📌 Kirkwall, Orkney Mainland
★★★
🛠️ Earl’s Palace currently closed. Bishop’s Palace open with no entry fee (checked April 2024)
St Magnus Cathedral may be the most famous building in Kirkwall, but just around the corner are two separate ruined palaces either side of Watergate which deserve to be just as well known. The Bishop’s and Earl’s Palaces date to the early 12th and early 15th centuries respectively, with elaborate architecture and dozens of rooms. The Bishop’s Palace, of which only the ground floor is mostly intact, harks back to Viking times, and King Haakon IV of Norway died here in 1263. The Earl’s Palace is an even grander affair, featuring imposing circular towers, an impressive main hall and several bedrooms. Both palaces are run as a single tourist attraction under the care of Historic Environment Scotland.
🌍 Location
📌 Palace Road, 5-min walk south of Kirkwall town centre
🧭 O.S. Grid Reference: HY 450108
🛰️ GPS coordinates: 58.980543,-2.959113
🚌 Bus to Kirkwall | 🚢 Kirkwall ferry terminal (nearby) or Hatston ferry terminal (1 mi)
🚗 Street parking
📝 Key info
⌚ Daily, 29 March to September 2024
🎫 £7.50 adult / £4.50 child / free for Historic Environment Scotland members
