Maes Howe is a Neolithic chambered cairn and passage grave and is one of the largest on Orkney. The cairn gives its name to the Maeshowe type of chambered cairn, which is limited to Orkney. Maes Howe appears as a grassy mound near the south-east end of the Loch of Harray.
The mound encasing the tomb is 115 feet (35 m) in diameter and rises to a height of 24 feet (7.3 m). Surrounding the mound is a ditch up to 45 feet (14 m) wide. The grass mound hides a complex of passages and chambers built of large carefully crafted slabs of flagstone. It is aligned so that the rear wall of its central chamber is illuminated on the winter solstice.
Maes Howe is within the Heart of Neolithic Orkney UNESCO World Heritage Site.
Our weather forecast for Mainland in Orkney Islands
Today (Friday, Jan 15)
Expect a temperature in the range 3.4℃ to 4.2℃ with a wind speed 7.2 m/sec (SSE)
Saturday, Jan 16
Expect a temperature in the range 3.8℃ to 4.2℃ with a wind speed 11 m/sec (SSE)
Sunday, Jan 17
Expect a temperature in the range 5.5℃ to 6.2℃ with a wind speed 9.8 m/sec (W)
Monday, Jan 18
Expect a temperature in the range 3.5℃ to 5.1℃ with a wind speed 10.2 m/sec (WSW)
Tuesday, Jan 19
Expect a temperature in the range 2.7℃ to 3.4℃ with a wind speed 4.6 m/sec (SSW)
Wednesday, Jan 20
Expect a temperature in the range 5.7℃ to 6.5℃ with a wind speed 7.4 m/sec (NE)
Thursday, Jan 21
Expect a temperature in the range 4.7℃ to 5.4℃ with a wind speed 7.9 m/sec (N)
Weather forecast from Yr, delivered by the Norwegian Meteorological Institute and NRK
We only list tides for our beach listings.
In this 'you may also like' section we attempt to answer what else can I do? Here you have a list by order of being the closest some more beaches, things to see and do, places to eat and upcoming events.
The Ring of Brodgar is a Neolithic henge and stone circle and is part of the UNESCO World Heritage Site known as the Heart of Neolithic Orkney. The site is generally thought to have been erected between 2500 BC and 2000 BC. Most henges do not contain stone circles; Brodgar is a striking exception. The ring of stones stands on
Read more…The Broch of Gurness is an Iron Age broch village overlooking Eynhallow Sound. All that remains of the village is the 3.6 metres (11.8 ft) high central tower and the thick stone walls. The broch has the remains of a settlement surrounding and adjoining it.
Read more…Warebeth beach is located on the western side of mainland Orkney with the beach being named after the large amount of seaweed or “ware” that can be found washed up, which during the 18th and 19th centuries harvesting this seaweed was big business for the locals. Warebeth beach is a large curving sandy beach with stone slabs and the beach
Read more…The Sands of Evie is a sandy beach within Aikerness Bay, protected by the Point of Hellia headland. The beach is a sheltered, shallow shelving sandy beach, which is large at low tide. When the tide comes in provides excellent shallow water to play in. The beach overlooks the small island of Eynhallow and Rousay across Eynhallow Sound. Small car
Read more…Marwick Head is a Nature Reserve run by the RSPB located 4 miles north of Skara Brae on the western side of the Orkney mainland. Facing the Atlantic Ocean, the Marwick Head sandstone cliffs are home to thousands of nesting seabirds including kittiwakes, puffins, guillemots, razorbills and fulmars. In Marwick Bay, you can also see many wading birds and ducks,
Read more…The Brough of Birsay is a small 21-hectare uninhabited tidal island off the north-west coast of The Mainland of Orkney. The Island has Celtic and Norse remains and is well known for the breeding colony of Fulmar (Fulmarus glacialis) and Guillemot (Uria aalge) The island is accessible on foot at low tide via a 240 metre long causeway over the
Read more…St Magnus Cathedral is situated in the town of Kirkwall, the main town of the Orkney Islands. This magnificent cathedral, a fine example of Romanesque architecture, dominates the skyline of the town. Founded in 1137 by the Viking, Earl Rognvald, the cathedral was added to over the following 300 years and even has its own dungeon! It is known for
Read more…Waulkmill Bay is a remote beach within a tidal bay and Scottish Natural Heritage Site of Special Scientific Interest. The beach is located on the northern side of Scapa Flow. To the east of Waulkmill Bay is the RSPB Kirbister Preserve.
Read more…The Lady Kirk is one of two ruined churches on Westray, built in 1674, on the foundations of a 13th-century church. The church is mostly complete with the exception of the roof. The nave is rectangular, with a largely complete gable at its west end, topped off by a bellcote. A line of holes in the gable suggest there was
Read more…Bay of Skaill beach is a large remote sandy beach on the west coast of mainland Orkney. At one end of the beach, you have the Bay of Skaill that is close to the famous Neolithic settlement of Skara Brae.
Read more…Mine Howe is a prehistoric subterranean man-made chamber dug 20 feet deep inside a large mound. It is not sure when it was built, some believe it to have been built roughly 2000 years ago during the Iron Age. Some researchers think that it could be as old as 5000 years, which would place it in the Neolithic period. There
Read more…Dingieshowe Beach is a south facing sandy beach backed by sand dunes. The beach is located in the south eastern corner of mainland Orkney and is also known as Taracliff bay. You also have on the other side of the road Sandi Sand beach that looks out into the shallow bay of St Peter’s Pool.
Read more…
