Morven MacNeil explains all of the many things to see and do in mainland Orkney if you’re planning an island-hopping holiday.
I’ve been visiting Orkney in the Northern Isles for 16 years now and it’s up there in the top five of my favourite holiday destinations in the world.
I was lucky enough to meet a group of Orcadians in Glasgow when I just started university and they’ve turned out to be lifelong friends. Once they all moved back to Orkney I’ve visited them regularly and this glorious place has turned into another home for me.
There’s so many things to do and see on the Orkney Islands. My first trip to Orkney was for my friends getting married in Kirkwall. They were lucky enough to be married in St Magnus Cathedral - it’s something to behold. The Cathedral took more than 300 years to complete and was ready by 1137. It was being renovated at the time of their wedding but the surroundings were still absolutely stunning. It’s also open for guided tours and you can climb up the tower to get a spectacular view of Kirkwall and the surrounding areas. You’ll also get to see a hangman’s ladder if you’re lucky...
Right beside St Magnus Cathedral are Bishop’s Palace and Earl’s Palace. Bishop’s Palace was around at the time when Kirkwall was a Norwegian Port, long before it became part of Scotland and and still has its medieval street plan. Earl’s Palace was built the early 1600s and then Patrick Stewart, Earl of Orkney, decided to make the Bishop’s Palace part of ‘The Palace of the Yards’. You can also tour these grounds and I’d highly recommend it - there’s so many artifacts and rooms to walk through, it’s been well-preserved.
Also in Kirkwall is the newly opened Orkney Distillery and Visitor Centre - the base for Kirkjuvagr Orkney Gin. I had the pleasure of being on a guided tour of the distillery in the summer - it was so good that I’m going to write a separate blog post on the tour and another tour that I had at The Orkney Brewery. This will be available on the website soon.
Another must-see attraction is the Italian Chapel - it was built by Italian prisoners of war and it was completed in 1945. La Bella Cappella Italiana is one of Orkney's most visited attractions, they managed to transform two old Nissen huts into the chapel that it is today, it’s a remarkable building and worth visiting and finding out more of the history behind the prisoners and the chapel itself.
Now I’ll move onto the west side of mainland Orkney. Definitely worth visiting is Skara Brae, a well-preserved Neolithic settlement. Skara Brae is a village with nine pre-historic houses and was first uncovered by a storm in 1850. At the historical site they have a replica Neolithic house to give you an idea of what it would have looked like. There’s also a path that takes you to the ancient buildings - they still have stone dressers and box beds. While you’re there you can also visit Skaill House which is right beside it, it’s a 17th century mansion.
On my last visit to Orkney I went back to see the Brough of Birsay - it’s one of my favourite historical places. The Brough of Birsay is a small tidal island off mainland Orkney. It’s cited that between AD 600s and 1200s, the area was settled by the Picts and Norse. You can still see St Peter’s Church and its monastery from the 12th century and a Norse settlement from the 9th to 11th century.
I’ve not had to the chance to visit the other Orkney islands such as Hoy, Shapinsay, Westray and the many others - one day! Most of the islands are easily accessible from mainland Orkney. Orkney Ferries offer various services and there’s inter island flights available at Kirkwall Airport.
There’s lots of places to eat, drink and stay that I’d recommend. I’ll be posting another blog post soon with this information so watch this space!
To get to Orkney, Loganair offer various daily flights from the main Scottish airports and flights to Sumburgh in the Shetland Islands. You can also get a ferry daily, there are various routes with different operators, Visit Orkney has a list with all of the operators.
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