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Scotland’s Viking Isles: A History Lover’s Voyage to Orkney & Shetland
On the Wednesday following the last Tuesday in January, Shetland shuts down. It is the only place in Scotland to have an extra public holiday. The reason is simply because everyone is exhausted. They’ve been up all night burning a Viking galley.
In neighboring Orkney, they’re a little less obsessed with flames, but that doesn’t mean they value their Viking heritage any less. Every Christmas Eve and Hogmanay, they play “The Ba,” a mass football game on the streets of Kirkwall. Every match sees the Uppies versus the Doonies — which team you side with, depends on your line of Norse heritage.
A Land Where the Sea is Everything
Lerwick, Shetland, photo by Don Lodge. Source: Pixabay
Separated from the British mainland by the hostile North Sea, the sea is still a key feature of daily life for these Scottish Islands. Despite recent oil and gas discoveries opening up new possibilities for Islanders, most prefer to rely on the sea for their livelihoods.
It has always been that way. While much of British history was shaped by the Romans following their invasion they never made it to Orkney or Shetland. The Vikings did, though. In the 9th century, Viking warriors landed and soon learned that these islands were far too valuable to plunder. They set up a base here and made the Northern Isles their home. A strategic halfway point between their Nordic homes and the British mainland, Shetland and Orkney were placed under Norwegian Rule and stayed under it until 1468.
It was a pure chance that control of the isles was rescinded by Norway. In 1468, Norwegian King Christian I pledged the Northern Isles to King James III of Scotland in return for a dowry for his daughter, Margaret who went on to marry James.
Interestingly, that dowry was never paid, and there are some historians who state that Orkney and Shetland should still be Norwegian. Many islanders share this view, and as recently as 2023 a member of the Orkney Islands Council tabled a motion for a referendum that could see the islands return to Norwegian control. All things considered, it should come as no surprise that both Orkney and Shetland feel more Nordic than they do Scottish.
Norwegian flags are carried through the streets of Lerwick on Norwegian Constitution Day. Source: The Shetland Times
The only way to truly understand these unique, remote lands, is to see them for yourselves. Red and blue Norwegian flags outnumber the Saltire, classic folk songs echo through the streets in place of the sound of bagpipes, and if you ask an islander what they wear under their kilt, they’ll simply tell you that they don’t own one.
The Must-See Viking Sites in Orkney & Shetland
Boat burning at Up Helly AA, Lerwick, photo by Roy Mullay. Source: Wikimedia Commons
From the 9th Century CE right up until 1472, Orkney and Shetland were a Norse territory, known as the Earldom of Orkney and governed locally by the Earl — or Jarl as they were known in the Norse language. Despite the name, the Earldom was comprised of both Orkney and Shetland along with the northernmost part of mainland Scotland.
For history lovers, the islands are a paradise. And not only because of the abundance of Viking sites. Both islands are home to some historically significant spots from the Neolithic age right through to the Second World War. Be sure to make time to explore these too.
Orkney
Interior of St Magnus Cathedral, Kirkwall. Source: North Link Ferries
The top Viking sites in Orkney are all located on the Mainland, the main island and home to the islands’ capital, Kirkwall. This makes getting around them all easily achievable in a couple of days.
Dominating Kirkwall’s skyline, St Magnus Cathedral is a good starting point. This stunning Romanesque building, built in striking red sandstone, holds many accolades; it is Britain’s most northerly cathedral, as well as Scotland’s oldest. Built during Viking rule, with construction starting in 1137 and additions continuing for the next 300 years, it was created for the bishops of Orkney and named after Magnus Erlendsson, Earl of Orkney from 1106 to 1117. He was known to be a gentle man (by Viking standards at least), and he notably refused to fight during raids.
Right opposite the cathedral are the ruins of the earl and bishops’ palaces. The Bishop’s Palace was built during the Viking era and is one of the best-preserved buildings of its time. It was here that King Haakon of Norway died in December 1263. The Earl’s Palace was added two centuries after Norse rule ended, but is an impressive sight, nonetheless.
Maeshowe Neolithic Tomb, Stennes. Source: The Viking Herald
Traveling back in time, Birsay is another must on a Viking voyage around the islands. Now a small village, mainly occupied by farmland, it once played a far more significant role as the capital of Orkney, until the administrative center moved to Kirkwall in the 11th Century. The parish church, St Magnus Church, is built on the site of the first cathedral in Orkney. The small tidal island, Brough of Birsay, is home to the remains of the Viking settlement that once stood there.
Another, perhaps unlikely, contender for a stop is Scapa Flow. This sheltered body of water is perhaps best known as the location of the scuttling of the German fleet during the First World War, but its history goes back much further. The Vikings used it as a safe harbor for their longships; King Haakon moored the Norwegian flagship, Kroussden, there in August 1263.
In Stenness, famous for the neolithic Standing Stones, visit Maeshowe. This tomb, thought to date from around 2700 BCE, was visited by the Viking settlers who left their mark in the form of graffiti.
Shetland
Lerwick Town Hall with its commemorative stained-glass windows. Source: Groves Raines
Unlike Orkney, the best Viking sites in Shetland are a little more spread out. Looking at a map of Shetland, you’ll see why; the archipelago is long and thin, while you’re never more than three miles from the sea, it’s 116 miles from the southern tip of Fair Isle to the most northerly point of Unst. Starting again, in the islands’ capital, Lerwick, be sure to visit the Town Hall, where the impressive stained-glass windows depict events and figures from the Viking era.
Just north of Lerwick, is the Tingwall Valley, worth the drive out of town for the views alone. It was here, on a small outcrop of land jutting out into Tingwall Loch, that the Norse parliament sat. This spot, known as Tingaholm in Norse, is the place at which important decisions were made; laws were interpreted, criminals were tried, and legislation was enacted. Little remains today, bar a few foundations.
Another one of Shetland’s most-visited sites, in the South Mainland, is Jarlshof. Most commonly celebrated for its significance as the best-preserved prehistoric archaeological site on the islands, it also played a key role in the Viking era. Norse settlers occupied the site for the entirety of their rule, with the first remains of a Viking longhouse anywhere in Britain being discovered here in the 1930s. A number of more recent digs have unearthed tools used by the Vikings for fishing and farming.
The replica Viking longhouse in Haroldswick, Unst. Source: Monissa
With that said, there is one place in Shetland that holds more significance than any other: Unst. Representing the northernmost part of the islands, the journey from Lerwick involves two ferries and requires a full day, but you won’t regret it.
It is thought that Unst was the first place Viking settlers landed in the United Kingdom, which makes perfect sense as it is the first land they would have reached. Three longhouses have been excavated on the island, and a replica has been built in Haroldswick, which stands alongside a replica longship — the Skidbladner. Unst Heritage Centre provides a fascinating exhibition. As with Jarlshof, Unst has a long and varied history, and the Heritage Centre offers an insight into everything from prehistoric times to the present day.
Up Helly Aa Festival
Viking mounts ship, Up Helly Aa. Source: Shetland.org
It is impossible to discuss the Viking history of Shetland and Orkney without giving a mention to Up Helly Aa. This somewhat peculiar festival is a testament to the fact that there is nowhere else in the world that takes their Viking heritage as seriously as Shetland does. Every year on the last Tuesday in January, the streets of Lerwick light up with a procession of torches, carried by squads of townspeople dressed in full Viking attire, led by the Guizer Jarl who is elected by a committee every year. They loop around the streets to a play park on King Harald Street, where a life-size galley boat is waiting to be burned.
When the galley is set alight, squads head for the town’s community halls and schools, where they put on themed displays all through the night. Every squad moves from hall to hall so visitors can witness every one of them without having to move.
The party runs into the early hours, with more dancing, singing, and drinking than you could imagine. The following Wednesday is designated as a bank holiday in Shetland, with everything grinding to a halt; the shops are closed, the buses don’t run, and the people are fast asleep.
Tickets to the event are very limited and get snapped up quickly, but if you ever get the chance to witness it, it is a sight like no other — a true once-in-a-lifetime experience, for all except those of us lucky enough to have lived in the isles.
Why Visit Orkney and Shetland?
Standing Stones, Orkney. Source: Scotland.org
Shetland and Orkney, Britain’s most northerly outposts, manage to pack in some of the best-preserved and most significant sites from the Viking Era. A visit to the islands is a pilgrimage for Viking history enthusiasts. More than that, ticking off two of the British Isles’ most out-of-the-way archipelagos is an achievement in itself, and one well worth adding to your bucket list.
Aside from the fascinating history, these islands are some of the most tranquil, beautiful places in the country, or as the locals would tell you — on earth. The welcome is always warm, the weather less so, but one thing is for sure: you’ll rarely find anyone who has made the journey who doesn’t say they want to come back time and time again. Given their location, the Northern Isles aren’t the easiest places in Scotland to reach. But this only adds to the appeal — and the feeling of being on the edge of the world.
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