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Lewis/Harris or Orkney?

I'm continuing to plan a trip for June 2021, and I'm looking for opinions on which of the above two to visit. Lewis/Harris is actually a lot "closer" (from a driving time, not from total time). We've been to neither, and don't have time for both. Seems like there's nearly as many neolithic sites on L/H as Orkney. I assume L/H will be a lot less touristy.

Posted by
1217 posts

Haven't been to L/H but have been to Orkney and plan to go back, so I would recommend Orkney. Get yourself a car and visit all the Neolithic sites like Mars Howe, Skara Brae, the Ring of Brodgar and Standing Stones of Stenness. Go out to the Gloop and Burough of Deerness. Do the Tomb of the Eagles and the Churchill Barriers along with the Italian Chapel. In Kirkwall take a gander at the Cathedral and Palace. There have been additional excavations since I was there so those would be great to see. And that is just the stuff you can get to by car from the mainland. There is more we didn't get to too.

Posted by
1797 posts

If you are wanting neolithic sites, then it has to be Orkney. There are lots and lots more neolithic sites on Orkney and (apart from the stones at Callanais on Lewis), all are much better.

For standing stones, there is the Ring of Brodgar and the Standing stones of Stenness. There is Skara Brae - nothing like it anywhere else in the world and a World Heritage site. There is also the Barnhouse Settlement too. Then there are the Brochs - Gurness, Birsay and Midhowe on Rousay. Lots of chambered cairns - Maeshowe is the best but there is also Unstan and it but it is worth taking the short ferry ride across to Rousay for Taversoe Tuick, Blackhammer and Midhowe. You can go in all of them. There is also Minehowe and the wonderfully named Tomb of the Eagles...

Orkney is busier than Lewis and Harris and particularly if there is a big cruise ship in for the day. You can check when cruise ships are in and how many passengers they hold by clicking on the Cruise Ship Shuttle service link on this website.

https://www.orkneyharbours.com/sectors/cruise-ships

Kirkwall will be busy with tourists on these days and there are probably excursions to Skara Brae planned too. Plan to visit here and Maeshowe on a day without any cruise liners OR be at Skara Brae when it opens or later in the afternoon when it will be quieter.

Have you found the Undiscovered Scotland website which has loads of information about Orkney? Follow the links from the map page for lots of information and pictures.

https://www.undiscoveredscotland.co.uk/usmapindexes/orkney.html

The Orkney Jar website also has a wealth of information about the history and culture of Orkney - much of it you won't find anywhere else.

http://www.orkneyjar.com/

Posted by
575 posts

My current plans are for Orkney. With three nights in Kirkwall, I hope to drive the loop that includes Maeshowe, Unstan, Stennis, Ring of Brodgar, Skara Brae, Earl's, and Birsay. Pick up Cuween some evening, and pick up Gurness on the way to Rousay ferry where we'll bicycle to all the Cairns over there for the afternoon. Swing by Tomb of Eagles on way from St. Margaret and do the in-town sites like Earl's Palace and Saint Magnus.

I was just curious if someone felt Harris/Lewis had enough going for it to belay that plan. Sounds like it doesn't.

Posted by
809 posts

See if you can join a tour of the excavations at the Ness of Brodgar - check their website for more information. I visited in 2018 and found it a fascinating place.

Posted by
1797 posts

Harris and Lewis are wonderful but are more about scenery and wildlife rather than neolithic remains. Don't completely discount them as they are very different to Orkney but still worth visiting - but another time.

Don't underestimate the amount of time needed to visit the different places. You could find yourself pushed for time with the loop of Maeshowe, Unstan, Stennis, Ring of Brodgar, Skara Brae, Earl's, and Birsay. Check tide times too as Birsay is reached by tidal causeway and you don't want to be cut off there! Any chance of adding an extra day to your stay and taking two days for this loop?

I'm hesitant to add any more to the list, but somewhere else you might want to consider visiting on Orkney is Kirbuster Museum. This is the only surviving ‘firehoose’ on Orkney. It still has the central open hearth with backstone. It also has a stone neuk bed similar to those seen at Skara Brae.

More information here
https://www.orkney.com/listings/kirbuster-museum

and here

https://www.undiscoveredscotland.co.uk/westmainland/kirbustermuseum/index.html

Posted by
575 posts

I have the tide inserted automatically into my planning spreadsheet. I did add another day to Orkney, but I was thinking we'd bicycle the Cairns on Rousay on the extra day, including Gurness and Cuween on that day. I am concerned about the time to visit the loop, but we're planning for June, and quite a few of the loop places are open 24 hours, so we have long days.

Posted by
575 posts

Part of planning a trip (for me) is reading a good history book for the whole shooting match. I'm reading Magnus Magnusson's Scotland: The Story of a Nation. I had rejected it on vague grounds of being more interested in Neolithic things, but I'll reconsider!

Posted by
5678 posts

I am late to this party, but as you haven’t made the trip yet I am going to chime in. I have been to Orkney twice—once as a young adult and then 35 years later with my mom and dad. My grandfather was born on South Ronaldsay and honeymooned with his English Bride at the Bu of Longhope on Hoy. It is an amazing place. I have also been to Harris and Lewis and is wonderful as well. There are fewer archaeological sites, but the beaches are stunning. The black houses, Carloway Broch, the cliffs, and of course the Stones make it a wonderful trip. But I think you are right to choose Orkney, although I am prejudiced! One thing neither place gets mobbed with tourists. Orkney, however, is a cruise ship stop, so check into those schedules and tour around them.

There Is a lot more to Orkney than the Neolithic sites although they are magnificent. I need to go back to see more about what is happening at the Ness at Brogdar. For my first visit it wasn’t even discovered! Have you found the Orkneyjar website? Sigurd Towrie started two decades ago when the internet was young and it great. Do drink some Highland Park and Scappa. Check out the beautiful locally designed jewelry. Find time to listen to some fiddle music, if you are lucky maybe the Wrigley Sisters are playing a gig while you are there.

I am going to add some reading material. First, look for some novels by George MacKay Brown. They are historical fiction and beautifully written. There is an Oxford Univeristy Press book by Anna and Graham Richie that is an incredible guide to the archaeological sites of Scotland. Thomas Williams has a wonderful book on Viking Britain. He deals mostly Great Britain proper, but is a great read. If your travels are taking you south to the Borders then look for George MacDonald Fraser’s The Steel Bonnets. I loved it and was surprised to find that there are a couple of Orcadians mentioned in it. I always recommend James Hunter’s a dance called America. It is the story of the Scottish diaspora which was more than just the clearances of the 19th century. And to take you up to 20th century Scotland I will recommend Dean Ascherson’s Stone Voice: The Search for Scotland. He is definitely SNP (Scottish Nationalist Party.). You could counter that with a more scholarly Cambridge book by Ben Jackson The case for Scottish Independence. We just published it so I haven’t been able to read it yet.

You’ve lots of time to explore before your trip. If you want more ideas let me know.

Pam