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Orkney Islands The Orkney Islands are an archipelago of some 70 islands in all, mainly low lying, green and fertile, about 20 miles north of the Scottish mainland. Norse raiders arrived in the late 8th century and had colonised the islands by the 9th. Thereafter the islands were ruled by Norway and Denmark until the Orkney and Shetland Islands passed into Scottish rule in 1472 in compensation for the non-payment of the dowry of Margaret of Denmark, queen of James III. The Orkneys were fashioned by glacial erosion into low, undulating hills making ideal cycling roads. There remains much evidence of pre-historic occupation at various periods, including underground houses, standing stones and earth houses. The Orkney's have over 1,000 listed sites of interest and several of Europe's best examples of neolithic archaeological remains. Skara Brae, an underground village on West Mainland, is one of the most complete European relics of the late Neolithic Period. It dates from about 2000 BC and provides a fascinating glimpse into domestic life many years ago. It's been preserved by being buried in sand - this could also be the reason it had to be abandoned - and was hidden until 1850 when a storm uncovered the site after almost 4000 years. You can see the beds and primitive furnishings all made from local stone in the little group of single-roomed houses. The largest of the Orkney islands is Mainland, or Pomona, which is divided into East Mainland and West Mainland and connected by a narrow strip of land about a mile wide between Kirkwall and Scapa Flow. The Islands of Burray and South Ronaldsay are now joined to the mainland by the causeways constructed during WW2 to prevent submarines entering naval base at Scapa Flow. Because agriculture has always been strong, fishing has not developed as much as in the more northerly Shetland Islands. 0rkney is a prosperous farming area although a lot but lot of peat and moor remain untouched. The two main towns on Mainland, Kirkwall and Stromness, are both picturesque with narrow main streets, and Kirkwall has the beautiful 850 year old St Magnus Cathedral and the town's streets having changed little for hundreds of years. Orkney is also renowned for its abundant birdlife, with over 350 recorded species and many important seabird breeding colonies. The islands are also home to a large percentage of the UK's grey and common seal populations. Information Orkney Tourist Board |
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