Mainland (Orkney) - Mainland (Orkney)

Mainland is the main island of Orkney Islands, the capital is Kirkwall. Since 1999, the prehistoric sites on the island have been part of the UNESCO World Heritage List under the name "Heart of Neolithic Orkney". Mainland is roughly level with Stavanger and Churchill on Hudson Bay.

Regions

Mainland (Orkney) map

places

  • Kirkwall: the largest city on the islands is also the capital. Local attractions include St. Magnus Cathedral, the ruins of Earl's Palace and Bishop's Palace, and the Tankerness House Museum.
  • Birsay: the small village is in the northwest of Mainland. Visitors are drawn to the tidal island of Brough of Birsay and the ruins of Earl's Palace.
  • Orphir (approx. 14 km southwest of Kirkwall): The parish was an important place during the rule of the Normans. The ruins of Earl's Bu and those of a round church have been preserved (see sights). The Orkneyinga Saga Center is located in the village.
  • Stromness: the second largest city. This is where the Scrabster ferries dock. The listed city center shows with its investors, trading houses and warehouses how important the port city was. The Canadian Hudson Bay Company had a seat here during the 17th and 18th centuries.

Other goals

Unique destinations on Mainland are the as Heart of Neolithic Orkney known UNESCO World Heritage Sites Skara Brae, Maes Howe, Standing Stones of Stenness, and Rinf of Brodgar. For many travelers, they are the main reason to visit the (from a continental European perspective) remote Orkney Islands.

Skara Brae

Skara Brae
Detail view of the interior of a house
  • 1  Skara Brae, Sandwick, Stromness, Orkney, KW16 3LR (about 13 km north of Stromness on the Bay of Skaill). Tel.: 44 18 56 84 18 15. Open: Apr. to Sept. daily from 9.30 a.m. to 5.30 p.m. (Skara Brae and Skaill House), Oct. to March daily from 9.30 a.m. to 4.30 p.m. (Skara Brae only). As of 2015.Price: Adults ₤ 7.10, Ki £ 4.10 (Apr-Oct, Skara Brae and Skaill House), Adults £ 6.10, Ki. £ 3.70 (Oct-March, Skara Brae only).

A special archaeological discovery lies on the sandy Bay of Skaill in the west of Mainland: the Neolithic village of Skara Brae. A group of farmers settled here around 3100 BC. And built their houses in a small, self-contained group. The rooms were dug into the hill and the walls were clad with stones. This provided very good protection from the wind and some protection from the cold. How or with what the roofs were covered is not known. Originally the village was further inland and was protected from the sea by dunes, today the houses are right on the beach. After Skara Brae had been inhabited for over 600 years, a sandstorm buried the houses. The people had left their property in a great hurry and never returned. This disaster occurred six centuries before the pyramids of Giza, and 1000 years before Stonehenge originated.

Until 1850 the village was buried under sand and grass - until another storm exposed parts of the village. In 1928 Skara Brae was dumped. Each of the small houses, which are connected by short corridors, had simple furnishings made of stone. A stone sideboard is opposite the door, on both sides of the door are the beds, which are bordered by vertical stone slabs. The door consisted of a stone slab with notches for a bolt so that it could be locked from the inside. A stone basin clad with clay is embedded in the floor. Shellfish and crustaceans were probably kept fresh in it. Recesses in the walls served as cupboards. A building a little apart from the group probably served as a workshop.

Maes Howe

Maes Howe
  • 2  Maes Howe (also Maeshowe), about 10 km west of Kirkwall on the A 965. The chamber barrow was built about 5000 years ago, long before the Egyptian pyramids. It consists of the large mound of earth and inside a passage that leads to the main chamber with the side chambers. The tomb was used by many generations.Open: April 1 to September 30, daily 9.30 a.m. to 5 p.m., October 1 to March 31, 9.30 a.m. to 4.30 p.m. (as of 2013).Price: ₤ 5.50, the visitor center is located at Torniston Mill.

In the middle of the 12th century, northerners and Vikings forced their way into the burial chamber (through a hole in the ceiling). They carved runes into the stones of the main chamber. You can read, among other things, "Thorni slept, she carved Helgi", "Ofram, the son of Sigurd, carved these runes" or "He is a Viking ... Came here under the hill Tholfr Kloßeinn's son carved these runes high up". Later the ceiling of the chamber collapsed and covered it with stones and earth.

Around 1860 the chamber received a new roof, which has had to be repaired several times since then. A rock carving from the Neolithic period on one of the corner pillars of the chamber is very similar to that from Skara Brae. The mound of Mawes Howe has a diameter of 35 m and a height of 7 m and was built on an artificially straightened area. The passage rises slightly over 9 m to the main chamber, so the chamber remains dry. Overall, the passage is 11 m long, but only 1.30 m high. They were built from stone slabs weighing up to 3 tons. How the panels could be hewn so precisely, transported and installed in the right place is still uncertain.

The burial mound is designed in such a way that it could be locked from the inside; the stone posts of a door have been preserved about 2 m from the entrance. The main chamber has a size of 4.60 x 4.60 m. Huge stone slabs support the roof in every corner. The entrances to the side chambers are in the middle of the walls of the main chamber. Each side chamber could be closed with a stone. When the grave was excavated in 1861 it was almost empty. Only a fragment of a human skull and a few horse bones were found. It is believed that the Vikings looted the tomb. The people who built Maes Howe were very familiar with the seasonal movements of the sun. The passage is oriented towards the sunrise on midwinter. On the evenings around the shortest day of the year, the sun shines into the burial chamber.

Ring of Brodgar

Ring of Brodgar, with Loch Harray in the background

3 Ring of Brodgar (accessible at any time). The large stone circle, which has a diameter of 104 m, lies on a plateau between the Loch of Stenness (brackish water lagoon) and the Loch of Harray (mainly fresh water). At this point the two holes are only separated by a narrow strip of land. Presumably the stone circle was built between 2500 and 2000 BC. Built in BC. Of the original 60 stones, 27 are still standing, another 13 have been preserved as stubs. The highest stone is 4.60 m high. The entrances to the Henge Monument are in the northwest and southeast. The trench wall construction surrounding the facility is still well preserved. The trench was dug into the sandstone between the circle and the outer wall. This trench is 3.60 m deep and 9 m wide. The Ring of Brodagr was once called the "Temple of the Sun, the Stones of Stenness" Temple of the Moon. During excavations, a bronze ax, a stone ax, a stone hammer and a flint arrowhead were found.

Standing Stones of Stenness

Standing Stones of Stenness

4 Standing Stones of Stenness (accessible at any time, approx. 9 km northeast of Stromness). The Standing Stones of Stenness, as you can see them today, is only a small part of the complex that originally consisted of 12 huge stones. The stones were made around 3100 BC. Built in BC. This makes them one of the oldest stone circles in Great Britain and dates from the same time as Maes Howe. The largest of the preserved stones is about 5.70 m high and 30 cm thick. The circle had a diameter of 31.70 m and the stones were surrounded by a 2 m deep and 7 m wide trench. However, the ditch and the outer embankment have almost disappeared. At Christmas 1814, the farmer Captain MacKay destroyed one stone in the complex and damaged others. He was angry that visitors were trampling his meadow. A reconstruction of the so-called altar was damaged again in the 1970s. During excavations, a box-shaped arrangement of stones was discovered in the middle of the complex. In the "box" one found burnt bones, charcoal and pottery. The Stones of Stenness lie between the Loch of Stenness and the Loch of Harray. The view sweeps over the landscape to the mountains of Hoy. The stones are particularly atmospheric at sunrise or sunset. The name Stenness is pronounced in the dialect "stane-is", this is derived from Old Norse and means "stone headland".

In addition, it is assumed that four more 4 menhirs are part of the complex, but they are located a little apart.

  • North of the transition to the Ness of Brodgar headland
    • Comet Stone. The menhir stands about 137 m southeast of the Ring of Brodgar on a specially created platform. Inside the platform, the remains of two destroyed stones and other smaller setting holes were found. It is believed that the Comet Stone, which was named because of its shape, stood on a processional path from the Ring of Brodgar to the Stones of Stenness. The Comet Stone offers a beautiful view of the Ring of Brodgar.
    • Bridge Stone. The menhir is about 4 m high. It stands at a prominent point at the transition from the Loch of Stenness to Loch of Harray.
  • On the south bank of the loch:
    • Watch Stone (stands right on the road at the point where the Loch of Stenness and Loch of Harray meet). The menhir is 5.60 high and probably marked the entrance to the Ness of Brodgar. A local discovered an interesting connection between the Watch Stone and the winter solstice. If you watch the sunset here, the sun disappears for a few minutes behind Ward Hill on Hoy and then reappears at the foot of the northern slope.
    • Barnhouse Stone. The stone is associated with the Maes Howe tomb. It probably served as a point of reference when observing the changes in the position of the sun over the course of the year. It enables the precise determination of the time to close the grave on mid-winter.

background

language

The official language is English.

getting there

For connections from the mainland see Orkney Islands.

The following connections connect the mainland to the smaller islands:

  • over the dam (Churchill Barriers) to Burray and South Ronaldsay
  • between the mainland and the other islands, the Orkney Ferries
  • by plane
  • Kirkwall Airport. after Papa Westray / North Ronaldsay and Sanday / Stronsay.

mobility

Tourist Attractions

Prehistoric sites

  • Barnhouse settlement. Accessible via a footpath from the Stones of Stenness. The Neolithic settlement, which consists of 15 houses, was discovered in 1984. It is on the banks of the Loch of Harray. The way in which the houses were built is very similar to those in Skara Brae. However, they are not connected to each other. Two of the structures show a big difference. House 2 and Building 8 are larger and more elaborate than the other buildings in Barnhouse or Skara Brae. It is believed that someone who held an important position within the tribe lived here. After the excavation, the houses were covered again and the surface was reconstructed.
  • Broch of Guerness, Turn off the A 966 to Aikerness. Tel.: 44 (0)1856 751414. Open: April 1 to October 31, daily from 9.30 a.m. to 5.30 p.m. (as of 2013).Price: ₤ 5.50.
  • Cuween Hill Chambered Cairn. About half a mile south of Finston, overlooking the Bay of Forth. The grave dates from around 3000 BC. A passage opens to the main chamber from which 4 side chambers go off. The grave is covered by a low mound of earth. Excavations revealed the bones of 8 people as well as bones of cattle, birds and dog skulls.
  • Grain Earth House. Located in an industrial area near Kirkwall. The term "house" for these underground rooms is misleading, as a rule they were basements. A modern staircase leads to the original corridor that leads into the chamber. The chamber is oval, approx. 2 m high and is supported by 4 massive columns. The corridor and the chamber, which date from the Iron Age, are covered with stone slabs.
  • Mine Howe. Located on the Tankerness Peninsula.
Excavations Ness of Brodgar (2011)
  • 5  Ness of Brodgar. on the headland between the Standing Stones of Stenness and the Ring of Brodgar. The excavation site, which has been in operation since 2007, reveals more and more parts of a prehistoric ceremonial site from year to year, probably dating from 3200 and 2300 BC. Was used. Every year from July to mid-August, scientists and volunteers are employed at the excavation site and also offer guided tours. There is also a small platform from which the excavation field can be viewed from above.
  • Rennibister Earth House. Located on a working farm. The underground structure (erected around 1000 BC) consists of an oval chamber, the ceiling of which is supported by 4 columns. There are a total of 5 niches in the dry stone walls. The room was accessible via a corridor that was later clogged with a mixture of soil and shells. The Earth House was discovered in 1926 when the wheels of a threshing machine disappeared into the ground. Today you enter the chamber via a ladder.
  • Unstan Cairn. Located on a small peninsula in the Loch of Stenness. The walls of the approximately 8.5 m long and 2 m wide grave were built from dry stone walls. It is divided into 9 parts by stone slabs. The excavated roof of the grave was replaced by a concrete ceiling. The walls are covered by a grassy hill.
  • Wideford Hill Chambered Cairn. Access by a path along the hill, approx. 800 m from the road. The path can be muddy. The grave was built around 3000 BC. Built on an area straightened by people and partly carved into the rock. The main chamber is approx. 2.70 m high, from it 3 smaller chambers go off. The original entrance passage is very low, today you can enter through a flap door in the ceiling and a ladder. The dry stone walls that are now exposed were probably once protected by a mound of earth.

The graves and the Earth Houses are freely accessible, some through the original entrance, some through a hatch in the roof. There are often wooden boxes near the entrance with flashlights in them.

Buildings and ruins

  • Click Mill, Dounby. The mill is the last remaining horizontal watermill on Orkney. This type of mill is very common on Shetland and the Isle of Lewis. The name "Click Mill" refers to the sound the mill makes when it is in operation. The mill has been restored by Historic Scotland, who is also the owner.
  • Earl's Bu (Orphir). You can see the foundation walls of a building that was the seat of an earl in the Viking Age.
  • Highland Park Distillery. At Kirkwall, can be visited. The origins of the distillery go back to 1795. Highland Park is probably one of the most traditional distilleries, on the one hand because of the building (the rooms for preparing the malt are still the original) and on the other hand because of the production methods. For example, the peat that is burned to dry the malt is mixed with some heather.
  • Italian Chapel. Lamb Holm (uninhabited island between Mainland and Burray, accessible via the first Churchill Barrier). The chapel was built in 1943–1945 by Italian prisoners of war who worked on the Churchill Barriers. The chapel consists of two Nissen huts with a pretty facade in front of them. An ornate wrought iron grille separates the chancel from the rest of the chapel.
  • Orphir Round Church. Also St. Nicholas's Church, in the village of Orphir. The round church was built around 1123 based on the Church of the Holy Sepulcher in Jerusalem. The outlines of the round ship are marked in the ground, only a very small remnant of the walls has survived. The remains of the wall adjoin the preserved, round apse. It is about 2 m wide and has a small window.
  • Skaill House (Bay of Skaill). A mansion from the early 17th century in close proximity to Skara Brae.

nature

  • in the Mull Head Nature Reserve, a nature reserve with a grassy landscape, heather and steep cliffs, are the:
  • Brough of Deerness (accessible via a steep, narrow cliff path)
  • The Gloup

activities

kitchen

nightlife

security

climate

Despite the location high in the north, it is quite mild, thanks to the Gulf Stream. However, the wind is a constant companion.

literature

  • Orkneyinga Saga: The History of the Earls of Orkney, Penguin Classics, 256 pages, ISBN 9780140443837 , about 11 €

Web links

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