We're going to be in Orkney May 31-June 2 and would like to see Skara Brae. How necessary is it to book advance tickets? How is the tourist load on the island at that time? There's a cruise ship in port one of those days, but we're thinking of visiting the site either after its gone in the afternoon or one of the other days. Does anyone have any first hand experience of getting tickets by just showing up? We'd like to have some leeway but also want to see Skara Brae.
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Gig Harbor, Washington, USA
1819 posts
We went to Skara Brae on two consecutive days in late June. There were only about twenty people at the site. We used our Scottish Heritage passes so no need to buy tickets. Since this was in 2015, things may have changed. However, the site is rather remote so I would be surprised if it is extremely crowded unless there are tour groups visiting. You might get more specific details on trip advisor.