Maeshowe Chambered Cairn
Museums & Science Centres · Orkney Mainland, Hebrides, Orkney & Shetland
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Open now — closes 5.30pm
🏠 IndoorEducational
What’s there
- Parking
Only facilities we’ve confirmed are listed — anything missing here we simply haven’t checked, rather than know to be absent.
Maeshowe is a monumental chambered tomb, the finest Neolithic building to survive in north-west Europe, built some 5,000 years ago. This chambered tomb sits on a platform encircled by a ditch and is accessed by guided tour only, starting at the Visitor Centre in Stenness.
Maeshowe's unique story continued when it was broken into about 1,000 years ago by Norsemen, who left astonishing runic graffiti alongside the stunning 'Maeshowe Dragon' carving. If you visit in midwinter with clear skies, you can witness the central chamber illuminated by a shaft of light from the setting sun.
Access is by guided tour only with timed ticketing. The Visitor Centre has a car park, bike storage rack, and toilets. Family tickets are available.
Open Apr-Sep: 9:30-17:30 (guided tours at 10:00, 12:00, 14:00, 16:00). Oct-Mar: 10:00-16:00 (guided tours at 10:00, 12:00, 14:00). Guided tour only — book online.
Stuff to take with you
The things people wish they’d packed for a day out like this one.
- Refillable water bottleMost places will fill it for free.
- Snacks that survive a rucksackCheaper than the café, and buys you twenty minutes.
- Wet wipes
- Small first aid kitPlasters solve more days out than anything else here.
- Sick bagsYou only forget these once.
- Painkillers for grown-ups
- Spare carrier bagFor the wet things. There are always wet things.
- Hair bobbles
- Lunch boxes
- Notebook
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