Experience the best of Kirkwall

Kirkwall is the capital of Orkney, on the largest island, the Mainland, facing a sheltered bay. Its centrepiece is St Magnus Cathedral, built of red and yellow sandstone and begun in 1137 by Earl Rognvald in honour of his uncle Magnus, with the ruined Bishop's and Earl's palaces beside it. Narrow flagstoned streets lined with grey stone shops run along the harbour, and the Orkney Museum occupies a sixteenth-century town house.

Kirkwall is the base for the Heart of Neolithic Orkney, a World Heritage site that includes the chambered tomb of Maeshowe, the Standing Stones of Stenness, the Ring of Brodgar and the village of Skara Brae, all within about 30 kilometres to the west. To the south lies Scapa Flow, the sheltered anchorage where the German fleet was scuttled in 1919, and the Italian Chapel on Lamb Holm, built by prisoners of war, stands beside the Churchill Barriers.

Orkney beef, lamb, cheese and fudge appear in the shops, along with scallops, crab and bere bannocks, small loaves baked from a local barley. Each Christmas Day and New Year's Day the Kirkwall Ba', a mass street ball game between the Uppies and the Doonies, fills the main street. Summer light lasts until late, while winters bring storms and long dark evenings.