Top Things to do in Mainland
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Top 8 Museums in Mainland, Scotland
The aptly named Mainland is the main island of Orkney, a collection of Scottish islands with serious Viking cred. On West Mainland you’ll find the Heart of Neolithic Orkney, prehistoric ruins that include a chambered tomb, stone ceremonial circles, and Skara Brae, a well-preserved Neolithic village. Cap off your visit with a hoppy glug from the Orkney Brewery. Over on the East side, marvel at a collapsed sea cave known as The Gloup, take a provincial stroll through St. Mary’s Village or just dip your toes in at Mill Sands or Dingieshowe Beach.
Restaurants in Mainland
1. Carrie Paxton
Overall Ratings
5.0 based on 5 reviews
Reviewed By gailr896 - Peterhead, United Kingdom
Carrie is such a lovely and talented lady. A really warm welcome from Carrie when I visited her studio, we had a good chat and then was left to have a look at all her stunning art work (done on glass) Carrie kindly pulled some pieces for me to have a look at according to my preferences then they were set out for me to make my decision (I never felt at any point pressure to buy anything). I finally decided on 3 very different pieces but my favourite is a seascape I have in my conservatory that changes constantly with the different light coming in the windows. Carrie is not on the Craft Trail but is well worth a visit if you want something a bit different as a reminder of your time on Orkney. I will definitely go back the next time we are there on holiday.
2. The Orkney Museum
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 600 reviews
Due to Covid-19 restrictions, access is currently limited to the Baikie Library and Drawing Room and our temporary exhibition 'Between Islands'. Visitor numbers are limited, so please be prepared to wait outside if the museum is busy. Please note that it is mandatory to wear a face covering in the building and that you will be asked for your contact details for the national Test and Protect system.
Reviewed By jacquim883
This museum summarises Orkney's past, starting from Neolithic times and going into the twentieth century. Housed in an old building, the display is well set out and you wind through the rooms where Orkney's fascinating history is depicted in chronological order. It makes you appreciate how different Orkney is from the rest of Scotland and why the Orcadians are so proud of their identity.
3. Broch of Gurness
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 306 reviews
Ruins of ancient tower and huts used to defend the Scotish coastline from raiders.
Reviewed By katherine153 - Lancaster, United Kingdom
We much preferred this to the more famous Scara Brae site, and felt it had more to offer. We almost came upon it by chance, as it hadn't been highlighted in material we had been reading about the historic sites. It's in a fabulous position and you can get right up and into the different areas. A must-see site if you are visiting Orkney.
4. Pier Arts Centre
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 170 reviews
The Pier Arts Centre in Orkney was established in 1979 to provide a home for an important collection of British fine art donated by Margaret Gardiner (1904 - 2005). Alongside the permanent collection The Pier Arts Centre curates a year round programme of temporary exhibitions and events for the education and enjoyment of the general public.
Reviewed By margarettM2882HK
You are welcomed by the Pier Arts shop, full of quality locally produced work, excellent books relevant to the Margaret Gardner Collection, current exhibitions and artists connected to Orkney and Pier Arts. The Collection is lovely and nicely displayed. Visiting exhibitions are top quality, well displayed and plenty information. Don't be put off thinking "Art" is not for you, the building itself and the view of the harbour from the seaside windows are worth a visit!
5. Orkney Wireless Museum
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 139 reviews
A small museum tracing the history of early domestic radio and wartime communications in Orkney. Maps, charts, valves, an early computer game, a 'spy' suitcase radio. Young visitors can send their name in Morse code to get a certificate. Entirely run by volunteers. Normally open April to September. Mon-Sat 10am to 4.30 pm. Sun 2.30pm - 4.30pm. 2016 admission £3 for adults, £1 for under 16 and students. UNFORTUNATELY THE MUSEUM MUST REMAIN CLOSED FOR THE REST OF 2020. It is a very small space and does not enable social distancing.
Reviewed By allanmaciver - Aberdeen, United Kingdom
This is an amazing and unusual museum right in the centre of Kirkwall, Orkney. The museum is run entirely by volunteers and the lady on duty was full of stories and memories. They have an extensive old radio collection, archive pictures from World War and especially Scapa Flow where so many lost their lives. There is a small entrance fee of £3 and you can spend as long as you like. I was humbled to look through the archive pictures. If you want a trip down memory lane this is a brilliant little museum.
6. Corrigall Farm Museum
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 63 reviews
Corrigall Farm Museum is a traditional ‘but and ben’ laid out as a typical Orkney farmhouse and steading in Victorian/late 19th century period, although it was still lived in like this until the last inhabitants left in the mid-20th century. The site has a working barn, a kiln for drying grain for milling and malting, horse-drawn machinery and livestock. Some older visitors may recognise objects or implements from their childhood in and around the museum, but present-day youngsters are can see how basic life was pre-electricity. The house is still heated by a peat fire, with its distinctive smelling smoke, and peat cutting implements are on display in the byre. The museum gives a fascinating insight into a way of life and an agricultural pattern that has all but disappeared from Orkney. FREE ADMISSION If the site is closed on a day you want to go there, why not visit Kirbuster Museum, Birsay, a few miles north?
7. Stromness Museum
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 218 reviews
Reviewed By 100949football
There was an exhibition on re the German Fleet in Scapa flow. Plus the rest of the museum is really interesting
8. Toumal Art Studio
Overall Ratings
5.0 based on 2 reviews
