outline Standing Stones 6 1 of Stenness smaller cousin to the LO CH O F H A R Barnhouse R 2 A settlement Y a lakeside village

3 world-famous excavations of a monumental complex World Heritage 4 Ring of Brodgar one of the most spectacular LO CH 5 prehistoric sites in Britain O F S O rkney Heritage World Welcome to one of the world’s special places, the Heart of Neolithic T E N Orkney, a group of monuments forming a UNESCO World 5 N E 4 chambered tomb S Heritage Site. UNESCO inscribed the Heart of Neolithic Orkney in S 3 Northern Europe’s finest 1999 for the outstanding testimony the monuments bear to the cultural chambered tomb 2 1 achievements of the Neolithic peoples of Northern Europe. 6 This one-day touring itinerary, involving less than twenty miles of Neolithic village driving, will give you the opportunity to explore the Neolithic village small houses with , box-beds and stone dressers of Skara Brae, the massive chambered of Maeshowe and the twin stone circles of the Ring of Brodgar and the Standing Stones of 7 Stromness Museum Stenness. You’ll also see other related Stone Age sites in this ancient see a special winter exhibition of Ness of Stromness 7 landscape, part of a story stretching back five thousand years. Brodgar artefacts

Skara Brae Maeshowe Ring of Brodgar

See more itineraries and special offers at orkney.com/SPRING YOUR 1 Standing Stones 2 Barnhouse 3 The Ness of Brodgar 4 The Ring of Brodgar Of Stenness Neolithic Village As you make the short journey towards Originally consisting of 60 standing ITINERARY Arriving at the 5000 year old Standing A short walk down a track from the the Ring of Brodgar, you will pass a tall stones (36 of which survive today) and it is hard not to be Standing Stones of Stenness is the standing stone by the roadside. Known surrounded by a deep rock-cut ditch, awed by the size of the four standing Barnhouse settlement, the Neolithic as the Watchstone, this is one of several the Ring of Brodgar has been described stones, each about 5 metres tall, all occupants of which must have been isolated standing stones which once as one of the most spectacular spring that remain of the twelve original among the monument builders. Imagine stood between the lochs, probably part prehistoric sites in Britain, rivalling of an extensive ritual landscape. and . Time: 1 day’s touring stones surrounded in by a living here near the freshwater loch of bank and ditch. Our Neolithic ancestors Harray as the stone ring takes shape Further along the road, its world-famous As you walk round the ring, just think (or split over 2 days) quarried, transported and erected the nearby. The stonework you see now at archaeology covered over during the about the scale of the effort required Distance: 20 miles stones without the aid of metal Barnhouse is reconstructed, but follows autumn and winter months, lies the to create it and the strength of belief or machinery, in order to create an the plan of the original prehistoric Ness of Brodgar. Excavation work that motivated the builders. Orkney’s open-air ritual centre in the vast natural settlement. began here in 2003, and has revealed Stone Age farming communities were amphitheatre in the heart of Orkney’s There is a bird hide nearby, from which a monumental complex of buildings organised and industrious enough to Mainland. you can watch noisy flocks of over- surrounded by what has been nicknamed undertake massive construction efforts, In common with the nearby Ring of wintering birds on the loch. the Great Wall of Brodgar, more than perhaps involving people from far and Brodgar, the Standing Stones of 100 metres long and 6 metres wide. wide in communal projects. Stenness monument is in the care of Was this perhaps the home of priests of World Heritage O rkney Heritage World Historic Environment and the Neolithic religion? there is no charge for access. World Each summer’s excavations have revealed Heritage Rangers lead informative unexpected and exciting finds, and walks at both sites throughout the year. the Ness has featured extensively on television and in print. If you want to see the archaeologists at work, please return in July or August when daily guided tours are available.

Standing Stones of Stenness The Ness of Brodgar The Ring of Brodgar

See more itineraries and special offers at orkney.com/SPRING YOUR 35 Maeshowe 6 Skara Brae 7 Stromness Museum Other places to visit if Standing just a mile away from the The fourth location comprising the Heart In Stromness, the Stromness Museum’s you have more time ITINERARY Ring of Brodgar is Maeshowe, one of of Neolithic Orkney is Skara Brae in the permanent collection includes fascinating The Orkney Museum in Kirkwall Europe’s finest chambered tombs and a scenic Bay of Skaill. Here a Neolithic artefacts found at Skara Brae. The is open Monday to Friday all triumph of Neolithic construction ability. village was abandoned five millennia museum’s opening hours are restricted year round and tells the story of The low entrance passage leading to the ago when it was overwhelmed by a from Monday to Saturday in the winter Orkney from the earliest times spring burial chamber within, is aligned so that sandstorm. The small houses preserved months so you should check before to the present day. the midwinter sunset illuminates the beneath the sand were exposed by a visiting, and there is an entry fee. Time: 1 day’s touring You’ll find Neolithic sites interior. Perhaps Maeshowe and the other storm in the 19th century and the village, throughout Orkney on the (or split over 2 days) monuments in the Heart of Neolithic now in the care of Historic Environment Mainland and the isles. Local guide Distance: 20 miles Orkney had astronomical purposes, Scotland, has been described as the books will help you make choices helping these early farmers mark the best-preserved Neolithic settlement in about which to visit depending on changing seasons on which their lives Western Europe. the time you have available. depended. It is open daily for an entry fee, and has The , a Maeshowe is in the care of Historic a small visitor centre telling the story of famous Neolithic tomb on South Environment Scotland, which provides Orkney’s Stone Age prehistory alongside Ronaldsay, provides a unique access to the atmospheric interior of the a replica house which you can walk inside hands-on experience. Note, tomb on a daily basis, by paid guided tour in order to see how our ancestors lived.

however, that it is closed from O rkney Heritage World only. Tours, which must be booked well in November to February so please advance, start from the Maeshowe visitor check regarding opening times. centre in nearby Stenness Village.

Finding out more Local bookshops have an excellent selection of books about Orkney’s rich prehistory and our World Heritage sites.

Our one-day itineraries are designed to give you a taste of what Orkney has to offer. With so much to see and do we hope you are inspired to spend Skara Brae more time exploring Orkney

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@orkneycom Artefacts discovered

Maeshowe at the Ness of Brodgar © Antonia Thomas © Hugo Anderson-Whymark

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