Today I finally made it to the Orkney Isles! I’ll be staying on the isles for three nights, the longest I will be staying anywhere on my trip. The ferry ride over was easy and relatively short, letting out at the town of Stromness. The day was gorgeous with sunshine the entire day so I decided to head straight for Skara Brae, the main reason for my trip to Orkney.

Skara Brae is the remains of a prehistoric village built more than 5000 years ago. It’s well know because the site was protected in a sand dune and stands as one of the best preserved sites of this age.

Orkney is basically one big collection of prehistoric and historic sites. There are literal signs everywhere pointing the way to your next site.

My most exciting and unexpected stop of the day was the active dig site of the Ness of Brodgar, no idea what that means. The site was an accidental find in 2003 and they’ve been excavating ever since. The finds they’ve made so far have greatly increased our understanding of Neolithic Europe and raised all new questions.

They give great tours that explain all about the dig and their theories about the site. I highly recommend going for a visit if you head to the isles.