The northern isles of the Orkney archipelago receive fewer visitors than the main island (known as the Mainland) and those to the south. But they have a windswept magic of their own, says Mark Rowe in The Telegraph: teeming colonies of seabirds, fabulous archaeological sites, and often "violently beautiful" coastal scenery.
Each has its own character, so it's worth visiting as many as you can, and exploring them on a bike or on foot. Many have hostels with private rooms, and some also have pubs and b&bs. Regular ferries make the tour easy, and there's even a small- plane service between Westray and Papa Westray – the world's shortest scheduled flight, a "hauntingly beautiful" two-minute, 1.7-mile hop over Papa Sound.
Orkney was at the heart of a seafaring neolithic civilisation that stretched from Scandinavia to southern Britain. Of the sites that survive here from this late era of the Stone Age, the village of Skara Brae, on the Mainland, is the best known – but the Knap of Howar, on Papa Westray, is at least 400 years older.
The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
Believed to date from 3600BC, it may be the oldest stone house in northern Europe. It has two rooms, containing stone furniture, and is in a "superb" coastal setting. Also "unmissable" is the 4.5-metre-tall Stone of Setter – the Orkneys' highest ancient monolith – on Eday, and the four-metre-tall Stan Stane on North Ronaldsay, which is perforated with a single hole, which was possibly used to calculate a prehistoric calendar.
A natural arch spanning the mouth of a cliff-ringed sea inlet, the Vat of Kirbister on Stronsay is an "elemental" sight. Still more rugged are the cliffs around the Noup Head Lighthouse on Westray, where you're sure to see puffins between April and July.
But for "raw beauty", it's hard to beat Sanday, and the walk from Cata Sand (a bay with towering pale dunes and "aquamarine" waters) along the "bird-smothered" headland of Tresness to the Stone Age tomb at its head; a lonely chambered cairn, free of modern-day signage, and "lapped by the sea".
-
Jaguar Land Rover’s cyber bailoutTalking Point Should the government do more to protect business from the ‘cyber shockwave’?
-
Russia: already at war with Europe?Talking Point As Kremlin begins ‘cranking up attacks’ on Ukraine’s European allies, questions about future action remain unanswered
-
Crossword: October 5, 2025The Week's daily crossword puzzle
-
Mustardy beans and hazelnuts recipeThe Week Recommends Nod to French classic offers zingy, fresh taste
-
Susie Dent picks her favourite booksThe Week Recommends The lexicographer and etymologist shares works by Jane Goodall, Noel Streatfeild and Madeleine Pelling
-
6 incredible homes under $1 millionFeature Featuring a home in the National Historic Landmark District of Virginia and a renovated mid-century modern house in Washington
-
The Harder They Come: ‘triumphant’ adaptation of cinema classicThe Week Recommends ‘Uniformly excellent’ cast follow an aspiring musician facing the ‘corruption’ of Kingston, Jamaica
-
House of Guinness: ‘rip-roaring’ Dublin brewing dynasty period dramaThe Week Recommends The Irish series mixes the family tangles of ‘Downton’ and ‘Succession’ for a ‘dark’ and ‘quaffable’ watch
-
Dead of Winter: a ‘kick-ass’ hostage thrillerThe Week Recommends Emma Thompson plays against type in suspenseful Minnesota-set hair-raiser ‘ringing with gunshots’
-
A Booker shortlist for grown-ups?Talking Point Dominated by middle-aged authors, this year’s list is a return to ‘good old-fashioned literary fiction’
-
Fractured France: an ‘informative and funny’ enquiryThe Week Recommends Andrew Hussey's work is a blend of ‘memoir, travelogue and personal confession’
