Orkney - The Rough Guide to Scottish Highlands and Islands - page 338

ACCOMMODATION
Birsay Outdoor Centre 0.5 miles south of the Barony
Mills T 01856 873535 ext 2415, W orkney.gov.uk. A
large refurbished hostel with a fully equipped kitchen

and a drying room; there's also a campsite along side .
Check-in from 6pm. April-Sept only. Dorms £16 ;
camping £6.25 /pitch

EATING AND DRINKING
Barony Hotel T 01856 721327, W baronyhotel.com.
The only watering hole in Birsay is the bar of the Barony
overlooking the Loch of Boardhouse, to the southeast
of Birsay village. Daily noon-11pm; food served 12.30-
2pm & 6.30-8.30pm.

Birsay Tea Room T 01856 721399, W birsaybaytea
room.co.uk. For light snacks and home-made cake, head
for the modern tearoom, at the southern edge of the
village, which boasts superb views of the Brough (binocu-
lars provided). Wed-Sun 11am-5pm.

Broch of Gurness
Evie • April-Sept daily 9.30am-5.30pm • £5.50; HS • T 01856 751414
Near the village of Evie, on the north coast, is the Broch of Gurness (also known as
Aikerness Broch), the best-preserved broch on Orkney, still surrounded by a
remarkable complex of later buildings. The sea has eaten away half the site, but the
broch itself, dating from around 100 BC, still stands, its walls reaching a height of 12ft
in places, its inner cells still intact. Clustered around the broch, the compact group of
homes has also survived amazingly well, with much of their original and ingenious
stone shelving and fireplaces still in place. The best view of the site is from the east,
where you can clearly make out the “main street” leading towards the broch. Also
worth a look is the visitor centre where you can try your hand at the quernstone corn
grinder. The broch is clearly signposted from Evie, the road skirting the pristinely white
Sands of Evie , a perfect picnic spot in fine weather, with great views across the turbulent
waters of Eynhallow Sound towards the island of Rousay.

7

ARRIVAL AND DEPARTURE BROCH OF GURNESS

By bus Bus services from Kirkwall will get you to Evie
(Mon-Sat 4-5 daily; 30min), from which it's a 30min walk

to the broch. There's also the Octobus service from Finstown
(pre-book the day before on T 01856 871536).

ACCOMMODATION
Castlehill Evie T 01856 751228, W castlehillorkney
.co.uk. This modern crofthouse under Burgar Hill looks
nothing special from the outside but it's very well decked
out inside, with pleasant wooden furnishings and qual ity
bedding. Great views and top-notch home cooking. £85

Eviedale Campsite Evie T 01856 751270, W creviedale
.orknet.co.uk. Situated in a sheltered spot right by the
junction of the road to Dounby, this is a small, simple
campsite tucked in among a h andful of self-catering
cottages. Free wi-fi. April-Oct. £7 /person

Orphir
The southern shores of the West Mainland, overlooking Scapa Flow, are much gentler
than the rest of the coastline, and have fewer of Orkney's premier-league sights.
However, if you've time to spare, or you're heading for Hoy from the car ferry terminal
at Houton, there are a couple of points of interest in the neighbouring parish of ORPHIR .

Orkneyinga Saga Centre
Gyre Rd • April-Oct daily 9am-6pm • Free
Beside the parish cemetery in Orphir, you'll find the Orkneyinga Saga Centre , containing
a small exhibition with a fifteen-minute audiovisual show which gives you a taste of the
Orkneyinga Saga , the bloodthirsty Viking tale written around 1200 AD by an unnamed
Icelandic author, which described the conquest of the Northern Isles by the Norsemen.
he Earl's Bu at Orphir features in the saga as the home of Earl Thorfinn the Mighty,
Earl Paul and his son, Håkon, who ordered the murder of Earl (later St) Magnus on