Skara Brae
A stone-built Neolithic village about 5,000 years old, older than Stonehenge and the pyramids, with stone beds and cupboards still in place. It is Orkney's top sight.
Skara Brae is the best-preserved Neolithic village in Western Europe. It was inhabited around 3180 to 2500 BC and was rediscovered in 1850, when a storm stripped away the sand dunes. Eight semi-subterranean stone houses are linked by passageways, and their stone beds, hearths and 'dressers' (stone cupboards) are clearly visible. The entrance has a visitor centre and a reconstructed house, and the ticket includes Skaill House, which opens in summer. Skara Brae sits on the shore of Skaill Bay, about 30 kilometers from Kirkwall. It is about 35 minutes by car, and buses run in summer. It is part of the World Heritage site 'Heart of Neolithic Orkney.'
Opening hours
HES-managed site; approx. 09:30–17:30 Apr–Sep, shorter or closed in winter (check the HES website)
Nearby sights
- Skaill House
- Yesnaby
- Marwick Head
- Earl's Palace, Birsay
- Brough of Birsay
- Pier Arts Centre
- Stromness
- Stromness Museum