Travel to Orkney Map
Orkney tourist guide map of landmarks & destinations by Walkfo
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When travelling to Orkney, Walkfo’s has created a travel guide & Orkney overview of Orkney’s hotels & accommodation, Orkney’s weather through the seasons & travel destinations / landmarks in Orkney. Experience a unique Orkney when you travel with Walkfo as your tour guide to Orkney map.
Orkney history
Prehistory
The earliest known permanent settlement is at Knap of Howar, a Neolithic farmstead on Papa Westray, which dates from 3500 BC. The village of Skara Brae, Europe’s best-preserved Neolithic settlement, is believed to have been inhabited from around 3100 BC.
Iron Age
Excavations at Quanterness on the Mainland have revealed an Atlantic roundhouse built about 700 BC. The most impressive Iron Age structures of Orkney are the ruins of later round towers called “brochs” The nature and origin of these buildings is a subject of ongoing debate.
Norwegian rule
Both Orkney and Shetland saw a significant influx of Norwegian settlers during the late 8th and early 9th centuries. Vikings made the islands the headquarters of pirate expeditions carried out against Norway and the coasts of Scotland. Norwegian king Harald Fairhair (Harald Hårfagre) annexed the Northern Isles in 875.
Absorbed by Scotland
In 1468 Orkney was pledged by Christian I, in his capacity as King of Norway, as security against the payment of the dowry of his daughter Margaret, betrothed to James III of Scotland. However the money was never paid, and Orksney was absorbed by the Kingdom of Scotland in 1472. In the 17th century, Orcadians formed the overwhelming majority of employees of the Hudson’s Bay Company in Canada.
20th century
Scapa Flow played a major role in World War I and II. The German High Seas Fleet was transferred in its entirety to the base in 1918. Scuttled all the ships were salvaged, but the remaining wrecks are now a favoured haunt of recreational divers.
Overview of population trends
Orkney population peaked in the mid 19th century at 32,000 and declined for a century thereafter to a low of fewer than 18,000 in the 1970s. Declines were particularly significant in the outlying islands, some of which remain vulnerable to ongoing losses.
Orkney map & travel guide with history & landmarks to explore
Visit Orkney Walkfo Stats
With 6 travel places to explore on our Orkney travel map, Walkfo is a personalised tour guide to tell you about the places in Orkney as you travel by foot, bike, car or bus. No need for a physical travel guide book or distractions by phone screens, as our geo-cached travel content is automatically triggered on our Orkney map when you get close to a travel location (or for more detailed Orkney history from Walkfo).
| Travel Location: Travel Area: | Orkney [zonearea] | Audio spots: Physical plaques: | 6 0 | Population: | [zonesize] |
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Average seasonal temperatures at zone
Tourist Guide to Orkney Map
Orkney map historic spot | Orkney map tourist destination | Orkney map plaque | Orkney map geographic feature |
| Walkfo Orkney travel map key: visit National Trust sites, Blue Plaques, English Heritage locations & top travel destinations in Orkney | |||