06/09/2026
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21 INTERESTING FACTS ABOUT ORKNEY, SCOTLAND 🏴
Orkney may look like a remote group of islands, but its history stretches back thousands of years. Here are some fascinating facts about this extraordinary part of Scotland:
1. Orkney is made up of more than 70 islands and skerries, with around 19 inhabited.
2. The islands have a population of just over 22,000 people, with most living on Mainland Orkney.
3. Orkney has one of Europe's most remarkable prehistoric landscapes, with monuments dating back around 5,000 years.
4. Skara Brae is older than the Egyptian pyramids. The village was already flourishing thousands of years before the pyramids were built.
5. Skara Brae was rediscovered by a storm in 1850. Powerful winds and high tides stripped away the grass and sand covering the site, revealing the ancient stone buildings.
6. After the discovery, local landowner William Watt led excavations that uncovered several prehistoric houses and artefacts. Later excavations revealed even more of the village.
7. The houses at Skara Brae still contain stone beds, fireplaces, shelves and dressers, giving us an extraordinary glimpse into everyday life 5,000 years ago.
8. Skara Brae is part of the Heart of Neolithic Orkney UNESCO World Heritage Site, together with Maeshowe, the Stones of Stenness and the Ring of Brodgar.
9. The Ring of Brodgar originally contained around 60 standing stones. Today, 36 survive.
10. The Ring of Brodgar is around 104 metres in diameter and is one of Britain's most spectacular prehistoric monuments.
11. Maeshowe is a 5,000-year-old chambered tomb. Around the winter solstice, the setting sun shines down its entrance passage and illuminates the chamber inside.
12. Orkney was once part of the Scandinavian/Norse world. Norse settlers arrived from the late 8th century, and their influence can still be seen in local place names and culture.
13. Orkney remained under Scandinavian rule until 1468, when the islands were pledged to the Scottish Crown by Christian I of Denmark as part of the marriage arrangements of his daughter to James III of Scotland.
14. On the island of Hoy stands the spectacular Old Man of Hoy, a 137-metre-high sea stack — one of the tallest in Britain.
15. The Old Man of Hoy was first climbed in 1966, becoming one of Britain's most famous climbing challenges.
16. Scapa Flow was one of Britain's most important naval bases during the World Wars.
17. In 1919, 74 German warships were interned at Scapa Flow. On 21 June, the German commander ordered the fleet to be scuttled. 52 ships sank, making it one of the greatest losses of shipping in a single day.
18. During World War II, Italian prisoners of war helped build the Churchill Barriers, the huge concrete causeways protecting Scapa Flow.
19. Those prisoners also created the beautiful Italian Chapel on Lamb Holm by transforming two simple Nissen huts. Much of the interior was hand-painted by Domenico Chiocchetti.
20. On North Ronaldsay, a rare breed of sheep spends much of its time on the rocky shoreline eating seaweed and kelp. A 13-mile-long stone d**e keeps them away from the island's grassland.
21. The Northern Lights are traditionally known in Orkney as the “Merry Dancers” — and Orkney is considered one of the best places in the UK to see the Aurora Borealis because of its dark skies and northern location.
Orkney is a place where 5,000 years of history, Viking heritage, dramatic cliffs, wartime stories and incredible wildlife all meet in one extraordinary corner of Scotland. ❤️🏴
