Neolithic Remains, Picts and Vikings

Orkney was a veritable centre of Neolithic buildings, from the intriguing stone settings to a settlement like Skara Brae - a village older than the pyramids which has become one of the main tourist attractions.

Skara Brae, a Neolithic settlement on Mainland Orkney
Stone circles are very photogenic. The Ring of Brodgar may be less impressive than Stonehenge, but it's a lot more atmospheric. Especially with those dramatic clouds - though it never rained, fortunately. There's another, smaller stone setting, the one of Stenness, which I also managed to sneak in.

Ring of Brodgar, a detail shot
An then there's Maes Howe, the large cairn we are not sure what it really was; temple, burial place, meeting room....? You can only get inside on a guided tour and photographing is officially not allowed. *wink*

Maes Howe, also on the mainland
Definitely used for burial were the chambered cairns. Several fine examples can be found on the island of Rousay. Here's the largest one. I also visited a much smaller one you need a torch and a ladder to get into.

Chambered cairn on Rousay
Cairns can be found elsewhere in the Highlands, too, like the Clava Cairns near Inverness which come complete with standing stones and all. They're about 2.5 miles walk from the battlefield of Culloden.

Clava Cairns
But Neolithic remains are not the only fun thing to be found on Orkney. There are some nice Pictish brochs, too. Well, remains of brochs; they used to be much higher. Here's the Broch of Gurness.

Broch of Gurness, Mainland Orkney
They often come attached with the remains of settlements, though the latter was much smaller around the Broch of Midhowe than in case of Gurness. A lot of those places are off the roads and bus stops so I had some walking to do. :-)

Broch of Midhowe, Rousay
I was lucky again with the tide and could put a visit to the Viking settlement on Birsay into my schedule. Orkney had been in Norse possession for centuries and they left their traces behind. I've also taken a few pics of some smaller places like the round church in Orphir.

The Viking settlement on Birsay
In one case I was out of luck: since the tourist office in Inverness gave me the wrong opening times for the Pictish museum in Rosemarkie, I missed that one.

And finally, a church that dates back to a Viking martyr: St.Magnus Cathedral in Kirkwall.

St.Magnus Cathedral, Kirkwall, west front
This one is a fine example of Romanesque architecture. I especially loved the interior with its sturdy, red columns.

St.Magnus Cathedral, main nave
Luckily, Henry VIII never got that far. He left enough ruins in his wake as it is. Though they are nice camera fodder. :-)