SKARA BRAE

Walking around Skara Brae is to take a stroll 5,000 years back in time. Long before Stonehenge or even the Egyptian pyramids were built, this corner of Orkney was home to a thriving village.

Dubbed “Scotland’s Pompeii” because of the incredible level of detail still in place, the preserved houses at Skara Brae are top of any visitor’s must-see list, and one of the top travel locations in the UK.

Skara Brae offers an unmatched view into the life of ancient Orcadians, and is regarded as the best example of a Stone Age village in Northern Europe.

Hidden from view until 1850, a great storm hit Orkney, and high winds and waves ripped turf from a small hill, known then as Skerrabra — revealing the hidden village under the sand.

Now a visitor centre welcomes you to the site with a well-stocked café and gift shop.

Here you will be introduced to the world of Skara Brae, with displays and presentations highlighting how the villagers may have lived. A recreated house allows you to enter and experience the wonder of being inside a prehistoric home.

A short scenic coastal path from the visitor’s centre takes you to the village.

Here you can peer down into the houses with their beds, dressers and firesides, all set out exactly as they would have been 5,000 years ago, giving a vivid view of domestic Stone Age life.

Skara Brae is situated on the edge of the Bay of Skaill — a fine sand beach that opens on to the Atlantic. Visitors are given the option to purchase a ticket to see both the village and an Skaill House, a historic manor that overlooks the site.

In 1999, Skara Brae was a key component in the awarding of UNESCO World Heritage status to “The Heart of Neolithic Orkney,” as the islands are increasingly recognised for their part in the development of European life.

For a breathtaking insight into how people lived five millennia ago — the differences and the startling similarities to modern day living — there is nowhere like Skara Brae.