Dunnett Related Places to Visit
The Orkney Isles, home of Earl Thorfinn the Mighty, are situated off the
northern coast of Scotland and are well worth the long trip north required
to visit them, for few other places on Earth have such an immediate feeling
of the history of mankind - of being able to touch and sense things which
are truely ancient and yet are also part of today's landscape. Filled
with an astonishing selection of historic and archaeological sites the
problem is what to leave out rather than what to see. The following is
just a very small selection of the very best sites.
We tend to think of the events of King Herafter as being very old compared
to those of Lymond or Nicholas, being nearly a thousand years ago. What
is truely astonishing is to realise that many of the archaeological sites
were already ancient in Thorfin's time and places such as Maes Howe and
the Stones at Brodgar and Stenness were as much a mystery to the people
then as they are to us.
For more photographs of Orkney please visit the
Orkney pages of the photography section of my personal site.
There is now also a second
page of Orkney pictures there.
For a description of the visit that I and a number of Dunnett readers
made in June 2001 please visit the
Modern Orkney Saga page.
For a description of a second trip to Orkney I made a year later please
visit the Return to Orkney page
 St.
Magnus Cathedral in Kirkwall
The remarkable 12th century cathedral which dominates the island capital
was begun in 1136 following a vow made by Earl Rognvald. It is a superb
Romanesque design which has been compared with both Durham and Dunfermline.
Unlike most mainland cathedrals it survived the ravages of the Reformation
almost unscathed. It has been extensively restored and preserved - there
is a display of some of the structural problems encountered in the nearby
museum - and is a truely impressive building, especially when you consider
the standard of the housing that must have surrounded it when it was built.
There are stained glass windows showing Thorfinn, Groa, and Thorkel Fostrie
amongst others.
 The
Earl's Palace Kirkwall
An early 17th century palace which has been described as "possibly the
most mature and accomplished piece of Renaissance architecture left in
Scotland".
The Bishop's Palace Kirkwall
Variously 12th-17th century most of the surviving sections date from
the time of Bishop Reid in the mid 16th c. It was here that King Haakon
died after the defeat at the Battle of Largs off the coast of south-west
Scotland.
 The
Ring of Brodgar
A spectacular and atmospheric henge monument comparable with Callanish
and Stonehenge, which is situated on a narrow strip of land between two
inland lochs. The circle is 100 metres in diameter and was originally
composed of approx. 60 stones of which 27 are standing and another 13
locations are known. The stones are between 2 and 4.5 metres high. Estimates
suggest that creating the ditch involved moving over 4500 cubic metres
of rock which would have taken about 80,000 man-hours!
(I have been fortunate enough to stand in the circle at sunset on three
occasions and can testify to the marvellous landscape, light and atmosphere.)
 The
Stones of Stenness
The remains of another stone circle whose tall angular stones are a
commonly used image of the islands. 4 stones survive - the tallest over
5 metres - from an original figure of about 12, set in a 30 metre circle.
They have been radiocarbon dated to around 3000 BC. There are a number
of single standing stones in the area, including the Comet Stone
near the Ring of Brodgar and the Watch Stone near the Stones of
Stenness. Sadly the famous Odin Stone, which had a large hole in
its centre through which babies were passed and lovers clasped hands in
a marriage ceremony, was destroyed by a non-native farmer in the early
19th century.
Skara Brae
The astonishing 5000 year-old stone village which was uncovered from
the sandhill which had covered it for thousands of years by a great storm
in 1850. Set into the earth the thick drystone walls, which in places
are up to 3 metres high, surround houses where everything is made of stone
- beds, dressers and other furniture remain in place to give a vivid idea
of prehistoric life.
 Maes
Howe
A chambered cairn which is perhaps the finest achievement of neolithic
Europe in its superbly skilled stonemasonry. The rising midwinter sun
shines directly down the 36 foot long entrance passage. It is mentioned
in the Orkneyinga Saga and King Hakon's forces broke into it seeking shelter
during their visit. It's said that two of his men went mad after they
stayed there overnight. The walls are covered in runes and it has been
discovered that one set of them was carved by a man using an axe that
was 6 generations old.
It is likely that this was the inspiration for the building that Thorfinn
and Rognvald fall into after the latter's attempt to kidnap Groa.
Isbister Chambered Cairn, South Ronaldsay - the 'Tomb of Eagles'
Excavated by the farmer/owner, after being told that it wasn't of sufficient
importance for the expert archaeologists to do so - such was the number
of urgent rescue operations on sites affected by coastal erosion - this
oval cairn close to the cliffs turned up approximately 340 bodies as well
as animals and birds including the Sea Eagles from which the tomb's popular
name has been derived. The farmer's family now run a visitor centre where
they give talks on the background and some of the finds discovered on
the site. There is also a Bronze Age farm on the site where you can see
stone cooking pits.
St Nicholas Church, Orphir
The remains of a circular, early 12th century church built by Earl Hakon
Paulsson and mentioned in the Orkneyinga Saga. There is an excellent unmanned
visitor centre which has an interesting video presentation and a hilarious
family tree made by the local children.
Eynhallow Church, Eynhallow
12th century church which was used as a house from the 16th century
until it was evacuated in 1851 during an outbreak of fever. When the roof
was taken off to make it uninhabitable it was realised that one of the
buildings was an old church.It is suspected that there may have been a
monastery here before the church was built - Eynhallow means Holy Isle
from the Old Norse Eyin Helga.
Westness, Rousay
The south-western coast of Rousay which faces the Mainland across Eynhallow
Sound is rich in a diverse range of sites. There are 7 brochs in this
area of which the best preserved in that at Midhowe, which also has a
much older structure. Both are reached from a path down from the road.
Midhowe Cairn is a stalled chambered tomb, the largest in Orkney,
and is sheltered by a large hanger-like building which has walkways slung
above the chambers to allow visitors to view them. The bones of 25 people
were found in the tombs, which are believed to date from around 3000 B.C.
Midhowe Broch is built on a promentory with outer defences on
the landward side. This broch is interesting because of the gallery within
the wall at ground-level - compared to the usual solid wall base. It has
been buttressed with vertical slabs of stone on the north side to prevent
collapse. The wall reaches a height of 4.3 m and there is an internal
ledge for a first floor gallery of which enough remains to give an idea
of the layout. There is also a remarkable alcove near the entrance which
demonstrates the superb skills of the stonemason. Among the many artefacts
found on the site are some that suggest that both bronze and iron were
smelted here.
At Moa Ness further down the Westness coast there were discovered
both Pictish and Viking graves. The latter contained a number of grave-goods
including two oval brooches and a superb gold and silver-gilt ringed pin
which became known as the Westness Brooch. Other sites in this area include
another smaller chambered cairn at Knowe of Rowiegar and a Norse
Hall near the Knowe of Swandro.
Broughs
Brochs or Broughs are a form of circular double walled roundhouse and
are unique to Scotland. They seem to have first appeared around 600 BC
and gradually developed as fortified towers during the Viking period.
Orkney contains some of the best preserved brochs.
 The
Brough of Birsay
An extensive settlement on a tidal island that is sadly suffering from
extensive coastal erosion. The island slopes towards the mainland and
is only 4 metres high at its lowest point, and is completely covered in
salt spray during storms and most of the winter. The 12th century romanesque
church was originally thought to be Thorfinn's Christchurch but it is
now believed that that was in fact where the mainland village of Birsay
now stands and that this island church was about half a century later.
The buildings at Birsay include one thought to have been a sauna! It is
well worth the walk up to the cliffs on the outer face of the island where
the views are spectacular and you may see Puffins at nesting time.
 The
Brough of Gurness
Ideally situated for sea communications with views across the sheltered
sound to Rousay and Eynhallow, Gurness has the most extensive collection
of buildings surrounding a broch, including a series of stone slab walled
semi-detached houses squeezed into the space between the broch and the
outer defenses. These are believed to have been home to as many as 40
families.The buildings include Pictish as well as Viking examples. The
broch itself had a water tank in the basement which was fed by a spring.
There is a small discrete visitor centre nearby where information can
be obtained.
Brough of Deerness
A settlement, which includes the low walled remains of a small chapel,
which sits on top of a tower of rock which is split from the mainland
cliffs on the eastern side of mainland Orkney. It is reached by a path
which drops down to the stone beach before climbing steeply up again with
a chain rope for security. The walk along the coast to it includes the
spectacular hole known as The Gloop - a deep sea-filled coastal cave of
which the roof has collapsed. It is the scene of an important event in
the later part of King Hereafter.
St Magnus Church, Egilsay
Probably built in the second quarter of the 12th century, this is one
of the finest of the early churches in Orkney. Apart from the missing
roof it is virtually complete, and was in use until the 19th century.
It has the distinctive 15m high round tower at one end, and the doorways
and windows were round arches. It was dedicated to Earl Magnus Erlendsson
who was murdered here around 1116.
Cubbie Roo's Castle, Wyre
A small stone castle, one of the earliest in Scotland, mentioned in
both the Orkneyinga Saga and the Haakoner Saga. It was built in the 12th
century by Kolbein Hruga whose nickname would have been Kobbie, thus the
modern name. It consisted of a square keep about 8 m across with walls
of about 2 m thick. Only the ground floor survives.
St. Mary's Chapel, Wyre
A 12 century Romanesque chapel, which is roofless but in good condition
otherwise.
Stone of Setter, Eday
A 4.5 m high standing stone set in prominent position overlooking Calf
Sound.
Knap of Howar, Papa Westray
A neolithic farmstead which, like Skara Brae, was covered in sand until
excavated in the 1930s.
Dwarfie Stane, Hoy
The only rock-cut tomb in Britain, the Dwarfie Stane has a small chamber
with two side cells carved out of a large isolated block of sandstone.
Holm of Papa Westray Chambered Cairns
Two chambered cairns, the southern of which is open to visitors, built
essentially to the same sort of design as Maes Howe, but with an oblong
enclosing cairn to cover the elongated chamber which is over 20m long,
and the 12 side-cells. There are some carvings which are similar to those
found in Irish chambered tombs.
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