Skara Brae, Orkney's Neolithic village

Skara Brae is a Neolithic stone village on the west coast of Mainland, the largest island of Orkney, in Scotland. Inhabited from around 3100 to 2500 BC, it is older than Stonehenge and the pyramids of Giza and is the best-preserved Neolithic village in Europe. Its houses, with stone beds, dressers and hearths still in place, allow you to imagine daily life five thousand years ago with astonishing precision. It is part of the Heart of Neolithic Orkney UNESCO World Heritage Site.

The discovery

For thousands of years the village lay buried under the sand dunes of the Bay of Skaill. In the winter of 1850 a violent storm stripped away the grass and sand, and the owner of the nearby estate, William Watt, discovered the remains of the first houses. The main excavations were carried out in the 1920s and 1930s by the archaeologist Vere Gordon Childe, who uncovered most of the village. Today the site is managed by Historic Environment Scotland.

What to see

The houses

The village is made up of eight dwellings linked by narrow covered passages, which protected the inhabitants from wind and rain. The houses were partly sunk into a mound of compacted household waste, which acted as insulation. Each house shows the same layout: a hearth in the middle, a stone dresser opposite the entrance, perhaps to display the most precious objects, two stone beds on either side, which were lined with heather and skins, and watertight tanks set in the floor, possibly for keeping fishing bait. Because wood was scarce on an almost treeless island, all the furniture is made of stone, which is why it has survived.

The replica house and the museum

Before reaching the village you visit a small visitor centre with original finds: bone and stone tools, beads, decorated pots and mysterious carved stone balls whose purpose is still unknown. Next to it is a full-size replica of one of the houses, which you can enter and sit beside the hearth. The path to the village is marked with stones showing historical dates, from the present back to the Neolithic.

Skaill House

With the same ticket, in the summer months, you can visit nearby Skaill House, a 17th-century mansion, the most complete in Orkney, which belonged to the family that discovered the village. Among the objects on display is a dinner service that belonged to Captain James Cook.

Practical information

The site is open all year, with shorter hours in winter. The houses are viewed from above, walking along the outer walls: you cannot go inside, to avoid damaging them. The wind on the bay can be strong even in summer, so bring a waterproof jacket. The village is threatened by coastal erosion and climate change, and a sea wall protects the seaward side. Opening times and prices are published on the Historic Environment Scotland website.

Getting there

• To Orkney: by ferry from Scrabster to Stromness, from Gills Bay to St Margaret's Hope, or from Aberdeen to Kirkwall; by air from Aberdeen, Edinburgh, Glasgow and Inverness to Kirkwall.
• To the site: about 30 minutes by car from Kirkwall and 15 from Stromness; in summer there are buses and organised tours.

Nearby

• The other monuments of Neolithic Orkney: the Ring of Brodgar, the Stones of Stenness and the chambered tomb of Maeshowe, where at the winter solstice the sun lights up the inner chamber.
• The ongoing excavations at the Ness of Brodgar, a large Neolithic complex.
• The Italian Chapel built by Italian prisoners of war, and the small town of Stromness.

Tips

• How long: an hour and a half for the village, the museum and the replica house; two hours with Skaill House.
• When to go: May to September, when the days are very long and Skaill House is open.
• A tip: allow at least three days in Orkney to see all the Neolithic sites, the cliffs and the smaller islands at a relaxed pace.

Skara Brae on the map

Nearby