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Maes Howe

Explore / United Kingdom / Orkney Islands

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.

If you want more information on the area visit our local Mainland Destination page or our regional Orkney Islands Destination page.
Place Category: See & Do

Getting to Maes Howe

Maes Howe, Orkney, Mainland, Orkney Islands , United Kingdom

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Maes Howe 7 Day Weather Forecast

Today
cloudy
Expect a temp in the range 4.4℃ to 5.8℃ with wind speed 7.4 m/sec (NW)
Thursday, Apr 25
fair_night
Expect a temp in the range 4.3℃ to 5℃ with wind speed 6.5 m/sec (N)
Friday, Apr 26
partlycloudy_night
Expect a temp in the range 2.8℃ to 4.6℃ with wind speed 2.5 m/sec (NNW)
Saturday, Apr 27
partlycloudy_night
Expect a temp in the range 3.6℃ to 5.1℃ with wind speed 1.7 m/sec (NW)
Sunday, Apr 28
partlycloudy_night
Expect a temp in the range 3.8℃ to 5.6℃ with wind speed 2.5 m/sec (SSE)
Monday, Apr 29
clearsky_night
Expect a temp in the range 2.6℃ to 6.1℃ with wind speed 2.6 m/sec (SW)
Tuesday, Apr 30
fair_night
Expect a temp in the range 5.8℃ to 7.1℃ with wind speed 3.5 m/sec (SSE)

Our Mainland weather forecast is from Yr, delivered by the Norwegian Meteorological Institute and NRK

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