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ON-LINE GUIDE TO ORKNEY AND SHETLAND
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This brief guide provides
summary information on towns, villages and places to visit
in Orkney and Shetland as well as some interesting facts
and anecdotes on the local area. To find a specific place
either scroll down the page or use the find facility on
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In1469 James III married Margaret, the
young daughter of Christian I of Denmark and Norway. Her father pledged Orkney
and Shetland to the Scottish crown until such time as the dowry was settled in full.
As he was crippled with debts, the dowry was never paid, and in 1472, the islands
became part of Scotland, creating the kingdom as we know it today.
The Norse influences are still strong. Gaelic was never spoken here, and the
place names (and many family names) all have Norse derivations. Both sets of islands
are nearer Oslo than they are London, and there have even been occasional calls
for the islands to be independent of Scotland.
The Brough Ness on South Ronaldsay in
Orkney is no more than eight miles from the Scottish mainland, while the
Shetland Islands sit much further out to sea, with
the distance between Sumburgh Head and the mainland being over 100 miles. Few
people realise the distances involved, as maps of the British Isles invariably put
the Shetlands in a convenient box off Scotland`s north east coast. However,
fast ferries and air services put the islands
within easy reach of the mainland nowadays.
In olden times they were at a major communications crossroads, and gained
an importance that far outweighed their size. They were on the main route
from Scandinavia to Scotland, England, Ireland
and the Isle of Man, and seafarers invariably stopped off there, some eventually
settling. They are rich in historical sites and
remains (far too many to mention them all in this book), which show a continued
occupation for thousands of years. Indeed, there
are about 120 confirmed broch sites in the Shetlands
alone. And because the landscape has never been intensely farmed
or cultivated, many of these sites have remained relatively undisturbed.
The main difference between the two archipelagos can be summed up in the
old saying that an Orcadian (an inhabitant of Orkney) is a crofter with a boat, whereas
a Shetlander is a fisherman with a croft. Orkney is therefore the more fertile of
the two, though this is relative, as the landscape is nothing like the fertile areas
of the Scottish mainland, and trees are the exception rather
than the rule. One thing has brought prosperity to the
islands, however, and that is North Sea oil. It has transformed
their economies, but at the same time has remained
remarkably unobtrusive, apart from places like Sullom Voe in Shetland,
the largest oil terminal and port in Europe.
The Orkney archipelago
consists of about 70 islands, only 19 of which are inhabited. The largest
island is Mainland, where the islands' capital, Kirkwall,
is located. It is a small city as well as a royal burgh, as
it has its own medieval cathedral, the most northerly in Britain and
the most complete in Scotland. Most of the islands
are connected by ferry, and the best way to appreciate
the smaller ones is on foot rather than by car. Some
of the sites, such as Skara Brae, are world famous and must not be missed.
The Shetland Islands has about 100 islands, with less than 20 being
inhabited. Its largest island is again called
Mainland, and it is here that Lerwick is situated. It
is the islands' capital, and the most northerly town in Britain. Every year in January
the ancient "Up Helly Aa" festival is
held, where a Viking ship is paraded through the streets of the town before
being ceremonially burnt. Its origins go back to pagan times, when the turn of the
year meant that the days started getting longer again
Kirkwall
The capital of Orkney has a population of about 4,800, and was granted
its charter as a royal burgh in 1486. It sits almost in
the centre of Mainland, and divides the island into
East Mainland and West Mainland. It is a lively, busy place of old
stone buildings and streets paved in flagstones, with
a shopping centre that serves all of the islands.
St Magnus Cathedral was founded in 1137
by Saint Magnus's nephew Rognvald, though the cathedral as you
see it today dates from between the 12th and 16th centuries. The story goes that
Magnus was the son of Erlend, one of two earls who ruled Orkney.
The King of Norway had them removed, and then appointed his
own son Sigurd as Overlord. The King and his son then set out on a raiding party
for Wales, taking Magnus with them. However, Magnus
refused to take part in the usual rape and pillage, deciding instead to
sing psalms. The Norwegian king was displeased, and young Magnus had to flee.
After the king's death, he returned to Orkney, and in 1117 arranged to meet
with Haakon, the new ruler of the islands, to claim his inheritance. However,
Haakon had him murdered by an axe blow to the skull.
At first, Magnus was buried in a small church on Birsay, but his remains were
later taken to the new cathedral at Lerwick when it was
consecrated. Some people regarded this story as more of a legend
than historical fact, but in 1919, during some restoration work, a casket
containing human bones was found embedded high up in one of the cathedral's pillars. The
skull had been split open with an axe.
The ruined Bishop's Palace (Historic Scotland) dates mainly from the
12th century, when it was built for Bishop
William the Old. The Round Tower, however, was built by Bishop Reid
between 1541 and 1548. It was within the palace,
in 1263, that King Haakon IV of Norway died, having just been defeated at the Battle
of Largs (see also Largs). He was buried in Lerwick Cathedral, but his body was
later taken back to Bergen in Norway.
The notorious Patrick Stewart, Earl of Orkney and grandson of James V, built
the adjacent Earl's Palace (Historic
Scotland) between 1600 and 1607. The Stewart earls were hated in the islands because
they exploited the people and bled them dry. Patrick himself was arrested by James
VI and executed for treason in 1615.
All that is left of the medieval St Olaf's
Church, after which Kirkwall (kirkjuvagr, meaning "church bay") was named, is
a doorway in St Olaf's Wynd. Within Tankerness House, built as a
merchant's house in the 16th century, is the
Orkney Museum, which contains artefacts and exhibits about the island.
The wooden box that contained St Magnus's bones, discovered within a pillar in the
cathedral, is one of the exhibits. The Orkney Wireless
Museum is at Kiln Corner, and has examples of wartime and
domestic wireless sets used on the islands. It was founded by local man Jim MacDonald,
who
had a lifetime's fascination with wireless and radio sets, and amassed a huge collection.
On a building in Castle Street is a plaque commemorating
Kirkwall Castle, which was dismantled in 1615 and finally
demolished in 1865. It had been built in the 14th century by the Sinclairs of Roslin, who
had been created Earls of Orkney by Haakon of Norway in 1379,
long before the islands became part of Scotland.
Around Kirkwall
Lamb Holm
7 miles S of Kirkwall on the A961
After the sinking of the Royal Oak by a U-boat in 1939 a string of islands to the
south of Mainland were joined by causeways to prevent submarines from slipping
through again. On Lamb Holm, one of the islands,
is the ornate Italian Chapel. It was made
by Italian prisoners-of-war captured in North Africa in 1942 that were working on
the causeways. The work is remarkable considering its basis is two Nissen huts
and various pieces of cast off metal and wood. In 1960 some of the
ex-POWs were invited to return to the island to restore it.
Maeshowe
8 miles W of Kirkwall off the A965
Maeshowe (Historic Scotland) is Britain's largest chambered cairn. The name
comes from the Old Norse and means "great mound". It is a great, grassy hill, 36 feet
high and 300 feet in circumference, and was built about 2,700 BC. A long, narrow
passage leads into a central chamber with smaller side chambers, which are roofed and
floored, with massive slabs. It stands beside the
A 965 between Kirkwall and Stromness.
Also looked after by Historic Scotland are the four
Stenness Standing Stones, the largest such stones in Orkney.
They are all that are left of a huge stone circle, and
date from about the same time as Maeshowe. To the north of the stones is the
Barnhouse Settlement, a Neolithic
village discovered
in 1984. The Ring of Brodgar, also dating from about 2700 BC, still has 27 of
its original 67 stones. They are smaller than the Stenness Stones, and stand on a strip
of land between two small lochs.
Orphir
9 miles W of Kirkwall off the A964
During early Norse rule, Orphir was one of the main Orcadian settlements.
Orphir Church was built in the 11th or 12
century, some say by Haakon, who murdered St Magnus in the 12th century, possibly as
an act or penance after a pilgrimage to Jerusalem. It was a circular church about
18 feet in diameter, with a small apse at its eastern end, and was the only such
medieval church in Scotland. Nothing now remains apart from the apse and some of the
east wall. Bu Interpretation Centre, next to
the church, explains the ruins.
Stromness
15 miles W of Kirkwall on the A965
This little burgh faces Orkney's second largest island, Hoy. Though it looks old
and quaint, it only received its burgh charter in 1817, and was founded in the 17th
century. The Stromness Museum in Alfred
Street has displays on Scapa Flow, whaling, lighthouses and the Hudson's Bay
Company (which had a base here, and employed many Orcadians). Scapa Flow, between Hoy
and Mainland, is one of the best natural harbours in the world. After World War
I the German fleet was brought to Scapa Flow while a decision was made about
it's future. However, the German officers decided the fleet's future themselves -
they scuttled the ships, and most still lie at the bottom of the sea, a constant attraction
for divers.
Hoy
17 miles W of Kirkwall
Hoy is Orkney's second largest island, and sits off the west coast of Mainland. The
Old Man of Hoy is a famous sandstone stack
over 445 feet high off its north west coast, and a constant challenge to climbers.
The first successful climb was in 1966, and TV cameras were there to record
it. At the southwest end of the island is a
Martello Tower, erected between 1813 and 1815
to protect the island from the French.
The Dwarfie Stone is unique in the United Kingdom
- a burial chamber dating from at least 3000 BC cut into a
great block of sandstone. Some people claim, however, that it was not a tomb, but
an ancient dwelling.
Click Mill
13 miles NW of Kirkwall on the B9057
Click Mill (Historic Scotland) is the islands' last surviving example of a
horizontal watermill, and got its name from the clicking sound it made when turning.
They were once common throughout Scandinavia.
At Harray, a couple of miles south of the mill, is the Corrigall Farm Museum,
housed in an old 18th century farmhouse. Exhibits include a working barn with grain kiln.
Skara Brae
17 miles NW of Kirkwall on the B9056
In 1850 at the Bay of Skaill a storm uncovered the remains of a village,
which
was at least 5,500 years old - older even than the Pyramids. It is the oldest
known prehistoric village in Europe, and the remains are now looked after by
Historic Scotland. They show that the people who built it from stone were sophisticated
and ingenious, and that the houses were comfortable and well appointed, with
beds, dressers and cupboards made of stone, as wood was hard to come by.
Archaeological evidence tells us that it was built
by Neolithic people who farmed, hunted and fished.
Close by is Skaill House, the finest mansion in Orkney.
The main part of the house was originally built in
1620 for George Graham, Bishop of Orkney, though it has been extended over the years.
It houses a fine collection of furniture, including Bishop Graham's bed, on
which are carved the words GEO. GRAHAM ME FIERI
FECIT ("George Graham caused me to be made").
The house was built on the site of an ancient burial mound, which may
account for the many ghosts that allegedly haunt it.
Brough of Birsay
21 miles NW of Kirkwall off the A966
This little island, which is connected to the mainland at low tide
by a narrow causeway, has the remains of a Norse settlement
and an early medieval chapel (once the cathedral of
the diocese of Orkney), built on the foundations of
a chapel that may date back to the 7th or 8th
centuries. After he was killed, St Magnus was buried here
until such time as his body could be taken to the newly built St
Magnus Cathedral in Kirkwall.
When visiting the island, the times of tides must be taken into account. The
tourism office at Kirkwall can advise.
The ruins of Earl Stewart's Palace overlook the island. This was one of
the castles owned by the unpopular Stewarts, Earls of Orkney.
The Kirbuster Farm Museum has examples of farm
implements used on Orkney over the years, and a
Victorian garden.
South of the island, at Marwick Head, is a
squat tower - the Kitchener Memorial. It was erected
in memory of Kitchener of Khartoum, who was killed when
HMS Hampshire, on which he was travelling
to Russia to discuss the progress of the war, struck
a German mine near here in 1916. Only twelve
people survived the sinking of the ship.
Lerwick
The capital of the Shetland Islands was granted its burgh charter in 1818.
However, its history goes much further back than that, and it was originally developed by
the Dutch in the 17th century to service their fishing fleet. It is the most northerly
town in Britain, and, with a population of about
7,000, sits on the island of Mainland. The town is so far north that during June,
there is little or no darkness.
Every year, on the last Tuesday in January, the festival of
Up Helly Aa is held. After being hauled through the
streets of the town accompanied by men carrying torches and dressed as Vikings, a
Viking longboat is set on fire. Though an
enjoyable and spectacular sight, it is a ritual, which
is thought to date back to pagan times, when darkest days of winter were feared. It
was thought that the light from celebrations of this kind attracted the light of the
sun, which would then gradually return, lengthening the
days. The introduction of a Viking ship, however, was a Victorian
idea. Before that tar barrels were used.
Like Orkney, all the islands are rich in ancient remains.
There are also many small interpretation centres and museums -
too many for all of them to be mentioned in this book.
The number of days in the year when the temperatures rise above
75 degrees are few in Shetland (though the last few
summers have been excellent!), but there are compensations, not least of which is
the quality of light and the almost 24 hours of daylight at the height of
summer. And there is less rain here than in Fort William
or even North Devon.
Fort Charlotte, named after George III's wife, was built in the 1780s on the site
of 17th century fortifications, which protected the town from the Dutch.
Shetland Museum in Lower Hillhead gives an insight into
the history of the islands and its people, and has some marvellous displays on archaeology.
The wonderfully named Böd of
Gremista is located north of the town, and was
the birthplace in 1792 of Arthur Anderson,
co-founder of the P&O line. He joined the Royal Navy, and subsequently fought in
the Napoleonic wars. In 1833 he co-founded the Peninsular Steam Navigation
Company, which, in 1937, became the Peninsular and Oriental Steam Navigation
Company. The
18th century building has been restored as a small museum and interpretation
centre about the island's maritime history.
Around Lerwick
Bressay
1 mile E of Lerwick
The island of Bressay sits opposite Lerwick, and shelters its harbour. The
Bressay Heritage Centre, close to the ferry
terminal, illustrates through displays and
exhibits what life was like on the island in
former times. The tiny island of Noss, off its
west coast, is a nature reserve. Boat trips to the island are available. Bressay has some
fine walks, notably on its east coast. Its highest point is
Ward Hill, at 742 feet.
Mousa
13 miles S of Lerwick
There are about 70 confirmed broch (a round, fortified tower) sites in
Shetland, and one of the best preserved is at Sandwick on this tiny island off the
east coast of Mainland. The Broch of Mousa (Historic Scotland) was built
sometime between the 1st and 3rd centuries from local
stone, and is over 40 feet high and 49 feet in
diameter. It has lost its uppermost courses, but is still in a remarkable state
of preservation, and shows the typical layout of these curious buildings, which are
found nowhere else but in Scotland. The double walls slope inwards as they get higher,
and embedded in them are staircases (which you can use to climb to the top)
and defensive galleries.
Jarlshof
25 miles S of Lerwick on the A970
Lying close to Sumburgh Airport on Mainland, Jarlshof is one of the
most important historical sites in Europe, and has been continuously occupied from
the Bronze Age right up until the 17th century. There are Bronze Age huts, Iron Age
earth houses, brochs, wheelhouses from the Dark
Ages, Norse longhouses and medieval houses. It is managed by Historic
Scotland, and there is a small museum and interpretation centre.
At Old Scatness, close to Jarlshof, is
an archaeological site centred on a number of ancient brochs, wheelhouses and
dwellings. There is a living history area with demonstrations that reproduce
ancient technologies using authentic materials. It was discovered in 1975 when a road was
cut through what was thought to be a natural mound. Old walls were discovered,
and work began on excavating the site in 1995.
The Ness of Burgi, a small promontory
jutting out into the sea, lies to the west of Jarlshof, and has
an Iron Age fort.
Fair Isle
46 miles S of Lerwick
The most southerly of the Shetland Islands lies
almost half way between Shetland and Orkney. It is owned
by the National Trust for Scotland, and is one of
the remotest inhabited islands in the country, with
a population of about 70. It was originally called Fridarey, meaning "island of peace", by
Norse settlers.
The island was once owned by George Waterston, who was the Scottish
Director of the Royal Society for the Protection
of Birds, and who founded a bird observatory in 1948.
The George Waterston Memorial Centre and
Museum has displays about the history and wildlife of the island.
The Feely Dyke, a turf wall separating common land from modern crofting
land, may date from prehistoric times.
Scalloway
6 miles W of Lerwick on the A970
Though only six miles from Lerwick, this
small village sits on the Atlantic coast while its larger neighbour sits on the coast of
the North Sea. Its name comes from the Norse "Scola Voe", which means the "Huts by
the Bay".
Up until 1708 it was once Shetland's capital, but as Lerwick expanded so
the centre of power shifted eastwards. Scalloway
Castle dates from around 1600, and was built by Patrick Stewart, who
was executed 15 years later in Edinburgh (see also Kirkwall).
During World War II the village was a secret Norwegian base, and from
here Norwegians used to be ferried across to their country in fishing boats
(nicknamed
"Shetland buses") to mount sabotage operations and bring back
resistance fighters who were on the run from
German troops. The small Scalloway Museum
in Main Street tells the story of these men, as well as the story of Scalloway itself.
Tingwall
6 miles NW of Lerwick on the A970
Law Ting Holm near Tingwall was where the ancient
Shetland Islands parliament, or Althing, used to meet. It sits on a
small promontory (which in Norse times was an island) jutting
out into the Loch of Tingwall.
Just off the Scalloway - Tingwall Road is the
Murder Stone, a prehistoric standing stone. It got its name from
a local legend, which states that murderers were made
to run between Law Ting Holm
and the stone pursued by relatives of the murdered person. If the murderer made
it to the stone unscathed, he wasn't executed, if he didn't, his pursuers killed him.
Tangwick
33 miles NW of Lerwick on the B9078
The Tangwick Haa Museum, based in Tangwick Haa, has displays and
artefacts about the local history of the northern
part of Mainland. The haa ("hall") itself
dates from the 17th century, and was built by the Cheyne family, the local landowners. It
was restored and opened as a museum in 1988.
Boddam
20 miles S of Lerwick on the A970
The Crofthouse Museum comprises a thatched house, steading and water mill,
and illustrates what life was like in a 19th century Shetland Islands croft. It would
have housed an extended family of children, parents and grandparents, and the
men would have earned their living from the sea while the women worked the land. In
the summer months it hosts a programme of traditional music, songs and stories.
Whalsay
18 miles NW of Lerwick
This small island, no more than six miles long by
two miles wide, is connected to Mainland by a ferry from
Dury Voe. There are superb coastal walks and many
ancient remains. Symbister House, in the island's ferry port, is
the finest Georgian house in Shetland. It was built by
the Bruce family, who nearly bankrupted themselves
in doing so, something that did not trouble the people of
the island, as the family had oppressed them for years.
It now forms part of the local school.
Fetlar
40 miles NE of Lerwick
The small island of Fetlar is no more than seven miles long by five miles wide at
its widest, and sits off the east coast of Yell,
to which it is connected by ferry. The Fetlar Interpretive
Centre at Beach of Houbie has displays on the island's
history, wildlife, history and folklore, as well as
genealogical archives. There is also an archive of
over 3000 photographs.
Yell
30 miles N of Lerwick
The second largest island in Shetland is about 20 miles long by seven miles wide
at its widest, and is connected to Mainland. Though its population is close to 1000,
it still has lonely moorland and a varied coast that lend themselves to hill walking
and bird watching.
The Old Haa of Burravoe ("Old Hall
of Burravoe"), at the island's south east
corner, is the oldest complete building on the island, and dates from 1637. It now
houses a small museum and interpretation centre, and has a digital recording studio.
The Lumbister RSPB Reserve sits almost in
the middle of the island, between Whale Firth (said to be the smallest "firth" in
Scotland)
and the A968, the island's main road. Here you can see the red-throated diver,
eider, dunlin, great and Arctic skua, dunlin, wheatear, curlew, merlin and snipe.
Unst
46 miles N of Lerwick
Unst is the most northerly of the Shetland Isles, and
Hermaness is the most northerly point in the
United Kingdom that can be reached on foot. Offshore is
Muckle Flugga, with its Outer Stack being the
most northerly point in the United Kingdom. At the
southeast corner of the island are the gaunt ruins of
Muness Castle, said to be the most northerly castle in Britain.
The castle dates from 1598, and was built by
Lawrence Bruce, a relative of the wayward Stewart dynasty that ruled the islands, and a
man every bit as cruel and despotic as they were. He was appointed sheriff of Shetland,
and when Patrick Stewart succeeded his father Robert as the Earl of Orkney, Lawrence
felt so threatened that he built the castle as a place of safety. In 1608 Patrick came
to Unst with 36 men to destroy it, but retreated before he had a chance to do
so for some reason. In about 1627 a party of French raiders attacked and burnt
the castle, and it was never rebuilt.
At Harnoldswick is Britain's most northerly church. The Methodist
church
was built between 1990 and 1993, and has a simple design based on a
traditional Norwegian church
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