The Most Unusual Hidden Gems in Orkney
Written by UK Hidden Gems Editorial
Updated 5 August 2026
The the most unusual hidden gems in Orkney are The Brough of Deerness, Tomb of the Eagles, Quoyness Chambered Cairn, Longaglebe Geo, Brough of Birsay, Betty Corrigall's Grave, St Magnus Church and Hole of the Horses.
Orkney is full of places that exist nowhere else, and its most unusual corners have a way of staying with you long after you leave. These are islands where a Neolithic tomb can be named for the sea-eagle bones found inside, where a lone grave stands out on an empty moor, and where a chapel perches on a sea stack cut off from the land.
Among them are the Tomb of the Eagles on South Ronaldsay, the crawl-in chamber of Quoyness on Sanday, and the Brough of Deerness, reached by steep steps and a chain. There is the tidal island of the Brough of Birsay, the roofless round-towered St Magnus Church on Egilsay, and the long cleft of Longaglebe Geo.
Add the natural arch called the Hole of the Horses on Rousay and the moving, solitary grave of Betty Corrigall on Hoy, and you have a set of places quite unlike anywhere else in Britain. Here are eight of the most unusual hidden gems to seek out in Orkney.
The Brough of Deerness
Photo: Doug Lee via Geograph.org.uk
The Brough of Deerness is a flat-topped sea stack with a grassy summit at the northeast tip of the Deerness peninsula on Mainland Orkney, cut off from the mainland by the collapse of the neck that once joined it. On top are the stone remains of a small chapel and around thirty turf-covered building foundations, dating from the Norse period around the 11th and 12th centuries and among the earliest signs of Viking-age Christianity in the region.
It is reached from the Mull Head reserve car park, then down into the gap and up steep steps cut into the rock with a chain to hold. Seek it out for a truly unusual climb to an ancient clifftop settlement.
Tomb of the Eagles
Photo: Andrew Riley via Geograph.org.uk
Tomb of the Eagles The talons and bones of sea eagles, found in numbers among the remains of hundreds of people, gave this tomb its name. It is a Neolithic chambered cairn built around five thousand years ago on a cliff edge at Isbister, on South Ronaldsay in Orkney, and it stayed in use across many centuries.
Visitors still enter the low stone chamber, and a small centre displays finds from within. Long run by the family who discovered it, the tomb closed for a spell and reopened in 2025 after a local community trust bought it, so check the opening arrangements before you set out.
Quoyness Chambered Cairn
Photo: Colin Park via Geograph.org.uk
Quoyness Chambered Cairn is a large Neolithic chambered tomb on the Els Ness peninsula on the island of Sanday, built around five thousand years ago. Visitors crawl through a low entrance passage some nine metres long into a tall main chamber whose drystone walls still rise close to four metres, with six low cells opening off it.
When it was dug out in the nineteenth century the bones of at least ten people were found inside. It is cared for by Historic Environment Scotland, open and free, with a modern roof protecting the chamber, and is a place for those happy to crawl in.
Seek it out for one of Orkney's most memorable tomb interiors.
Longaglebe Geo
Photo: John Comloquoy via Geograph.org.uk
Longaglebe Geo is a long, narrow cleft in the cliffs at Birsay, on the western side of the Orkney Mainland, cut into the rock by the sea and often called Orkney's longest geo. It lies about a mile east of the Brough of Birsay along the coast, reached on the Birsay coastal walk from the Birsay whalebone, through a gate and past the old fishermen's houses at Northside.
The cliffs here are steep and full of seabirds, with seals in the water below. A clifftop path and a small parking area serve the walk.
Seek it out for a dramatic sea-cut chasm on a wild stretch of coast.
Brough of Birsay
Photo: Peter Church via Geograph.org.uk
Brough of Birsay is a small green tidal island off the north-western tip of Orkney's Mainland, reached on foot across a causeway that the sea covers at high tide. When the tide is out you can walk over and wander among the low stone footings of an ancient settlement, first Pictish and then Norse, spread across the sloping top of the island.
Here are the outlines of Norse longhouses, a small ruined Romanesque church from the twelfth century, and a replica of a carved Pictish stone. Beyond the ruins the ground rises to sea cliffs alive with nesting seabirds, and a small lighthouse stands at the far end.
Seek it out at low tide for a wild, layered place.
Betty Corrigall's Grave
Photo: Des Colhoun via Geograph.org.uk
Betty Corrigall's Grave is a single, lonely grave out on the peat moor of the island of Hoy, far from any churchyard. It marks the resting place of a young woman who lived on Hoy in the 1770s, was left pregnant and alone by a man who went away to sea, and in her despair took her own life.
Because of that she was refused burial in consecrated ground, and was laid instead in unmarked peat on the boundary between two estates. Her body lay forgotten until peat cutters uncovered it, preserved by the bog, and a simple headstone was finally set up in 1976.
Seek it out for a quiet, moving grave in a wide, empty landscape.
St Magnus Church
Photo: Bob Jones via Geograph.org.uk
St Magnus Church is a roofless twelfth-century church on the small island of Egilsay, the last surviving round-towered church in the Northern Isles. A tall, tapering round tower stands at the west end of the plain rectangular nave and chancel, all built with the rounded arches of the Romanesque style.
By tradition it was raised near the spot where Earl Magnus was killed around 1116, in a feud with a rival earl, a death that led to him being made a saint and to Orkney's great cathedral in his name. It stands in a graveyard, reached by ferry to the island, and is cared for by Historic Environment Scotland.
Seek it out for a uniquely preserved medieval church.
Hole of the Horses
Photo: Des Colhoun via Geograph.org.uk
Hole of the Horses is a natural sea arch on the west coast of the island of Rousay, near Scabra Head. The sea has cut clean through the rock to leave an opening in the cliffs, one of several arches and inlets along this stretch of shore.
It is reached on foot along the coastal walking route from the island's pier. The name is old and its meaning uncertain, and the spot sits in wild, empty coastal country.
Seek it out for a striking, oddly named arch on a lonely Orkney shore.
FAQs
Why is the Tomb of the Eagles called that?
It is named for the many talons and bones of sea eagles found inside the Neolithic chamber, laid among the remains of hundreds of people over the centuries it was in use. The cairn sits on a cliff edge at Isbister on South Ronaldsay.
Is the Tomb of the Eagles open to visitors?
Its opening arrangements have changed. Long run by the family who found it, it closed for a time and reopened in 2025 after a local community trust bought it, so it is worth checking current opening arrangements before you visit.
How do I reach the Brough of Birsay?
The Brough of Birsay is a tidal island reached on foot across a causeway off the north-western tip of the Mainland. The sea covers the causeway at high tide, so you can only cross when the tide is out. Check the tide times before setting off.
Conclusion
What sets these places apart is that each one is genuinely unlike anything else. The Tomb of the Eagles is named for the sea-eagle bones found inside, Betty Corrigall lies alone in the peat far from any churchyard, and St Magnus Church keeps the last round tower in the Northern Isles.
The Brough of Deerness and the Brough of Birsay are cut off by the sea, reached by steep steps or a tidal causeway, while Quoyness rewards those willing to crawl in and Longaglebe Geo and the Hole of the Horses show the sea's work on wild Rousay and Birsay cliffs. Several depend on the tide, a ferry or open days, and the Tomb of the Eagles in particular is worth checking ahead, so plan carefully.
Do that, and these are the most unusual hidden gems to seek out in Orkney.
