Scotland Guide
Orkney and Shetland
Skara Brae
Address: Seven miles north of Stromness
Opening time: April– Sept daily 9.30am–6.30pm; Oct– March Mon– Sat 9.30am–4.30pm, Sun 2–4.30pm
Price: £6.50
Website: www.historic-scotland.gov.uk
The beautiful white curve of the Bay of Skaill is home to Skara Brae, where the extensive remains of a small Neolithic fishing and farming village, dating back to 3000 BC, were discovered in 1850 after a fierce storm. The village is very well preserved, its houses huddled together and connected by narrow passages which would originally have been covered over with turf. The houses themselves consist of a single, spacious living room, filled with domestic detail, including fireplaces, cupboards, beds and boxes, all ingeniously constructed from slabs of stone.
Unfortunately, the sheer numbers now visiting Skara Brae mean that you can no longer explore the site itself properly, but only look down from the outer walls. Before you reach the site you must buy a ticket from the visitor centre, which houses an excellent café-restaurant. After a short video, you pass through a small introductory exhibition, with a few replica finds, before proceeding to a full-scale replica of House 7 (the best-preserved house); it's all a tad neat and tidy, but it'll give you the general idea.