Extensive knowledge
Site last updated: 16.03.2025
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Rural location
Archaeology
Archaeology on Rousay
Chambered Cairns
There are 15 identified and recorded chambered cairns on Rousay.
Of these, four are accessible to the public under the maintenance of Historic Environment Scotland.
These four tombs are open to the public and access is free of charge.
Click on the site name images (blue) below to access the official Historic Environment Scotland webpages,
or click on the lower images for a virtual tour inside the cairns.
Blackhammer Cairn
Blackhammer is a fine example of a Neolithic chambered
tomb, of a type known as a stalled cairn, with a long
central chamber divided into seven compartments, or stalls.
Midhowe Cairn
Midhowe Cairn is by far the largest and the best to visit. A modern hangar protects the tomb from the elements. Visitors can admire the compartments (or stalls) from above by walkways.
Taversöe Tuick
The cairn has a an unusual design. The main cairn has
two burial chambers, one above the other – an
arrangement seen at only one other Orkney tomb.
Knowe of Yarso
The remains of at least 29 people were discovered
inside the Knowe of Yarso during excavations in 1934.
There were also the bones of 36 red deer.
Midhowe Broch
Midhowe Broch is one of at least nine brochs that stand along the
banks of the narrow and dangerous Eynhallow Sound.
It is in an excellent state of preservation, especially its stone internal fittings.
A water tank, fireplace and room partitions are all visible.
Archaeological Digs on Rousay
The Knowe of Swandro
The Knowe of Swandro, in the Orkney island of Rousay, is being destroyed by coastal erosion.
This unique archaeological site includes a 5,000-year-old Neolithic chambered tomb, Iron Age roundhouses, Pictish buildings, a Viking settlement and a Norse Long Hall.
The burial chamber is currently undisturbed by the sea and is likely to hold Neolithic burials, but the outer walls of the tomb are being steadily eroded and limited time remains
before the chamber itself is destroyed.
* * * WE'RE BACK 2024 * * *
We will be back on site from Monday 17th June to Friday 9th August 2024
The site is usually closed on our days off (Friday & Saturday).
We offer free site tours on demand, just turn up, no need to book.
We may be driven off site by bad weather, if this is the case we'll try to post updates on our Facebook page.
During our extended excavation season, our priority will be the rescue excavation of the chambered tomb and of the Iron Age buildings which overlie the tomb.
Skaill Farm
A team of archaeologists from the University of the Highlands and Islands Archaeology Institute, Rousay residents and students have been digging at the site for a number of years, investigating the later stages of the farm complex and its middens (waste heaps), with a particular focus on past diet, farming and fishing practices.
The excavation is part of the Landscapes of Change – Archaeologies of the Rousay Clearances and Westness Estate project. The aim of the project is to explore the farmstead at Skaill from the Norse period to its abandonment in the nineteenth century.
The present farm at Skaill dates to the 18-19th centuries and was part of the Rousay clearances during the mid-19th century; however the name Skaill suggests the site
was home to a Norse hall or drinking hall, and was a high status site.
The UHI Archaeology Institute team will return in July to continue their research excavations.
Excavations Summer 2024
The site will be open weekdays from July 8th to July 26th 2024
Visitors are welcome 9.30am to 4.30pm & there's an open day on Saturday July 20th.
To find the sites: Park at the Midhowe Cairn / Broch carpark, walk down the path, turn left at the shore, and follow the path beyond the kirk. The Swandro excavation is beyond the Skaill Farm dig.