Would you expect that Maeshowe Cairn in Orkney would be open and likely to have visitors on 21 December, the winter solstice? The site's web page seems to indicate that it would be open. Is the cairn's interior accessible to visitors, or is it locked on that day/every day?
I ask these questions not because I want to go to Maeshowe for the winter solstice; I would prefer to visit Scotland when the days are longer. I ask because I recently read a book, The Killing Stones, by Ann Cleeves. I did not care for this book for a variety of reasons, which included the use of Maeshowe for a murder on the winter solstice. In the book the site was closed that day, or at least completely deserted, hence the killer's opportunity to off a hapless character in secrecy. The victim needed to unlock the entrance to the cairn with a key, which made me wonder if the site was closed on the solstice and/or if the cairn's interior is often/always closed to visitors.
Does that seem likely? I would think that a site with astronomical significance would be popular on certain dates, including the winter and summer solstices. The book's author claimed the day's temperature was just at freezing. To me a temperature of 32 F/0 C does not seem too cold to go sightseeing, so I imagine at least a few determined, and bundled up, visitors might make the journey.