18 Attractions to Explore Near Loch of Stenness
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Unstan Chambered CairnThis 5000-year-old burial tomb is just one of hundreds of similar sites to be found throughout Orkney, but this site in the West Mainland is in exceptionally good condition and incredibly easy to find. Unstan is notable as an atypical hybrid of the two main types of chambered cairn found in Orkney, and as the location of the first discovery of a type of pottery that now bears the name of the tomb. The site is in the care of Historic Environment Scotland as a scheduled monument.
Ring of BrodgarThe Ring of Brodgar is an archaeological treasure and without doubt one of the islands' most visited attractions. It is part of the Heart of Neolithic Orkney World Heritage Site, a series of important domestic and ritual monuments built 5000 years ago in the Orkney Islands.
Ness of BrodgarThe Ness of Brodgar is a thin strip of land, in the West Mainland of Orkney, that separates the lochs of Harray and Stenness. The site has provided evidence of decorated stone slabs, a stone wall 6 metres thick with foundations, and a large building described as a Neolithic temple.
Standing Stones of StennessThe Stones of Stenness today consist of four upright stones up to 6m in height in a circle that originally held 12 stones. This may be the oldest henge site in the British Isles. Various traditions associated with the stones survived into the modern era and they form part of the Heart of Neolithic Orkney World Heritage Site.
Barnhouse SettlementThe Barnhouse Settlement is a Neolithic village located in Antaness, Orkney, Scotland, which was inhabited between c. 3300 and 2600 BCE. The early settlement consisted of at least six small houses similar in style to the early circular houses at Skara Brae. These were set around a larger and more elaborate building. Situated on the shore of Harray Loch, and accessed from the Standing Stones of Stenness, Barnhouse is a stone age village.
Maes HoweMaeshowe is a large Neolithic chambered cairn, dating from between 3000-2800 BCE, in the Stenness parish of Orkney, Scotland. It was probably built around 2800 BC. In the archaeology of Scotland, it gives its name to the Maeshowe type of chambered cairn, which is limited to Orkney. Maeshowe is a scheduled monument and is part of the "Heart of Neolithic Orkney", a group of sites including Skara Brae, which were designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1999.
CopinsayCopinsay is an uninhabited island in the Orkneys, famous for its large colonies of kittiwakes, guillemots and razorbills. Fulmars and puffins also breed along the cliffs of Copinsay. The island reserve consists of the main island of Copinsay and the four smaller islets of Corn Holm, Ward Holm, Black Holm and the Horse of Copinsay. The historic Copinsay Lighthouse sits atop 250’ high cliffs that extend for a mile along the coast.
Loch of HarrayThe Loch of Harray is the largest loch of Mainland Orkney, Scotland and is named for the parish of Harray. It lies immediately north of the Loch of Stenness and is close to the World Heritage neolithic sites of the Stones of Stenness and Ring of Brodgar. birdwatching is very popular as there are several RSPB reserves in the area including the Brodgar Wetlands and Cottascarth and Rendall Moss.
Pier Arts CentreThe Pier Arts Centre is a VisitScotland 5 Star Art Gallery and Museum in Stromness established in 1979 to provide a home for an important collection of British fine art donated by the author, peace activist and philanthropist Margaret Gardiner. It is a collaboration of permanent collection and temporary galleries. The project involved the refurbishment of historic pier buildings, along with the creation of a new gallery building.
Stromness MuseumA beautiful small independent museum, which including First World War artefacts from the scuttled German High Seas Fleet, items from Orkney's involvement in the Hudson's Bay Company, and collections brought home from Orcadians travelling abroad. It also houses numerous Victorian natural history collections of birds and eggs, mammals, shells, fossils, butterflies and moths, as well as antiquarian collections of artefacts.
Ness BatteryNess Battery in Stromness is one of Britain's best-preserved wartime sites and a guided tour offers a fascinating insight into the lives of the soldiers who defended Scapa Flow in two World Wars. Several of the original wooden huts which formed the accommodation camp are still intact, and in one of these is a painted mural covering three walls, depicting rural English scenes. An extensive programme of stabilisation and renovation was completed in 2012 and the site is now open for guided tours.
YesnabyYesnaby is one of the most spectacular stretches of coastline in Orkney. It is renowned for its spectacular Old Red Sandstone coastal cliff scenery which includes sea stacks, blowholes, geos and frequently boiling seas. Most visitors to the impressive cliffs at Yesnaby explore the immediate area, and enjoy the stunning views there, but we think there is much to see if you take the less beaten path and walk northwards.
Hoy High LighthouseThis lighthouse is on the Isle of Graemsay in the Orkney Isles located on the northeast point of the island. It was built in 1851 by Alan Stevenson, together with a keepers residence. It marks the main channel into the Scapa Flow harbour, and along with other lights in the area, known as range lights, they aid navigation through Hoy Sound.
Skaill HouseThis is a majestic 17th century mansion, which will give a valuable insight into Orkney's diverse and exciting past. It was home of the man who unearthed Skara Brae in 1850, and covering thousands of years of Orkney history. The house overlooks the neolithic site, Skara Brae, and the Bay of Skaill. In 1977, the house was included in the List of Scottish Buildings of Special Architectural or Historic Interest.
Corrigall Farm MuseumCorrigall Farm Museum is a traditional ‘but and ben’ laid out as a typical Orkney farmhouse and steading in Victorian/late 19th century period, although it was still lived in like this until the last inhabitants left in the mid-20th century. It's a fascinating place to visit, and it provides a particularly interesting counterpoint to the Kirbuster Museum, which is around five miles north west as the crow flies, though slightly further by car.
Skara Brae Prehistoric VillageSkara Brae is a Neolithic Age site, consisting of ten stone structures, near the Bay of Skaill, Orkney, Scotland. Traditionally, Skara Brae is said to have been discovered in 1850 CE when an enormous storm struck Orkney and dispersed the sand and soil which had buried the site. Consisting of ten clustered houses, made of flagstones, in earthen dams that provided support for the walls; the houses included stone hearths, beds, and cupboards.
Ward HillWard Hill is a hill on the island of Hoy in Orkney, Scotland. It is 481 metres high. The hill forms a curved ridge, reminiscent of a 'J' in shape. The lower slopes are covered in heather and grass, though the top of the ridge is covered in small stones with bare sandy soil. The highest summit is towards the northern end and is crowned by a trig point.
GraemsayGraemsay is on of the smaller of the Orkney Islands, which was located between the Orkney mainland and Hoy and features plenty of nature and wildlife attractions. The island is 409 ha in area and is mainly crofted. The island's geology is Old Red Sandstone of the Devonian period, with two volcanic faults. On the north coast there is granite-schist, a great rarity in Orkney.
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Loch of StennessThe Loch of Stenness is a large brackish loch on Mainland, Orkney, Scotland and is named for the parish of Stenness. It is a sea loch and is the deepest loch on the Mainland, it is slightly smaller in area and volume than the Loch of Harray. The loch is connected to the Loch of Harray at the Bridge of Brodgar and both lochs together cover an area of 19.3 square kilometres making the two combined the ninth largest loch in Scotland by area.