Orkney Fossil & Heritage Centre & Cafe

I spent a captivating afternoon exploring the Orkney Fossil and Heritage Centre, and I was thoroughly impressed! The exhibits are thoughtfully curated and beautifully presented, telling the story of the region’s rich natural history. The fossil collection is fantastic. What really stood out to me was the staff’s passion and knowledge. They were friendly, approachable, and happy to answer every question. The centre is clean, well-maintained, and has a welcoming atmosphere. Bonus points for the small gift shop stocked with beautifully crafted local souvenirs that make excellent keepsakes. Overall, the Orkney Fossil and Heritage Centre is a hidden gem. A must-visit for families, fossil enthusiasts, or anyone curious about Orkney’s fascinating past. I left inspired and eager to explore more of the island’s natural heritage. Highly recommended!

Lovely cafe with tasty food. Very nice gift shop with handmade items. We really enjoyed all of the aspects of the museum, the family story and their collections. Quite nice fossil collection! Well put together and curated. 👍

This museum and cafe is located 19 minutes out of Kirkwall. It houses a diverse and surprisingly excellent range of cultural and natural history objects. The information boards help understand the geology and evolution of Orkney and the wider world. Well worth a visit. 👍👍👍

What a very pleasant surprise the Orkney Fossil & Heritage centre is. A very warm welcome greets you as you walk in. The place offers amazing displays of fossils, an insight into Scapa Flow, and up the stairs a walk back in time in the heritage centre. Ind blowing. After digesting all that was on offer we popped into the cafe, I had the very delicious 😋 seafood Chowder with a warm banock and the wife had a delicious 😋 backed potato 🥔 with beans 🫘 and for desert we bought a bag of their delicious 😋 homemade tablet. Staff were welcoming, friendly and helpful.

I last visited this area some fifty years ago when my ship, the Royal Fleet Auxiliary Stromness, berthed at her namesake port in the Orkneys. This time, visiting on Fred Olsen's Balmoral, I hired a bike for £50 because I was a man on a mission! My neighbour, nee Moira Christie, is an Orcadian, born in Kirkwall. And she reckons that the Orkney fudge made in the Relic Cafe at the Fossil Centre is the best there is. After my lengthy bike ride, done in first gear owing to a technical issue for which Cycle Orkney generously refunded £20, I headed straight for the cafe, under instruction to purchase only the vanilla variety, But the seafood chowder and bannock lured me outside where the sun was shining. Excellent fare indeed from a very interesting menu. I wouldn't normally drink Irn Bru - the eclectic drink - 'Made in Scotland from Girrrders' - the advert used to say, but it just had to be done. Really tasty soup, first class bannock and drink £10. Thence to the adjacent fossil museum where, apart from an excellent display of the eponymous rocks, I was fascinated by the very well put together exhibition of the huge Scapa Flow anchorage. As a Naval man, with 38 years full time and reserve service, it really did put the history of the WW1 and WW2 anchorage and its many sunken ships into sharp focus. The souvenir shop is also worth a mention, containing a really great selection of locally crafted goods. Had it not been for Moira's 'Orkney Fudge', which, to be honest I always knew as tablet, I would never have ventured here, but it was well worth it for both the fossils and the excellent cafe.

Absolutely wonderful little collection, not only of local fossiles (some truly excellent specimens there) but also ones from around the world. The rooms dedicated to the history of Orkney and the building of the Churchill Barriers were equally fantastic. Everything was well researched and explained, whilst keeping it approachable. I highly recommend stopping by here on your way from St Margaret's Hope to Mainland!

A real treat. Excellent exhibitions, well laid out and cared for. Especially good was the Scapa Flow floor map with views out over the Flow itself; lends real immediacy to the display. Lovely little cafe and clean toilets. All in all, recommended for a visit.

This place is a total Aladdin’s cave and so interesting, it is on two levels the upper level accessible by a flight of stairs , but my 91 year old mother managed , loads to see and well laid out , the cafe attached was great also food was nice , plentiful and reasonably priced, staff were efficient and friendly. If I could give them more than 5 stars , I would ..