An amazing 5000yo old double-decker chambered cairn
2.5
2.5
Date of visit: November 2023
I have experience of challenges around: moving around
Overall Rating
Average
An amazing find on the Isle of Rousay, part of the Orkney archipelago, accessed via a short but uneven walk from the roadside to the cairn across a rough meadow that could be treacherous if the ground is soaked (which it was today). The cairn has an unusual design. The main cairn has two burial chambers, one above the other – an arrangement seen at only one other Orkney tomb. Slightly downhill of the lower chamber is a third chamber. The ground immediately adjacent to the cairn is very rough and considerable concentration is needed to remain upright - quite a challenge if you're unsteady on your feet as I am. Still, I managed to enter an always-unlocked gate to access the chamber interior where an iron ladder takes the adventurous visitor (not me today) down into a lower level chamber. It IS pretty amazing in there, and if you go it is definitely worth making the effort to enter through the gate. Stand there and marvel that someone built that 5,000 years ago! Outside, round the back from the gated entrance can be seen a green 'flap' lying on the ground. This is actually a weather protection flap for the entrance to the third cairn on the site. You can get inside this one too, but only if you're rubber-jointed (which I am not). Site totally unsuitable for wheelchair users. More mobile visitors will love the site and its history.
Parking & Transport
Excellent
