Yesnaby

Yesnaby is a historic township in Sandwick, on the west coast of Orkney Mainland, Scotland, south of Skara Brae. It is renowned for its spectacular Old Red Sandstone coastal cliff scenery which includes sea stacks, blowholes, geos and frequently boiling seas.

Photo: Renata, Public domain.

Places of Interest

Highlights include Skara Brae and Broch of Borwick.

Skara Brae

Protected area

Photo: Wikimedia, CC BY-SA 3.0.

Skara Brae is a stone-built Neolithic settlement, located on the Bay of Skaill in the parish of Sandwick, on the west coast of Mainland, the largest island in the Orkney archipelago of Scotland. Skara Brae is situated 2 miles north of Yesnaby.

Broch of Borwick

Archaeological site

Photo: Otter, CC BY-SA 3.0.

The Broch of Borwick is an Iron Age broch located on Mainland, Orkney, Scotland. It is a scheduled monument.

Skaill House

Photo: Wojsyl, CC BY-SA 3.0.

Skaill House is a historic manor house in Sandwick parish on Mainland, the largest of the Orkney Islands, Scotland. The house overlooks the Neolithic site, Skara Brae, and the Bay of Skaill. Skaill House is situated 2 miles north of Yesnaby.

Places in the Area

Nearby places include Cairston and Stromness.

Cairston

Locality

Photo: Bill Boaden, CC BY-SA 2.0.

Cairston is a village on Mainland, in Orkney, Scotland. The settlement is within the parish of Stromness. Within the village is located the Castle of Cairston which is said to have belonged to the House of Gordons, and may have been built in 1152, as contested in a Saga. Cairston is situated 4 miles southeast of Yesnaby.

Stromness

Photo: Wikimedia, CC BY 2.0.

Stromness is a port on the Mainland of the Orkney Islands, with a population of roughly 2200. To the Vikings, Straumsnes meant the headland just south, where a fierce tide rips between Scapa Flow and the Atlantic; get past that and you came safely into Hamnavoe or "peaceful harbour" where the town now stands.