Passengers had an option to take a complimentary shuttle into the town of Kirkwall. Shuttle buses were run by the city.
We did not need the shuttle yet because we booked a four-hour, private taxi tour for 180 pounds with Craigies Taxis. They were great to respond by email for a booking and to answer all my questions, and our driver picked us up at the pier.
In advance we purchased timed tickets to Skara Brae and the Skaill House (10.5 pounds per adult) upon the recommendation of Craigies, and that was our first stop. The website and sign says, “The best prehistoric village in Europe and the house of the man who discovered it.”
The “Visit Scotland” website says Skara Brae was “Uncovered by a storm in 1850, Skara Brae gives a remarkable picture of life 5,000 years ago, before Stonehenge was built.”
The Skaill House was within the same tour ticket as Skara Brae. The last family to live here were the Skarths. What an amazing view from the windows of this house!
Many community cemeteries are enclosed by stone fences. This one is in Bilbry.
Standing stones are major attractions on the island. I have not been to Stonehenge, but the Ring of Brodegar here on Orkney is pretty impressive. even though some of the stones have fallen over time. No one knows their exact purpose. I imagine some sort of pagan worship. Or maybe they just said, “Hey, there is nothing better to do. Let’s wedge some really large slabs of stone into the ground and in 5000 years people will wonder why.”
Italian prisoners of war were brought to Orkney islands and forced to build causeways (later known as Churchill Barriers) to keep out the German u-boats. This “Italian Chapel” was built by some of these POWs who salvaged building materials from sunken ships.
Our driver had a special treat for us. We saw the “Most impressive tourist attraction in Orkney”: Hungarian Sheep-Pigs! Names: Peter and Brian
We returned to our ship for a quick bite of lunch and then took the shuttle back into Kirkwall to look around. In the center of town is St Magnus Chapel and Graveyard. (Edit: One of my readers let me know that this impressive church is the St. Magnus Cathedral. Not the St. Magnus Chapel. This is his comment:
“I would point out that St Magnus ‘Chapel’ is actually called St Magnus Cathedral, having been the seat of the Bishops of Orkney from just after 1137 up to the Reformation , when the church in Scotland became Presbyterian and Bishops were removed.
In Kirkwall, the St Magnus Chapel was a name given to a new extension church, the ‘New Church in connection with the Established Church of Scotland’, which was built in the early 1840s and demolished some years later following a split in the Church. The site of this church is now where the St Magnus Centre lies, to the east of the Cathedral.”
– thank-you, Bruce Gorie, for the correction.) This building lays claim to the title of Britain’s most northerly cathedral.
We were blessed with a gorgeous day to visit Orkney islands. I heard that ships often have to skip this port because the winds are too strong to dock.
The sun broke through and we saw light blue skies, dark blue waters, and grasslands every shade of green. Our guide says it rains very often, and the wind can even be 80-100 mph. Very few trees survive the wind. The houses are all made of stone or a cement/aggregate blend. Very few are more than one story in height. It was quite windy, and my hair was everywhere, but I really enjoyed our day on one of the Orkney Islands.
Next port: Invergordon
I am pleased that you enjoyed your visit to Orkney.
I would point out that St Magnus ‘Chapel’ is actually called St Magnus Cathedral, having been the seat of the Bishops of Orkney from just after 1137 up to the Reformation , when the church in Scotland became Presbyterian and Bishops were removed.
In Kirkwall, the St Magnus Chapel was a name given to a new extension church, the ‘New Church in connection with the Established Church of Scotland’, which was built in the early 1840s and demolished some years later following a split in the Church. The site of this church is now where the St Magnus Centre lies, to the east of the Cathedral.
Thank you very much for that information! I have updated my post to include the information you gave.