Rousay

Rousay is one of the Orkney Islands, north of the Scottish mainland. It's small and hilly, only 5 miles by 3, yet it has a remarkable collection of prehistoric sites. It's also a Site of Special Scientific Interest because of its geology, wildflowers and bird life.

The prehistoric ruins detailed here are all located on the south-west coast of Rousay next to the road. They are described in the order you meet them as you go away from the ferry port.

• Taversoe Tuick. An unusual two-storey neolithic cairn. The upper level is covered by a concrete dome and you climb down to the lower level.
• Blackhammer Chambered Cairn. A long stalled neolithic chambered cairn with seven compartments, spoiled slightly by the concrete roof.
• Knowe of Yarso. Another long 4-stalled cairn with a less intrusive roof.
• Midhowe Cairn. This is a huge stalled tomb, lying parallel to the shore on the west coast. Known by archaeologists as The Great Ship of Death it is perhaps one of the most significant prehistoric sites in Orkney. The cairn's outer wall-face was carefully arranged in a herringbone pattern. The tomb is now protected under a shed and its sophisticated structure can be viewed also from an overhead walkway. The rectangular burial chamber, 23.4m long, is divided by pairs of upright slabs into 12 compartments. Along the eastern wall of the compartments the remains of 25 people were found. Some of them had been exposed prior to burial to remove the flesh. Several compartments are provided with stone benches. Pottery recovered from the chamber is of the "Unstan" type.
• Midhowe Broch. The best example of a broch in Orkney. It was excavated in the early 1930s by W.Grant; its remains are over 4 metres high and it might have been 13 metres high when first built. The broch was built in close association with a small village, the remains of which can still be seen outside the walls of the defensive structure.It differs from most brochs in having two large "rooms" protected within its large fortified walls, each with their own hearth, beds and other signs of domesticity. There is a communal well beneath the floor of the more westerly room.

• Wyre. is the small inhabited island 500 m south of Rousay, and served by the same ferry. Here are the remains of Cubbie Roo's Castle, built around 1150 AD, and of St Mary's Chapel of similar date. The poet Edwin Muir (1887-1959) spent much of his childhood on Wyre.
• Egilsay. The small inhabited island 1 km east of Rousay. It is served by the same ferry. It's the site of the murder of St Magnus; the church dedicated to him is ruined but retains a prominent round bell-tower.
• Eynhallow. The tiny uninhabited island just west of Rousay. It has the ruins of a 12th-century church: no ferries call here, but there are occasional sight-seeing trips.
• Gairsay. South of Wyre is a sheep-farm, with no ferry.

Wyre. is the small inhabited island 500 m south of Rousay, and served by the same ferry. Here are the remains of Cubbie Roo's Castle, built around 1150 AD, and of St Mary's Chapel of similar date. The poet Edwin Muir (1887-1959) spent much of his childhood on Wyre.

Egilsay. The small inhabited island 1 km east of Rousay. It is served by the same ferry. It's the site of the murder of St Magnus; the church dedicated to him is ruined but retains a prominent round bell-tower.

Eynhallow. The tiny uninhabited island just west of Rousay. It has the ruins of a 12th-century church: no ferries call here, but there are occasional sight-seeing trips.

Gairsay. South of Wyre is a sheep-farm, with no ferry.

Taversoe Tuick. An unusual two-storey neolithic cairn. The upper level is covered by a concrete dome and you climb down to the lower level.

Blackhammer Chambered Cairn. A long stalled neolithic chambered cairn with seven compartments, spoiled slightly by the concrete roof.

Knowe of Yarso. Another long 4-stalled cairn with a less intrusive roof.

Midhowe Cairn. This is a huge stalled tomb, lying parallel to the shore on the west coast. Known by archaeologists as The Great Ship of Death it is perhaps one of the most significant prehistoric sites in Orkney. The cairn's outer wall-face was carefully arranged in a herringbone pattern. The tomb is now protected under a shed and its sophisticated structure can be viewed also from an overhead walkway. The rectangular burial chamber, 23.4m long, is divided by pairs of upright slabs into 12 compartments. Along the eastern wall of the compartments the remains of 25 people were found. Some of them had been exposed prior to burial to remove the flesh. Several compartments are provided with stone benches. Pottery recovered from the chamber is of the "Unstan" type.

Midhowe Broch. The best example of a broch in Orkney. It was excavated in the early 1930s by W.Grant; its remains are over 4 metres high and it might have been 13 metres high when first built. The broch was built in close association with a small village, the remains of which can still be seen outside the walls of the defensive structure.It differs from most brochs in having two large "rooms" protected within its large fortified walls, each with their own hearth, beds and other signs of domesticity. There is a communal well beneath the floor of the more westerly room.

• Rousay Stores, House Bay, Essaquoy KW17 2PR (east side of island, +44 1856 821365. M W-F 11:00-17:30, Sa 11:00-14:00, closed Su & Tu. Well-stocked convenience store with fresh, frozen and dry/tinned goods.

Rousay Stores, House Bay, Essaquoy KW17 2PR (east side of island, +44 1856 821365. M W-F 11:00-17:30, Sa 11:00-14:00, closed Su & Tu. Well-stocked convenience store with fresh, frozen and dry/tinned goods.

The Taversoe has a public bar and restaurant, see "Sleep".

Back to Orkney Mainland it must be.