About
The Ring of Brodgar stands on a narrow strip of land between the Lochs of Harray and Stenness on the Orkney Mainland, one of the most atmospheric and evocative prehistoric monuments in the British Isles. This great stone circle — the third largest in Britain with an original complement of perhaps 60 standing stones in a near-perfect circle 104 metres in diameter — was constructed sometime between 2500 and 2000 BC, making it broadly contemporary with Stonehenge and the great megalithic tradition of Neolithic Atlantic Europe. Thirty-six of the original stones survive, some rising to over 4 metres in height, their reddish Orcadian sandstone weathered by four millennia of Atlantic wind and rain into forms of haunting natural beauty.
The Ring of Brodgar forms part of the UNESCO World Heritage Site designated 'Heart of Neolithic Orkney' (inscribed 1999), alongside the Stones of Stenness (500 metres to the south-east), Maeshowe chambered cairn, and Skara Brae. This remarkable concentration of Neolithic monuments within a few square kilometres of the Orkney Mainland is unmatched anywhere in northern Europe, and represents the physical remains of a sophisticated prehistoric society that clearly regarded this landscape as a ceremonial centre of the highest importance.
The setting is extraordinary. The circle stands on elevated ground between the two lochs, visible from a great distance in every direction across the flat Orkney landscape. The quality of Orkney light — intensely clear and changeable, with dramatic skies and long summer evenings — transforms the stones through the day and through the seasons. At midsummer, the circle is bathed in light until after 11pm; at midwinter, the low sun casts long shadows that animate the stones in ways that suggest the designers understood the astronomical cycles of the year.
Immediately to the north of the Ring, between the two lochs, the ongoing excavation of the Ness of Brodgar has been steadily revealing what appears to be a massive Neolithic ceremonial complex — a series of large stone buildings, painted walls, and extraordinary deposits of cattle bones that suggest feasting on a scale unprecedented in the British Neolithic. The Ness of Brodgar excavation (open to visitors during the summer dig season) is transforming understanding of what this landscape meant to its Neolithic inhabitants and is regarded as one of the most important archaeological excavations currently underway in Europe.
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Plan Your Visit
💡 Visitor Tips
- Reaching Orkney requires a ferry or flight — plan travel carefully. NorthLink ferries from Aberdeen (overnight) or Scrabster (1.5 hours) are the standard car ferry routes. Loganair flights from Edinburgh, Glasgow, or Aberdeen take approximately 1 hour.
- A car is essential for visiting the Neolithic sites — public transport connections are infrequent. Car hire is available in Kirkwall; book in advance in peak season.
- Visit at dawn or dusk for the most atmospheric experience of the stones in low Orkney light.
- Combine Brodgar with the Stones of Stenness (500m walk), Maeshowe (book timed tour in advance at HES website — essential), and Skara Brae (15 km) for the full UNESCO experience.
- There are no facilities at the Ring of Brodgar — no toilets, café, or shop. Use facilities in Stromness (7 km) or Kirkwall (14 km) before visiting.
- The Ness of Brodgar excavation is open for public viewing in July–August; check nessofbrodgar.co.uk for dates.
- Orkney is windy virtually every day — bring a windproof jacket regardless of the forecast.
Highlights
The Stone Circle — Scale and Mystery
The Ring of Brodgar is one of only a handful of truly large stone circles in Britain, and its scale — 104 metres in diameter, with an original 60 stones — places it in a class with Avebury and Stonehenge as a monument of the very first rank. The circle is surrounded by a quarried ditch cut into the bedrock up to 3 metres deep and 9 metres wide, an enormous feat of labour for Neolithic communities working with antler picks and stone tools.
The purpose of the monument is not known with certainty — it may have functioned as an astronomical calendar, a ceremonial gathering place, a territorial marker, or some combination of all three — but its deliberate siting between two lochs on an elevated ridge suggests a landscape of profound symbolic importance to those who built it.
UNESCO Heart of Neolithic Orkney
The Ring of Brodgar is one of four sites comprising the UNESCO World Heritage designation 'Heart of Neolithic Orkney', inscribed in 1999. The other components — Maeshowe chambered cairn, the Stones of Stenness, and Skara Brae — are all within 5 kilometres, creating a concentration of Neolithic monuments unmatched anywhere in northern Europe.
Together they represent a landscape that was clearly of exceptional importance to the farming communities who built and used them over a period of roughly 1,000 years (c.
3500–2500 BC). The UNESCO inscription recognises both the outstanding universal value of the individual monuments and the significance of their shared landscape context.
The Ness of Brodgar Excavation
Between the Ring of Brodgar and the Stones of Stenness, ongoing archaeological excavations at the Ness of Brodgar have been revealing since 2003 what appears to be an enormous Neolithic ceremonial complex — a series of large stone buildings, some with internal features like hearths and dressers, along with vast quantities of cattle bone suggesting communal feasting on an unprecedented scale.
The buildings include one structure (Structure 10) that may be the largest Neolithic building in northern Europe.
The excavation is open for public viewing during the summer dig season and is regarded as one of the most significant active archaeological investigations in the British Isles, with each summer season producing new discoveries.
The Orkney Light and Landscape
What transforms the Ring of Brodgar from a remarkable archaeological site into an almost transcendent experience is the quality of the Orcadian landscape and light. Orkney sits at 59° north — as far north as the southern tip of Greenland — and the long summer evenings (twilight at midsummer continues past midnight) create a quality of light that filters horizontally across the moor and the two lochs, catching the stones at angles that change by the minute.
The wide, flat, cloud-filled Orkney sky and the surrounding water create a sense of space and clarity that is unlike anywhere else in Britain.
The Ring of Brodgar should be visited at multiple times of day if possible.
Collections
Explore the diverse collections housed in this museum.
Current Exhibitions
No current exhibitions. Please check the museum website for updates.