Driving Tours

Exploring Mainland from Kirkwall to Stromness

Heading south from Kirkwall along the southern coastal road toward Stromness, you come first to the hamlet of Orphir. Orphir Church, along A964, is 10km (6 miles) southwest of Kirkwall. These ruins are of the country's only circular medieval church, built in the first part of the 1100s and dedicated to St. Nicholas. At Orphir, you can see vast tracts of land set aside for bird-watching. This area is also ideal for scenic walks, even if you aren't a "birdie." If you're an angler, take advantage of the free fishing on Kirbister Loch. Ferries leave the Houton Terminal for Hoy and Flotta five or six times a day.

In the area is the Cuween Hill Cairn, along A965, 1km (1/2 mile) south of Finstown and 10km (6 miles) northwest of Kirkwall. The owner of a nearby farmhouse (look for the signs) has the key that opens a door to reveal a low mound over a megalithic passage tomb, probably dating from the 3rd millennium B.C. Ancient human bones, along with those of their oxen and dogs, were excavated here.

Bypassing Stromness for the moment, you can continue on a circular tour of the island. Near Stromness, lying off A965, is Maes Howe, 16km (10 miles) west of Kirkwall. Dating from 2700 B.C., this is a superb achievement of prehistoric architecture, constructed from single slabs more than 5.5m (18 ft.) long and some 1.2m (4 ft.) wide. There's a passageway that the sun shines through only at the winter solstice. It also contains the world's largest collection of Viking rune inscriptions, the work of marauding Norsemen who broke into the chambered cairn in search of buried treasure.

The Ring of Brodgar, between Lochend Stenness and Loch of Harray, is 8km (5 miles) northwest of Stromness. Dated to 1560 B.C., a circle of some 36 stones is surrounded by a deep ditch carved out of solid bedrock. Its purpose remains a mystery, though some believe that it was a lunar observatory. In the vicinity are the Stenness Standing Stones, a quartet of upright stones from 3000 B.C.

Unstan Chambered Tomb, 3km (2 miles) northeast of Stromness along A965, and 16km (10 miles) west of Kirkwall, is a big (35m/115 ft. in diameter) burial mound dating from 2500 B.C. For its type, it's unsurpassed in western Europe. There's a chambered tomb more than 2m (6 ft.) high. It's open throughout the day, and admission is free. For information, call the Tankerness House (tel. 01856/873-191). Unstan Ware is the name given to pottery discovered in the tomb.

Last occupied about 2500 B.C., Skara Brae (tel. 01856/841-815), 12km (7 1/2 miles) north of Stromness, was a collection of Neolithic village houses joined by covered passages. This colony, which was believed to have sheltered farmers and herders, remained buried in the sands for 4,500 years, until a storm in 1850 revealed the ruins. You can see the remains of six houses and a workshop. The walls were made from flagstone rock and the roofs were skins laid on wooden or whalebone rafters. A fireplace was in the center; beds were placed against the side walls. The bed "linen" was bracken or heather, and the "quilts" were animal skins. This prehistoric village is the best preserved of its type in Europe. It's open from April to September, daily 9:30am to 6:30pm; and October to March, daily 9:30am to 5pm. Admission is £6.50 ($12) adults, £5 ($9.50) for seniors, and £3.25 ($6.20) for children.

Brough of Birsay, in Birsay at the northern end of Mainland, about 18km (11 miles) north of Stromness, is the ruin of a Norse settlement and Romanesque church on an islet that you can reach only at low tide. You can see a replica of a Pictish sculptured stone. (The original was removed to a museum for safekeeping.) The site is open daily year-round; admission is free. Nearby are the ruins of the Earls' Palace at Birsay, a mansion constructed in the 16th century for the earls of Orkney.

Click Mill, off B9057, 3km (2 miles) northeast of Dounby, is the only still-functioning example of an old horizontal water mill on the island.

If you'd like to explore the region described above on two wheels, stop by Bobby's Cycle Centre, Kirkwall (tel. 01856/875-777), whose rates are £8 ($15) daily or £50 ($95) weekly. It's open Monday to Saturday 9am to 5:30pm.

Every Wednesday night, the Ayre Hotel, in Kirkwall (tel. 01856/873-001; www.ayrehotel.co.uk), hosts the Accordion and Fiddle Club. On Thursday nights in winter, locals gather at the Town Hall to enjoy the music of the Reel and Strathspey Society. Admission to these events is about £5 to £8 ($9.50-$15). Parish halls in the different communities host an erratic schedule of ceilidhs and concerts throughout the year. Check with the Kirkwall tourist office for details.