Description
The Brough of Birsay is free to visit and open all year, but only accessible at low tide. Please note, the visitor centre is closed. Cross the causeway to a tidal island that was a place of local and perhaps regional importance, first for the Picts and later the Norse settlers. The remains of the Norse settlement include a ruined, Romanesque church that was a place of pilgrimage in the Middle Ages.
Accessibility
Wheelchair-accessible entrance
Children
Good for kids
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Reviews
5
Love this beach. Great rock pools at low tide., to investigate with kids. The Brough is also a lovely walk, great to see sea birds #puffins, razor bills, gannets etc. Check the tide times. You can get stuck on the brough at high tide. Means a good 6 hour wait to come back.
5
Beautiful Neolithic site with great hints as to how people lived. Climb up the hill for a view of Puffins.
5
Nice walk to and around the island. Check tide times to make sure the causeway is not under water and you have time to get back. There are Norse ruins as you go onto the island and then there are rough paths that take you round the island. Some of them pass close to the cliff edge so care would have to be taken with children and dogs.
5
Stunning area to walk. Please check tide times and allow enough time to get back safely. Go out when the tide goes out. Walking boots are a must. Stunning views, cliffs and great for bird watching. Wrap up its gets windy and cold. Stay safe and enjoy. Car park
5
A great place to visit, just as the tide is going out. You can then walk across the spit to reach the island itself. Once there, make sure you leave enough time to make your return before the tide comes in again. There are some great ruins of St. Peter's Chapel and it's Burial grounds, as well as a lighthouse. It is a place we are so looking forward to returning to (sometime in the future). A Beautiful place with some great rock formations all around the area. We would highly recommend you drive up here while on the Island.
5
A beautiful island connected by a concrete walkway that can't be crossed at high tide. We waded across 1.5 hours after high tide on a calm day, the water up to our thighs, so don't take chances with rising tides. Loads of nesting seabirds in early summer and stunning cliffs.