Bagni di Lucca and Beyond

Skara Brae is a stone-built Neolithic settlement on the Bay of Skaill on the main island in the Orkney archipelago. The site was occupied from roughly 3180BC to around 2500BC. It is Europe’s most complete Neolithic village. Skara Brae gained UNESCO World Heritage Site status as one of the 4 sites making up “The heart of Neolithic Orkney”. It is older than Stonehenge and the Great Pyramids of Giza. It was uncovered in 1850.

We arrived at the site and decided to have breakfast at the excellent information centre at the entrance to the site. We were just in time for a burst of torrential rain. Luckily it finished just as we had finished breakfast.

Our visit began with the small museum at the centre. It was filled with artefacts gathered from the excavation. It also included a true to size replica of one of the stone houses uncovered.

The excavation site is a short walk from the entrance, towards the seashore. It consists of 10 clustered houses made of flagstones. The tiny village is made up of a group of one-roomed circular houses.

Earthen dams provided support for the walls. All houses  had built in stone furniture, beds, cupboards and shelves. There was a primitive sewer system, with a form of toilet and drains with water used to flush waste into a bigger drain and then out to sea.

On a warm sunny day the location of the houses must have been idyllic. There would have been plentiful food from the sea, fertile land for farming and the views are glorious. On a freezing, windy, wet winter day, maybe not so great.

It is not known why the site was abandoned. Around 2500BC the climate changed, becoming colder and wetter. One theory is that the people left after a major storm because the inhabitants seem to have left in haste, leaving valuables behind. An unknown number of dwellings would appear to have been lost to sea erosion.

The house near Skara Brae is Skaill House, a historic 17th century mansion. It was the home of William Watt, the man who discovered Skara Brae in 1850 when a storm uncovered the site on his doorstep. A visit to the house is included in the admission price for Skara Brae.

Skara Brae was our favourite spot on Orkney. It is easy to imagine people living in these houses, going about their daily lives. It is a pity the stone walls can’t tell us more about the people who built them.

Our little aircraft that took us to Aberdeen was very cute.

An even smaller one was waiting for passengers nearby. These planes skip from island to island.

Our Orkney visit was excellent! The folk music festival was wonderful, I would happily go again. Thank you Anup and Poorna for organising the trip.