximately 335 metres from the Atlantic Ocean in a sheer sandstone face of extraordinary scale. The cliffs are visible from the Scrabster to Stromness ferry crossing the Pentland Firth, their profile providing one of the most dramatic natural views available from any scheduled ferry service in Scotland, and are accessible on foot from the Rackwick valley across the interior of the island. The Old Man of Hoy, the most famous sea stack in Britain, stands at the southern end of the cliff section, a column of red Torridonian sandstone approximately 137 metres high that has become one of the most iconic images of the Scottish coast and one of the most challenging and most sought-after rock climbs in Britain. The first ascent of the Old Man of Hoy was made in 1966 and a live television broadcast of the ascent in 1967 introduced the stack to a national audience as one of the defining images of British climbing culture. The walk to the Old Man of Hoy from the Rackwick valley, passing through moorland of the characteristic Hoy character with its heather, bog and dramatic topography quite unlike the rest of Orkney, takes approximately two hours and provides an increasingly impressive series of views of the stack and the cliff coastline as the approach develops.

The Ring of Brodgar on the Mainland of Orkney is one of the largest and most impressive Neolithic stone circles in Britain, a ring of originally sixty standing stones set within a circular ditch cut from the bedrock approximately five thousand years ago on an isthmus between the Lochs of Stenness and Harray. Twenty-seven stones survive standing in a circle of over 100 metres diameter, their weathered flagstone pillars rising to varying heights from the closely mown grass of the archaeological site in a landscape of extraordinary quality and resonance. The Ring of Brodgar forms part of the Heart of Neolithic Orkney UNESCO World Heritage Site alongside Skara Brae, Maeshowe chambered cairn and the Stones of Stenness. The monument was built in a position of considerable visual power, the isthmus between the two lochs framing the circle on either side with water and the wide Orkney landscape opening in every direction beyond. The choice of this specific location, neither the highest ground nor the most sheltered, implies that the relationship between the stone circle and the water on either side was deliberate and meaningful, the lochs perhaps representing boundaries between different conceptual domains in the cosmology of the builders. The deep ditch surrounding the circle, cut into the bedrock with antler picks, would have created an even more powerful sense of boundary and enclosure in its original form. The standing stones of the Ring of Brodgar are formed from the local Old Red Sandstone, which splits naturally into the flat-faced slabs that the Neolithic builders exploited for their monument stones throughout Orkney. Each stone has a distinctive shape and many bear later carvings by Viking settlers who added runic inscriptions and other marks to monuments already two thousand years old when they arrived.