Many Brits believe that the country’s oldest historical landmark must be Stonehenge, but actually the Orkney archipelago has within it something far more ancient.
In fact, the treasure found on the western edge of Orkney’s mainland even predates the Egyptian pyramids, according to Historic Environment Scotland.
The ruins of Skara Brae are the “the best-preserved Neolithic settlement in Western Europe” but were left undiscovered until a storm in 1850 saw the site re-emerge.
Tourists today can visit the astonishing site and visit the prehistoric houses, taking in the stone “dressers” and box-beds inside.
There are nine Neolithic houses in total, complete with original “fitted furniture” made 5,000 years ago. Visitors can also see ancient artefacts including “gaming dice, tools and jewellery”.
Reviewing the magical site, one Canadian visitor wrote: “Skara Brae was our first ‘tourist’ stop when we arrived in Orkney. Little did I know then that this island was virtually littered with prehistoric sites.
“Skara Brae, discovered after a fluke storm by mother nature, is a 5,000 year old village, older than the pyramids and Stonehenge! It is well kept, pristine and greatly treasured.
“All underground now, it is situated at the edge of a beach and has been exposed to show how advanced the culture was at that time. Not to be missed.”
Another described the site as “literally mind-boggling” and glowed about the staff that manage the area, saying: “We arrived right on last-entry time on a wet, windy Thursday, which definitely didn’t leave us long enough to do it justice, but Linda in the main entry/museum building directed us down to the site quickly, and called ahead to Kim, the guide there, to let him know we were on the way down.
“He welcomed us and gave a great tour with plenty of fascinating info about how the village came to be, what happened there at the time and how it was discovered and is being preserved. This was all delivered in a customised way so as to give us time to get back up to the museum area and whizz round ahead of Linda’s locking-up process.
“We had a very tight schedule and it was either that short visit or nothing at all, but we’re very glad it was the former. It justifies a much longer visit to fully take in the incredible nature of what’s presented, but Kim, Linda and I’m sure all the other staff make the whole thing an even more fantastic place to visit. Highly, highly recommended!”
