📌 Island near Birsay, Orkney Isles
★★★
🛠️ Historic Environment Scotland visitor centre closed – rest of island open (checked April 2024)
From a distance the Brough of Birsay looks like a featureless, grassy slope of an island, well under a kilometre across at its widest point. But peel away the surface, like archaeologists have already done here, and you can explore a Viking settlement and Romanesque monastery on the eastern half of the island. Head to the west side along one of the numerous coastal paths and you’ll find 40-metre cliffs home to puffins and other seabirds in early summer, overlooked by a stumpy lighthouse. The path to the island from Birsay is via a tidal causeway flanked by some of the most sealife-rich rockpools anywhere in the UK.
Brough of Birsay (buildings) ★★★
🌍 Location
📌 On Brough of Birsay island, 1 mi northwest of Birsay, Orkney Mainland. Visitor centre is at:
🧭 O.S. Grid Reference: HY 239285
🛰️ GPS coordinates: 59.136277,-3.330403
🚌 Bus to Birsay (1 mi)
🚗 Car park at 🧭 HY 243284 / 🛰️ 59.135272,-3.324763
📝 Key info
⌚ Always open (visitor centre: daily, mid June to September, tides permitting)
🎫 £7 adult / £4 child / free for Historic Environment Scotland members. Charges only apply during visitor centre opening hours
💬 From the car park it’s a 5-min walk to the visitor centre, across a concrete tidal causeway. Check safe crossing times, leaving enough time to return to the mainland.
Brough of Birsay (island) ★★★★
🌍 Location
📌 1 mi northwest of Birsay, Orkney Mainland. Lighthouse is at island’s northwest tip
🧭 O.S. Grid Reference: HY 234286
🛰️ GPS coordinates: 59.136744,-3.338910
🚌 Bus to Birsay (1 mi)
🚗 Car park at 🧭 HY 243284 / 🛰️ 59.135272,-3.324763
📝 Key info
⌚ Always open
🎫 Charges apply when visitor centre is open – see above
💬 From the car park it’s a 15-min walk (each way) to the lighthouse, across a concrete tidal causeway then uphill on grassy paths (⬤⬤ Easy to Moderate). Check safe crossing times, leaving enough time to return to the mainland.
