Old Photograph Crofter Orkney Scotland

Old photograph of a Crofter harrowing a field on Orkney Islands, Scotland. A croft is a small piece of arable land, land that can be used for growing crops. In the 18th century Highlands, it was held by an individual tenant, and it combined a few acres of arable land, the croft, plus access to pasture land for communal grazing of livestock, the outfield land. The crofting system prevailed mainly in the Highlands and Islands. Before the clan system was proscribed after the 1745 Jacobite Rebellion, tilling rights as well as grazing rights were all held communally.



All photographs are copyright of Sandy Stevenson, Tour Scotland, and may not be used without permission.

View the most recent Tour Scotland photographs.

Old Photograph Two Peat Carts Orkney Scotland

Old photograph of two Peat Carts on, Orkney Islands, Scotland. Crofters bringing home the peat. Years ago, peat, a product of decayed vegetation found in boggy moorland, was the only fuel for many people in the Highlands and Islands. The fires in crofters cottages were kept constantly alight, smouldering with two or three peats placed within the kitchen range and never allowed to go out. At night a really dry lighter peat was preferred, and just a few big peats were placed flat on top of the fire to burn slowly and safely. Then from the remaining embers, the following morning’s fire was rekindled.



All photographs are copyright of Sandy Stevenson, Tour Scotland, and may not be used without permission.

View the most recent Tour Scotland photographs.

Old Photographs Kirkwall Orkney Scotland

Old photograph of Kirkwall, Orkney Islands, Scotland.

Old photograph of Kirkwall, Orkney Islands, Scotland.

Old photograph of Kirkwall, Orkney Islands, Scotland.

Old photograph of Kirkwall, Orkney Islands, Scotland.

Old photograph of Kirkwall, Orkney Islands, Scotland.

Old photograph of Kirkwall, Orkney Islands, Scotland.

Old photograph of Kirkwall, Orkney Islands, Scotland.

Old photograph of Kirkwall, Orkney Islands, Scotland.

Old photograph of Kirkwall, Orkney Islands, Scotland.

Old photograph of Kirkwall, Orkney Islands, Scotland.

Old photograph of Kirkwall, Orkney Islands, Scotland.

Old photograph of Kirkwall, Orkney Islands, Scotland.

Old photograph of Bishop's Palace, Kirkwall, Orkney Islands, Scotland.

All photographs are copyright of Sandy Stevenson, Tour Scotland, and may not be used without permission.

View the most recent Tour Scotland photographs.

Old Photographs Stromness Orkney Islands Scotland

Old photograph of Stromness, Orkney Islands, Scotland. First recorded as the site of an inn in the 16th century, Stromness became important during the late 17th century, when England was at war with France and shipping was forced to avoid the English Channel. Ships of the Hudson's Bay Company were regular visitors, as were whaling fleets. Large numbers of Orkneymen, many of whom came from the Stromness area, served as traders, explorers and seamen for both. Captain Cook's ships, Discovery and Resolution, called at the town in 1780 on their return voyage from the South Seas where Cook had been killed. Of interest to folks with ancestry, genealogy or Scottish Family Roots in Scotland who may wish to visit one day.



All photographs are copyright of Sandy Stevenson, Tour Scotland, and may not be used without permission.

View the most recent Tour Scotland photographs.

Old Photograph St Mary's Holm Orkney Scotland

Old photograph of fishing boats and houses in St Mary's Holm, Orkney Islands, Scotland. St Mary's Holm is a coastal village on Mainland, Orkney. It was in St Mary's that a poorly-equipped army left for the Scottish mainland to avenge the execution of King Charles I. The Orkney recruits were led by the Marquis of Montrose. They were annihilated at Carbisdale in Sutherland.



All photographs are copyright of Sandy Stevenson, Tour Scotland, and may not be used without permission.

View the most recent Tour Scotland photographs.

Old Photograph Harbour Kirkwall Orkney Scotland

Old photograph of a sailing ship in the harbour in Kirkwall, Orkney Islands, Scotland. The town is first mentioned in Orkneyinga saga in the year 1046 when it is recorded as the residence of Rögnvald Brusason the Earl of Orkney, who was killed by his uncle Thorfinn the Mighty. In 1486, King James III of Scotland elevated Kirkwall to the status of a royal burgh.



All photographs are copyright of Sandy Stevenson, Tour Scotland, and may not be used without permission.

View the most recent Tour Scotland photographs.

Old Photograph Post Office Graemsay Orkney Islands Scotland

Old photograph of the cottage Post Office, Graemsay, Orkney Islands, Scotland. Graemsay is an island in the western approaches to Scapa Flow, in the Orkney Islands of Scotland. The island has two lighthouses. Graemsay folks were a hardy race of farmers, fishermen and seafarers who over time suffered famine and plague, war and impressment, and raised large families to seek their fortune across the globe.



All photographs are copyright of Sandy Stevenson, Tour Scotland, and may not be used without permission.

View the most recent Tour Scotland photographs.

Tour Scotland Photograph Ring Of Brodgar Orkney

Tour Scotland photograph of dawn at Ring Of Brodgar, Orkney, Scotland. The Ring of Brodgar, or Brogar, or Ring o' Brodgar, is a Neolithic henge and stone circle about 6 miles north east of Stromness on the Mainland, the largest island in Orkney, Scotland. It is part of the UNESCO World Heritage Site known as the Heart of Neolithic Orkney.



All photographs are copyright of Sandy Stevenson, Tour Scotland, and may not be used without permission.

View the most recent Tour Scotland photographs.

Old Photograph Derelict Cottage Rackwick Orkney Scotland

Old photograph of a derelict cottage at Rackwick, Orkney Islands, Scotland. The settlement of Rackwick is a situated on the bay of Rackwick, on the west coast of Hoy in the Orkney islands. To the east of Rackwick is a large stone slab known as the Dwarfie Stane.



All photographs are copyright of Sandy Stevenson, Tour Scotland, and may not be used without permission.

View the most recent Tour Scotland photographs.

Old Photograph Cottage Orkney Scotland

Old photograph of crofters cottages on the Orkney Islands, Scotland.

All photographs are copyright of Sandy Stevenson, Tour Scotland, and may not be used without permission.

View the most recent Tour Scotland photographs.

Old Photograph Peat Carts Orkney Scotland

Old photograph of Peat Carts on the Orkney Islands, Scotland. Crofters bringing home the peat. To get the peat back to their cottages, and ready for use was very labour intensive and there were several processes that the peat had to go through. In the past the whole process was carried out not by one individual, but by a group of Crofters, usually several families who got together to help each other.



All photographs are copyright of Sandy Stevenson, Tour Scotland, and may not be used without permission.

View the most recent Tour Scotland photographs.

Old Photograph Loch Of Harray Scotland

Old photograph of a trout fishing boat in Loch Of Harray, Orkney Islands, Scotland. The loch is located immediately to the north of the Loch of Stenness and is close to the World Heritage neolithic sites of the Stones of Stenness and Ring of Brodgar. In Old Norse its name was Heraðvatn. The loch was surveyed on 21 August 1903 by Sir John Murray and later charted as part of the Bathymetrical Survey of Fresh Water Lochs of Scotland in 1897.



All photographs are copyright of Sandy Stevenson, Tour Scotland, and may not be used without permission.

View the most recent Tour Scotland photographs.

Old Photographs Skara Brae Orkney Scotland

Old photograph of Skara Brae, Orkney, Scotland. A large stone built Neolithic settlement, located on the Bay of Skaill on the west coast of Mainland, Orkney, Scotland. It is Europe's most complete Neolithic village and the level of preservation is such that it has gained UNESCO World Heritage Site status, and been called the "Scottish Pompeii".




Old photograph of Skara Brae, Orkney, Scotland.


Old photograph of Skara Brae, Orkney, Scotland.

All photographs are copyright of Sandy Stevenson, Tour Scotland, and may not be used without permission.

View the most recent Tour Scotland photographs.

Tour Scotland Orkney Islands Slideshow

Tour Scotland Orkney Islands Slideshow.

All photographs are copyright of Sandy Stevenson, Tour Scotland, and may not be used without permission.

View the most recent Tour Scotland photographs.

The Orkney Guide Book. This guide is designed to help visitors to our islands, as well as residents, find their way around and enjoy the many places of interest which are to be seen and experienced. Apart from the main sites, many of the less-frequented places and islands are described. It is hoped that folk will find the same pleasure as the author in discovering Orkney, as we have some of the best archaeological sites and bird-watching opportunities in Europe and so much else to see and do that you will certainly want to come back for another visit. After the rugged Highland scenery of the North of Scotland, first impressions of Orkney are of greenness and fertility, combined with a feeling of space, where undulating, soft countryside merges with sky and sea into a soft confluence of nature. There is an overall feeling of the immensity of time, perhaps due to the proximity of so much history. Indeed, the Orkney Islands were described by our local author, George Mackay Brown, as being "like sleeping whales.....beside an ocean of time".

Although people first came here well over 6,000 years ago, leaving a wealth of archaeological sites and remains which allow much insight into the past, Orkney is far from being a museum. Within our islands there is a huge range of things to see and do in all seasons. With its diverse economy it is a busy place, and yet at the same time unspoilt, quiet and relaxing. The old and the new, the natural environment and the geographical location all merge to give the islands their uniquely attractive atmosphere.

As the Orcadian writer Edwin Muir said in his Scottish Journey (1935), "Orkney....has managed, as far as that is humanly possible, to have its cake and eat it. It has been saved by being just outside the circumference of the industrial world, near enough to know about it, but too far off to be drawn into it. Now it seems to me that this is the only way in which any community can achieve a partial salvation today and live a desirable life, surrounded by an industrial world." This is even more true today. Orkney benefits from many of the good things of the early 21st century, whilst at the same time missing out on most of the less desirable aspects. However it is much more affected by the outside world than ever before, and Orcadians are going to have to work hard to maintain all that is special about Orkney.

Orkney is a group of over 70 islands and skerries, of which about 19 are presently inhabited. At approximately 59ºN and 3ºW, the islands lie just north of Scotland, the shortest distance being about 10km (6 miles) from Caithness, and cover an area of 974 km2 (376 miles2), of which the Mainland comprises about half. Inhabited by 19,245 people (2001 census), the islands are about 85km (53 miles) from north to south and 37km (23 miles) from east to west. The main island is known as the "Mainland", and has three-quarters of the population, as well as the two main towns, Kirkwall (population 6,206), and Stromness (population 1,850). Although apparently isolated, Orkney is very well served by transport links with Scotland. The MV Hamnavoe (8,600 tons, 600 passengers) runs daily between Stromness and Scrabster (several times per day), while MV Hjaltland and MV Hrossey (12,000 tons, 600 passengers) run between Orkney, Aberdeen and Shetland. There is a summer passenger ferry between John o'Groats and Burwick, and a year-round vehicle service between Gills Bay and St Margaret's Hope, as well as several freight services. Frequent daily air links with Wick, Aberdeen, Inverness, Edinburgh, Glasgow and Shetland are operated by British Airways and Loganair.

The earliest written reference to Orkney is by the Greek explorer Pytheas, from Marseille, who may have circumnavigated Orkney about the year 325BC, and claimed to have sighted the edge of the world, or Ultima Thule. He was probably seeing Foula, or another part of Shetland to the North. Claudius' fleet is said to have formed a treaty with the Orcadians in AD43, and Tacitus mentions that a Roman fleet "subdued" Orkney after the battle of Mons Graupius in AD83. These references are interesting, but probably not very reliable. Orkney is referred to in the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle, the Irish Annals and by various writers such as Adomnan, but it is not until the Norse sagas, written in the 12th century, that we find more recent history. These sagas were written some time after the events so colourfully described, and thus may be of dubious historical accuracy in parts, but nevertheless they give a vivid and graphic account of the Norse age. Being so fertile and so near to Norway, Orkney was an obvious base for Viking expansion, particularly in a time when the latest technology was sea transport in Viking longships. In more recent times the islands have been visited by a large number of eminent people who have written in various terms about them. We also have a number of distinguished local authors, and for those wishing further reading, there is always a good selection of publications available in the local book shops.

For reference the Orkney Library also has an excellent "Orkney Room", which has a very wide range of local literature. Many books which are unfortunately "out of print" are available for consultation here. The Orkney Archives are also available for those researching family roots and original documents. The purpose of this Guide is to help visitors to our islands appreciate Orkney and enjoy their time here to the full. The idea is that the reader can assimilate information without effort and yet rapidly find out what he or she would most like to see and do, depending on interest, season or weather. There are so many things to see and do in Orkney that a lifetime is not long enough!

Although we have a beautiful landscape, history everywhere, and wildlife to rival anywhere on Earth, there is another aspect of Orkney which is perhaps the most important and rewarding to get to know, the Orcadians themselves. They are a friendly, hospitable people, mindful and respectful of their past, while at the same time very go-ahead and industrious. Do not hesitate to ask the way, or about things as you are sure to get a courteous reply, and if you are lucky you might get a few good stories as well. George Mackay Brown summed things up very well when he said Orkney is "...a microcosm of the world. Orkney has been continuously inhabited for about 6,000 years and the layers of cultures and races are inescapable and unavoidable wherever you go. There are stories in the air here. If I lived to be 500, there would still be more to write". The Orkney Guide Book (Charles Tait Guide Books).

Tour Scotland Photographs Ancient Farmhouse Papa Westray Orkney Islands

Tour Scotland photograph of a neolithic farmhouse at Knap of Howar, on Papa Westray, one of the Orkney Islands, Scotland. This is the oldest preserved house in northern Europe, dating from around 3500 BC. The homestead, which consists of two roughly rectangular stone rooms side by side, linked by an internal door, and with doors to the outside at the west end, is partly subterranean, and virtually complete to roof height.


Photograph of a neolithic farmhouse on Papa Westray, Orkney Islands, Scotland.



All photographs are copyright of Sandy Stevenson, Tour Scotland, and may not be used without permission.

View the most recent Tour Scotland photographs.

Tour Scotland Photographs The Old Man of Hoy

Tour Scotland photograph of The Old Man of Hoy, sea stack, Hoy, Orkney Islands, Scotland. The Old Man of Hoy is a 449 feet high sea stack of red sandstone perched on a plinth of Igneous Basalt rock, close to Rackwick Bay on the west coast of the island of Hoy, Orkney Islands, Scotland. It is a distinctive landmark seen from the Thurso to Stromness ferry.





All photographs are copyright of Sandy Stevenson, Tour Scotland, and may not be used without permission.

View the most recent Tour Scotland photographs.

Tour Scotland Photographs Noup Head Lighthouse

Tour Scotland photograph of Noup Head Lighthouse, Orkney Islands, Scotland. Noup Head Lighthouse lies on the north west headland of the isle of Westray, in Orkney, Scotland. It was constructed by David A Stevenson in 1898 for the Northern Lighthouse Board. It was converted to solar power in 2001. Originally a Principal Lightkeeper and an Assistant, with their families, lived at Noup Head until the light was automated in 1964. Lightkeeping was a remote, lonely and hard existence. At night each keeper was required to keep a watch in the lightroom to ensure that the light flashed correctly to character; during daytime keepers were engaged in cleaning, painting and generally keeping the premises tidy.

All photographs are copyright of Sandy Stevenson, Tour Scotland, and may not be used without permission.

View the most recent Tour Scotland photographs.

Tour Scotland Photograph Harbour Kirkwall Orkney

Tour Scotland photograph of fishing boats in the harbour in Kirkwall, Orkney Islands, Scotland. The town is first mentioned in Orkneyinga saga in the year 1046 when it is recorded as the residence of Rögnvald Brusason the Earl of Orkney, who was killed by his uncle Thorfinn the Mighty. In 1486, King James III of Scotland elevated Kirkwall to the status of a royal burgh.




All photographs are copyright of Sandy Stevenson, Tour Scotland, and may not be used without permission.

View the most recent Tour Scotland photographs.

Tour Scotland Photograph St Magnus Cathedral Orkney Islands

Tour Scotland photograph of St Magnus Cathedral, Kirkwall, Orkney Islands, Scotland. The most northerly cathedral in the British Isles, a fine example of Romanesque architecture built for the bishops of Orkney when the islands were ruled by the Norse Earls of Orkney. It is owned not by the church, but by the burgh of Kirkwall as a result of an act of King James III of Scotland following Orkney's annexation by the Scottish Crown in 1468. It has its own dungeon. Its construction commenced in 1137 and it was added to over the next three hundred years. The first Bishop was William the Old, and the diocese was under the authority of the Archbishop of Nidaros in Norway. It was for Bishop William that the nearby Bishop's Palace was built. Before the Reformation, the Cathedral was presided over by the Bishop of Orkney, whose seat was in Kirkwall. Today it is a parish church of the Church of Scotland.



All photographs are copyright of Sandy Stevenson, Tour Scotland, and may not be used without permission.

View the most recent Tour Scotland photographs.

Tour Scotland Photograph St Margaret's Hope Orkney Islands

Tour Scotland photograph St Margaret's Hope, South Ronaldsay, Orkney, Scotland. St Margaret's Hope, known locally as The Hope is situated off Water Sound at the head of a sheltered bay on the northern coast of the island of South Ronaldsay, it is connected to the Orkney Mainland by the A961 road across the Churchill Barriers. The Hope is South Ronaldsay's main village, and is named either after Margaret, Maid of Norway, who may have died there, or St. Margaret, Queen of Scotland, the wife of King Malcolm III.



All photographs are copyright of Sandy Stevenson, Tour Scotland, and may not be used without permission.

View the most recent Tour Scotland photographs.