Maeshowe

You're supposed to book online as it gets very booked up, but I popped in the visitor centre to use their loo and there was a cancellation so I got in. It's not at all wheel chair accessible. You get a bus to the site itself then walk a fair way, sloping in parts, then access through a tunnel we had to stoop to go through. Truly amazing site though, and very informative guide.

I had read on our tour itinerary that, at Maeshowe, there would be a low and narrow entrance. It was. Our site tour guide and all other site staff were watchful to make sure that no one got injured. I did bump my head as I went in but didn't incur any injury. The wall markings were great to see. Back in the cafeteria when I rejoined my tour group a man at the next table indicated, I think without words, that he wanted me to look at his phone. What I saw amazed me and had one of my tour party in stitches. On his phone was a photo, head on, of me coming out through the narrow entrance. Later that day I asked my fellow travellers if I could claim on public liability insurance for the apparent injury to my head. In the background behind me was a neolithic stone that looked as though it had risen from my head. It was only a joke but it did look good. We saw many other similar sites that day as they are very close together. Though I hadn't an interest in the subject before, the sights of neolithic stones from elsewhere on our tour had me hooked. Maeshowe is well worth a visit. We had to wait because our tour was scheduled for a particular time.

You need a guided tour to get in!! It's super interesting once you're in, definitely worth booking in advance. Very interesting and I learned a lot about it's history including nordic graffiti 🤭 no pictures allowed on the inside just so you all know!!

Amazing piece of history! Fantastic construction from so long ago. The rune graffiti is also really cool to see. No photos inside allowed.

This is an incredible place, well presented by the guides. Only 16 people are allowed in at a time, so do not fail to book in advance. No photos are permitted inside. The entrance is very low and requires major stooping for 30 feet - I saw one poor (tall) man on his hands and knees. Wear comfy shoes that can take a little mud. It’s worth it.

The way the entrance is organised excluded us from visiting. We saw many other chambered cairns (all free) with no restrictions. Hope to make it one day.

Need to book in advance to avoid disappointment. Fascinating history. Historical landmark in Scotland, one of Europe's finest chambered tombs, built 5000 years ago. A masterpiece of Neolithic design and construction. Carey was a great insightful, enthusiastic guide.

This chambered tomb, which sits on a platform encircled by a ditch, is a monument to the skill and beliefs of Orkney's people some 5,000 years ago. Our guide told us that if you visit in midwinter and the skies are clear you can witness the central chamber illuminated by a shaft of light from the setting sun. She also told us that they do special sound ceremonies in the tomb where people have been subjected to 2 hz soundwaves and actually had hallucinations. Absolutely fascinating! It is a short bus ride from the visitor center, then a little hike to get to it. You have to bend down to walk through the narrow passage to get to the tomb - so if you are scared of confined places this may not be a place for you. Once you get through this short tunnel - it opens up. Maeshowe's unique story continued when it was broken into about 1,000 years ago by Norsemen. They left their mark in the astonishing runic graffiti, alongside the stunning 'Maeshowe Dragon' carving. Access is by guided tour only, starting and finishing at the Visitor Center in Stenness, with timed ticketing. The Visitor Center has an interesting shop where you can browse all things Scottish.

Fun tour of a chambered cairn with lots of historical context including Viking runes (basically graffiti) carved into the inside of the stone structure. You need reservations and it's a mixed bag for kids. So, the hype around this is pretty high, but mostly deserved--especially for adults who are interested in history. You need a reservation because you can only go inside the cairn with a guide and it starts by taking a 2-minute bus ride from the visitors center. The tour is worth it though because you hear fantastic context about the history of the area, the history of the cairn and they point out the various places where there are Viking runes carved into the inside as well as showing you the Maeshowe dragon carving, which is pretty cool. For my wife and I, that was amazing. For my 5-year-old and 9-year-old kids it was a bit less awesome. We did get to go inside essentially a stone fort in a hill, but then they had to listen to a ~30-minute lecture. All while not touching anything because it's roped off to preserve it. The guide really did a pretty good job trying to pull them into the conversation, but there's only so much that matters. The kids were good and I think had a good time, but it wasn't their favorite. There's a bunch of other chambered cairns nearby that you can go in without a reservation and where the kids can climb around inside. We visited the Cuween Hill chambered cairn the next day and the kids loved being able to go around without as many lectures or rules.

Maeshowe looks like little more than a grassy mound from the nearby main road. But it is the finest chambered tomb in northern Europe - bar none. Over 5,000 years old, it predates the oldest of the Pyramids in Egypt. The tomb itself is accessed via a long, low and narrow tunnel, 14m long and just 1.4m high. This enters the large central chamber, with is 4.5m square and about 4m high, the walls of which taper gently to the roof, with butresses at each corner. Three further chambers open off this main chamber, each with a right-angled dog-leg. The interior architecture of the tomb is stunning. The walls were built of massive blocks of sandstone, beautifully prepared and laid with great care to form an sublime space. The tapering and accuracy of the fit of the stones cannot fail to impress. It also represents a phenomenal feat of engineering, as the individual blocks weigh up to three tonnes. It would be a challenge now, let alone 5000 years ago. The acoustics are also unique - giving an other-worldly sound, with patches of loud and quiet noise, suggesting this may have formed part of rituals performed within. Another famous feature is a series of 30 different Viking runes dating from the 12th century. Left by Vikings who took shelter from a storm here returning from the crusades, it is one of the largest collection in existence, and is accompanied by drawings of dragon, a walrus and a serpent. These are explained in detail at: http://www.orkneyjar.com/history/maeshowe/maeshrunes.htm This incursion (or incursions) is also reported in the Orkneyinga Saga. It is amazing to think that the 12th century Vikings are more contemporaneous with us than with the original builders. There is some speculation that the tomb may have been reused as a burial chamber in the Viking period. The entrance passage is aligned with the winter solstice, so that the sun shines directly into the chamber on the shortest day. This, together with the sparsity of artefacts found when the tomb was first excavated in 1861, suggest it may have had a ritual use beyond being a burial site. For many years, the passage was blocked, and an entrance had been broken through the roof. The roof, and the mound above, has now been restored. The site is open daily, but visitor numbers are restricted due to the confined space, so tickets must be reserved in advance, either by telephone or the web-site, and are valid for a specific timed period. You report to the visitor information centre at Tormiston Mill, where there is an display giving information about the tomb. The narrow passage entrance is not too hard to scramble along, but may not suit those of a claustrophobic nature.

Make sure you book a tour as it fills up soon. I enjoyed the tour tremendously, but do which the numbers weren't so crammed in. Our guide was amazing and bought alive the context of the pre-historic burials, Viking invaders, Victorian explorer neglect and the importance of the Winter Solstice to Meas Howe. A most enjoyable hour and definite recommendation. Oh also on another note, buy your international post card stamps from the gift shop here as they sell a pretty 5 pack which has all the Neolithic Orkney landmarks.

Maeshowe is an amazing place to visit for anyone who loves history. This is one of the oldest structures in Europe, having been built over 5,000 years ago. There is even "Viking graffiti" on the walls dating from a mere 1,000 years ago. It is amazing how well-preserved this historical treasure is. You need to book in advance, as you need to go to the tourist center and take a bus to get in. I think this is for crowd control reasons to prevent the inside from getting too cramped. I never felt claustrophobic or uncomfortable for the time we were in there. You have to duck down a bit to get in but that takes just a few seconds. The guide was EXCELLENT. He translated different Viking ruins on the walls and really made the place come alive. The stories he told were fascinating. In particular, he showed us how one Viking rune actually linked up with another set of runes and stories in Iceland. As another reviewer noted, it is amazing that these Vikings are closer to our time than the original builders. Definitely don't miss this if you are in Orkney!

A fantastic site, don't miss it! Tours run regularly throughout the day and must be booked in advance - you used to just turn up and take the next available tour but it doens't work like that any more. The passageway is narrow, low and relatively long (well it feel long when you're walking doubled up along it) but you can easily stand up inside the tomb. The tour guides are helpful and interesting - although they seem to be trying to 'sanitise' the translations of some of the Viking runic inscriptions (graffiti!). Sunset in midwinter is the best time to visit if you can - as that's the special time when the setting sun sends its rays right down the passageway to light up the inside back wall of the chamber! Stunning.