Inspiration

Orkney

Orcadian people are crafters, makers, musicians, growers, writers, scientists and storytellers, and it’s easy to see why…

Everywhere you turn in Orkney your senses are met with inspiration, from our fertile, green landscapes to our wild, rugged seascapes.

“The Orkney Imagination is haunted by time.”
George Mackay Brown
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Orkney is a group of 70 islands, 20 of which are inhabited and each with it’s own distinctive identity.

Our islands are steeped in colourful history and people have lived and worked in Orkney for thousands of years, the evidence of which is all around us.

These islands are home to some of the world’s most significant and enchanting archaeological sites.

From the Neolithic sites of Skara Brae and the Ring of Brodgar through to the magnificent St Magnus Cathedral which was built by the Vikings who took over the islands in the 9thcentury and more recently to our wartime heritage which gave us the Churchill Barriers and the Italian Chapel.

Orkney’s enduring and visible history reminds us of people and events that have come before and still influence us today.

Land and Sea

Our wild and rugged coasts are edged with towering, dramatic cliffs, sea stacks and stretches of spectacular sandy beaches.

Our shores are home to many animals including; a huge variety of seabirds, seals, porpoises and whales.

Inland, the landscape is green and fertile with meadows, wild, heathery moorland and gently rolling hills teeming with nature’s sights and sounds.

Extreme

Orkney is a land of extremes where winters are long and dark, often lit by the glow of the Aurora Borealis and summers are long and light with the sun barely dipping below the horizon in midsummer.