Skara Brae

Skara Brae: A Neolithic Village Older Than Stonehenge

Skara Brae was occupied for roughly 600 years, from around 3200 to 2200 BCE. That puts it 500 years older than the Great Pyramid at Giza and about as old as Stonehenge at its earliest phase. It was buried under sand dunes on the Bay of Skaill for thousands of years until a severe storm in 1850 stripped the dunes away and revealed the stone walls beneath. A second storm in 1925 caused further erosion, which is when the site was properly excavated.

What you find here is remarkable: eight stone houses, connected by covered passageways, each containing stone furniture — dressers, beds, hearths, storage boxes — that survived because stone doesn’t rot. The inhabitants kept cattle and sheep, fished, made pottery, and used whale bones as tools. The dresser in one house faces the doorway, which some archaeologists interpret as display space for valued objects. This is the kind of detail that makes Skara Brae feel genuinely different from most ancient sites.

Visiting the Site

The site is managed by Historic Environment Scotland and is part of the Heart of Neolithic Orkney UNESCO World Heritage Site, which also includes Maeshowe chambered cairn, the Ring of Brodgar, and the Stones of Stenness. A combined ticket covers most of these.

Skara Brae itself is compact. The main walkway around the site takes about 30–45 minutes. The visitor centre has a reconstructed house interior and a good collection of artefacts, which provides useful context before you walk out to the real thing. Admission is around £9 for adults (prices vary by season).

Book tickets in advance for July and August. The site sits right on the coast and can be windy in any season — dress accordingly. The nearby beach is wild and often empty.

Combining with Other Orkney Sites

Maeshowe is about 20 minutes’ drive east and requires a separate timed ticket. It’s a passage tomb aligned with the winter solstice, and the interior runic inscriptions left by Viking tomb raiders in the 12th century are a strange and entertaining bonus.

The Ring of Brodgar, a henge of standing stones set on a narrow causeway between two lochs, is free to enter and open at all times. It’s less dramatic than Skara Brae close up, but the landscape around it is exceptional — especially on a cloudy Orcadian afternoon.

Where to Stay and Eat

Stromness (20 minutes from Skara Brae) is the better base for the western sites. It’s a compact harbour town with good independent accommodation options and a few decent restaurants. The Ferry Inn on John Street is reliable for pub food. Kirkwall, the capital, has more choice if you want a wider range of hotels.

The crossing from Scrabster (near Thurso) to Stromness by ferry takes 90 minutes. Ferries also run from Aberdeen to Kirkwall overnight, which is a more comfortable option if you’re coming from further south.