Kirkwall, Orkney — Five Thousand Years In One Shore Day

The Heart Of Neolithic Orkney

Four sites form a UNESCO World Heritage Site and three of them sit within 20 minutes of each other on the west Mainland. Skara Brae is a village of stone houses uncovered by a storm in 1850, occupied around 3180 BC, with stone dressers and beds still in place, and it predates Stonehenge and the pyramids. The Ring of Brodgar is a stone circle on an isthmus between two lochs. The Standing Stones of Stenness are older still. Maeshowe is a chambered cairn with Viking runic graffiti carved inside by Norsemen sheltering in the twelfth century, and entry is by timed guided tour that must be booked well in advance. Kirkwall itself has St Magnus Cathedral, built in red and yellow sandstone from 1137.

Planning Notes And Where We Fit In

Practical points for an Orkney call. Kirkwall is sometimes a tender call and sometimes alongside at Hatston, and the two have different transfer times, so check your ticket. Maeshowe tours sell out and cannot be joined on the day in season. Skara Brae is exposed and cold even in July, so bring a windproof layer regardless of the forecast. Distances are short but the island roads are narrow. Note that our own vehicles operate on the Scottish mainland rather than in Orkney, so for a Kirkwall call we help you plan the day and arrange your mainland ports instead. If your cruise also calls at Invergordon, Aberdeen or Leith, we cover those directly with a Mandarin or Cantonese speaking driver.