Heart of Neolithic Orkney

Welcome to the Heart of Neolithic Orkney, a UNESCO World Heritage site that transports us back over 5,000 years to the very dawn of human civilization in the British Isles. Located at the northern tip of Scotland, the Orkney…

Our first stop is Skara Brae, perhaps the most perfectly preserved Neolithic village in Europe. In 1850, a violent storm from the North Sea battered the Orkney coastline, blowing away the sand and revealing the stone walls of a…

Standing at the Ring of Brodgar, we encounter one of the most striking megalithic remains in the world. This massive stone circle, dating from approximately 2,500 to 2,000 BC, measures about 100 meters in diameter, making it the…

A short distance away lies Maeshowe, a chambered tomb that represents the architectural masterpiece of the Neolithic era. This massive grave mound is approximately 7 meters high and 35 meters in diameter, containing a large stone…

The Stones of Stenness are often considered the oldest stone circle in the British Isles, dating back to around 3,100 BC. Although only four of the original twelve stones remain standing, they are incredibly imposing, with the…

The final element of our tour focuses on the wider landscape and the objects found within it. Excavations across the Heart of Neolithic Orkney have yielded unusual rock tools and carefully carved stone implements. …

Our journey through the Heart of Neolithic Orkney has taken us from the domestic intimacy of Skara Brae to the celestial drama of Maeshowe and the monumental mystery of the stone circles. We have explored a landscape that was a…