Immerse yourself in the Neolithic - life, death, art and architecture
An immersive journey into the Neolithic world. Enjoy a nature walk on Wideford Hill, just outside Kirkwall, where sweeping views stretch across the Bay of Firth and the surrounding hills and valleys. Along the way, your accompanying archaeologist guide will bring the landscape to life, describing how people lived here five thousand years ago—how they built their homes, cooked, farmed, crafted, and thrived.
At our destination, you will enter the remarkable Wideford Hill cairn, a 5,000‑year‑old Neolithic burial chamber. Inside, you will explore the contrasts and connections between the architecture of houses for the living and the monumental mounds created for the ancestors. Those with a keen eye may even spot original Neolithic carvings hidden among later Victorian graffiti.
This tour invites you to get hands‑on with the past. You will handle replica tools, pots, and carved stone objects, and examine images of real archaeological finds. Inspired by these, you will craft your own clay pot (using modern self-drying clay) and decorate it in the distinctive Grooved Ware style and experiment with mixing mineral pigments to to embellish your clay creation.
Length of walk:
Pickaquoy Sports Centre to Wideford Hill Car Park: 3 kilometres (1.9 miles) each way in addition for the longer option.
Wideford Hill car park to Wideford Hill burial cairn: 0.8 kilometres (0.5 miles) each way.
Please consider your own health condition and fitness level when deciding whether to join this event and whether to go for the longer or shorter option.
12.00 noon: Optional longer walk (uphill) - Meet at Pickaquoy sports centre car park. Walk with guide from there past Orkney Golf Club up Wideford Hill along footpath.
12.40 pm: Optional car pooling - Meet at Pickaquoy sports centre cark park. Car pool into max 3 cars, as the Wideford hill road only has parking space for three cars.
1.00 pm: Start of tour, from small car park below summit of Wideford Hill (see map). NB there is limited parking space here, so we recommend using the car pooling option or walking from Pickaquoy Sports Centre.
1.00 - 1.30: Nature walk downhill to Wideford Neolithic Cairn. Guiding along the way about Neolithic settlement and landscape.
1.30 - 2.00: Visit inside Neolithic cairn. Snack (bring your own).
2.00 - 2.45: Art workshop outside cairn.
2.45 - 3.30: Walk back (uphill) to Wideford road car park.
3.30: Option - End the walk at Wideford road car park, car pool down to Pickaquoy Sports Centre.
3.30 - 4.00: Option (longer walk, downhill) - Walk down Wideford Hill along footpath past Orkney Golf Club through Muddisdale Woods back to Pickaquoy Sports Centre.
Wideford Hill road car park - Start of tour.
Optional - Walk or car pooling from Pickaquoy Sports Centre.
Your own snack and bottle of water
Sturdy and waterproof footwear
Warm and waterproof clothing suited to weather on the day. Bear in mind the wind can be stronger up on the hill compared to in town.
Snack and water not included, please bring your own.
We reserve the right to cancel with 24 hours notice if fewer than 8 tickets are sold at this time. Ticket holders will receive a refund.
Weather dependent: This walk may be cancelled with 24 hours notice in the case of poor weather forecast, in which case ticket holders will receive a refund.
