Quoyness Chambered Cairn

Archaeological place

Explorer Tom

Quoyness makes you crawl into the past, quite literally. A nine-metre entrance passage runs through this Neolithic cairn on Sanday to a chamber high enough to stand in, as though its builders wanted the arrival to feel like a surprise. Five thousand years later, the effect still works. The tomb was used from about 3000 to 2500 BC. Six smaller cells open off its central chamber, and a stone-lined cist lies in the floor. Excavators found human bones in several cells, including remains of adults and children, along with animal bone, pottery and stone tools. Fine scratch marks on some stones echo art at Neolithic settlements such as Skara Brae. Archaeologists have noticed another likeness: the chamber's plan resembles a house, though we cannot ask its builders what they meant by that. Look at the care of the masonry before deciding whether a tomb should feel so much like a home. Historic Environment Scotland keeps Quoyness free and open all year. Reaching it means taking the ferry to Sanday, then following a coastal path from the permitted parking area; vehicles must not drive beyond it. The entrance is low, can be wet and requires crawling, so a light and suitable clothes help. You can admire the cairn from outside if the passage is not for you. Either way, leave the stones where their makers placed them. They have carried enough visitors already.

This does not grant access. Check current paths, opening conditions and ownership before entering.

What do you know about this place?Tap to add a comment or ask a question

More pictures of this place

What is recorded here

Map note: There is a map point for Quoyness Chambered Cairn, an ancient site near Kettletoft, Orkney Islands, Scotland. The past can keep its secrets; the map gives you a starting point.

From OpenStreetMap (© OpenStreetMap contributors) n5509245778