What a lovely place of worship! The St. Magnus Cathedral at the city of Kirkwall in the Orkney…read moreIslands of Scotland is one impressive historical church. Construction began in 1137, and it is known as the "Light in the North" being as it's Britains most northerly cathedral. "The cathedral belongs to the people of Orkney and its doors are open to all". Unquestionably, St. Magnus Cathedral is a sight that every visitor to the Orkney Islands must visit. No matter what your denomination or non-denomination, there is something here for everyone to appreciate. So step inside, admire, and take it all in. So peaceful!!!!

Nice little cathedral in Kirkwall, Scotland. It's in the small town with lots of small shops…read morearound. Very well taken care of.

The St Magnus Centre is a great centre situated just behind St Magnus Cathedral. It has a wee…read morecoffee shop (great fresh coffee) with the best view of any of the coffee shops in town - a huge glass window looking straight out onto St Magnus Cathedral. There's a film about the life of St Magnus - which is free. And there's always a volunteer on duty who is happy to chat about St Magnus or about Orkney in general. The Centre is also available for hire by local community groups - there's meeting rooms, one of which can be blacked out and used for slide shows. There's also a kitchen, and the hire prices are very reasonable.

In 1942, over 500 Italian prisoners of war were brought to Orkney in order to construct the…read moreChurchill Barriers at Scapa Flow, a long standing base for the British Navy. Their camp was located on the tiny island of Lamb Holm where the remains of pathways and Nissen footprints can still be seen. Lovingly and impeccably preserved, however, is the so-called "Italian Chapel," built by prisoners who longed for a suitable house of worship. Under the guidance of artistically-inclined prisoner Domenico Chiocchetti, the men converted two Nissen huts using whatever material they could salvage: concrete, paint, metal and even wood from war ships sunk in the Flow. The chapel took a couple years to complete, but prisoners were able to use it for worship while construction continued. Chiocchetti was, in fact, still working on the altar painting when the Barriers were completed in 1944; while his fellow prisoners were sent elsewhere, Chiocchetti remained on Orkney to finish what he started. In 1960, he returned to the chapel to restore his paintings, bringing with him his wife and the altar cloths she had embroidered for the church she'd heard so much about. When he left after the three week project, Chiocchetti bestowed the chapel to the Orkadians who had shown him and his fellow prisoners so much hospitality and friendship during the war, despite circumstances. Today, the chapel endures as a symbol of fraternity much revered by Orkadians (Mass is even held here the first Sunday of every month). Since you don't need much time to visit and it's easily accessed, the Italian Chapel is worth adding to any Orkney itinerary. Open year-round "from dawn to dusk."

A great free attraction (although donations are welcome) open all year round! I went at the very…read morebeginning of January this year when a lot of other attractions were closed, and this was still open. A lovely wee chapel with a statue of St George outside (how ironic hey Scots!) that is very well kept and remarkable both inside and out. Definitely a not-to-miss attraction whilst on the Orkneys!

This is one of the best sites to see in Kirkwall. Amazing. You can take your time in a self-guided…read moretour with extensive access to both buildings. Photographs can be taken everywhere and you can get wifi access on the property to learn more about the site if you're interested during your visit. The courtyard is beautiful place for a quick packed lunch or snack if your on a schedule to see as much as possible in the area on a day out.

The Bishop's and Earl's Palaces are managed by Historic Scotland. I would recommend their ticket…read morethat gets you into all the Orkney monuments - it's much better value than paying for them separately. The staff in the kiosk will tell you all about it. There's a wee shop in the kiosk - and it sells Orkney ice cream (wonderful stuff). The Earl's and Bishop's Palaces are definitely worth the visit. The Earl's is by far the more complete - and there's good interpretation boards all over the place if you don't want to buy a guide book. The Bishop's Palace is more ruinous - but it's well worth the climb up the Moosie To'oer for the view over Kirkwall. This is also the best view you'll get of certain aspects of St Magnus Cathedral. If you're in Kirkwall, don't miss the palaces.

Cool island only reachable at low-tied with some ~1000-year-old ruins and a lighthouse. Fun, but…read morenot the most amazing example of any of the three. So, the coolest part about this is that it's kind of a magic island that you can only get to for about an hour either side of low tide. That's just really cool and appeals to kids especially. It's basically a secret island. Beyond that, there's some ruins of a church and settlements that go back, but they are far from the most interesting such ruins on Orkney. There's also a cool old lighthouse, but again, probably not the coolest lighthouse and you can't go in or tour it. Lastly there's some sea cliffs and rugged Scottish coast, but again not the best you can find--even on Orkney. You can combine it with a visit to the tea room (which has a view of the Borough) and wander around the Earl's palace ruins, which make it a more full outing, but the key thing is whether you like the idea of a secret island you can only reach a low tide or not.

The Brough of Birsay (pronounced broch by the way) is a tidal island. There's various remains on it…read more- all in the care of Historic Scotland. The archaeology dates from a number of different periods and includes a Pictish symbol stone (or a replica of it, the original is in the museum). There's a wee 'hut' run by Historic Scotland which has information panels in it about the archaeology and history of the island, and there's one or two interpretation panels amongst the remains too. The 'opening times' vary with the tide times - and the tide times are announced daily on Radio Orkney in the summer and on The Orcadian website. The causeway over to the island can get quite slippery at times so you do have to take care - and you really have to be aware of the tide times as the tide comes in and covers the causeway much quicker than you might think. Away from the archaeology, you can walk across (or around) the island to the lighthouse. There's several colonies of nesting seabirds there too - and if you're lucky you might even see puffins. Just don't get so engrossed that you forget about the tide though!