Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
ARRIVAL AND DEPARTURE
SHAPINSAY
By ferry
Shapinsay is an easy day-trip from Kirkwall (4-5
daily; 30min).
By bus
A Dial-a-Bus serves the island (pre-book only
T
079 1 575162).
ACCOMMODATION AND EATING
Hilton Farmhouse
T
01856 711239,
W
hiltonorkney
farmhouse.co.uk.
This whitewashed farmhouse, less
than a mile from Balfour, has just two sunny, south-facing
bedrooms (one of which is en suite), and a restaurant in
the co
nser
vatory (book ahead) and offers optional full
board.
£70
The Smithy
T
01856 711269.
Even if you're just coming
for the day, it's worth popping into the wonderfully cosy
licensed café below the heritage centre, which serves a
simple menu during the day, and delicious, fresh, locally
sourced fish and meat dishes in the evening (mains around
£15). Evening boat charter from Mainland also available
(£7 a head).
May-Sept,
Mon, Wed & Fri-Sun
9.30am-9pm, Tues & Thurs 9.30am-5pm.
Rousay, Egilsay and Wyre
he hilly island of
Rousay
is one of the more accessible northern isles as well as being
home to a number of intriguing prehistoric sites. he group of a dozen or so houses
above the ferry terminal is the only settlement of any size, but a single road runs around
the edge of the island, connecting a string of farms that make use of the more cultivable
coastal fringes. Many visitors come on a day-trip, as it's easy enough to reach the main
points of archeological interest on the south coast by foot from the ferry terminal.
Rousay's diminutive neighbours,
Egilsay
and
Wyre
, contain a few medieval
attractions of their own, which can be visited on a day-trip from Rousay itself, or
from the Mainland.
15
Rousay
Despite its long history of settlement,
Rousay
today was one of the few parts of Orkney
to suffer Highland-style Clearances. One laird, Lieutenant General Traill-Burroughs,
built a wall to force crofters onto a narrow coastal strip and eventually provoked so
much distress and anger that a gunboat had to be sent to restore order. You can learn
about the history and wildlife of the island from the well-laid-out display room of the
Rousay Heritage Centre
housed in the back of the ferry waiting room.
Trumland House
Gardens
May-Oct daily 10am-5pm • £2 •
T
01856 821322 •
W
trumlandhouse.org
he island's laird, Lieutenant General Traill-Burroughs, built
Trumland House
, the
forbidding Jacobean-style pile designed by David Bryce in the 1870s, hidden in the
trees half a mile northwest of the ferry terminal. he house is undergoing much-needed
restoration, as are the landscaped
gardens
: the rhododendrons have been pushed back
and there are now lovely wooded walks and a walled garden.
The three cairns
he road west from Trumland House runs past a trio of intriguing prehistoric cairns,
starting with
Taversoe Tuick
. Dating back to 3500 BC, it's remarkable in that it exploits
its sloping site by having two storeys, one entered from the upper side and one from
the lower.
A little further west is the
Blackhammar Cairn
, which is entered through the roof via a
ladder; the long interior is divided into “stalls” by large flagstones.
Finally, there's the
Knowe of Yarso
, another stalled cairn dating from the same period.
It's worth the stiff climb up the hill from the road, if only for the magnificent view.
he remains of 29 individuals were found inside, with the skulls neatly arranged
around the walls.
