📌 Stenness, Orkney Mainland
★★
Unstan Chambered Cairn is one of hundreds of Neolithic burial cairns dotted around the Orkney Islands, and one of several where you can explore inside. The tomb is a type of stalled cairn: that is to say, there are several discrete burial compartments (or stalls) within the main chamber, divided by large upright stones. By no means the largest or most impressive of the tombs, it’s instead notable for the pottery – including parts of 20 different bowls – found here during excavation. The finds gave rise to the name Unstan Ware, which now describes the pottery type found in a host of other cairns around Orkney besides this one. Shame about the modern ceiling – and no Viking carvings like at Maeshowe to show for it either.
🌍 Location
📌 Off A965 immediately east of A964 junction, 2 mi west of Stenness, Orkney Mainland
🧭 O.S. Grid Reference: HY 283117
🛰️ GPS coordinates: 58.986608,-3.249390
🚌 Bus stops on A965
🚗 Car park
📝 Key info
⌚ Always open
🎫 Free
