Skara Brae
A stone-built Neolithic village on the Bay of Skaill, uncovered when a storm stripped the sand dunes away. Ten structures and their passageways survive, with stone beds, hearths and dressers still in place, older than Stonehenge and the pyramids of Giza.
- Where
- Stromness, Scotland, United Kingdom
- Grade
- UNESCO heritage
- Worth
- 10 points collected on site, plus 8 for its grade
- Coordinates
- 59.0487, -3.3418
Get the Skara Brae stamp
Open LOQAH when you are at Skara Brae. It checks where you are once, at that moment, and the stamp is yours: confirmed on site in gold and struck with the date. It goes into your Scotland volume with your photos and a note.
Near Skara Brae
Heart of Neolithic Orkney 9.2 km
A group of Neolithic monuments on the Mainland of Orkney, made a World Heritage Site in 1999. Around the lochs of Stenness and Harray stand the Ring of Brodgar, the Stones of Stenness and the chambered tomb of Maeshowe.
John o' Groats 49 km
A village on the northeastern tip of mainland Scotland, traditionally the far end of the long journey from Land's End. Its signpost is the usual photograph, though the true northernmost point is nearby Dunnet Head.
Culloden Battlefield 180 km
Open moorland east of Inverness where, on 16 April 1746, a Jacobite army under Charles Edward Stuart was defeated by government forces. It was the last pitched battle on British soil, and a memorial cairn and clan stones mark the field today.
Urquhart Castle 202 km
A ruined castle on a headland above Loch Ness, about two kilometres from Drumnadrochit. It is one of the most visited castles in Scotland, and its broken tower looks straight down the length of the loch.
Loch Ness 205 km
A long, deep freshwater loch in the Scottish Highlands, named after the River Ness that flows out of its northern end. It is best known for claimed sightings of a monster, affectionately called Nessie.
Cairngorms National Park 219 km
The largest national park in the United Kingdom, established in 2003 around the Cairngorms range in northeast Scotland. Its high plateau, pine forests and glens are home to red deer, ospreys and Britain's only free-ranging reindeer herd.
Balmoral Castle 223 km
A royal estate house on Royal Deeside, near the village of Crathie and 80 kilometres west of Aberdeen. Bought for Queen Victoria and Prince Albert, who had the present house built in the 1850s, it is still the royal family's summer home in Scotland.
Eilean Donan Castle 235 km
A castle on a small tidal island where three sea lochs meet in the western Highlands, joined to the shore by a stone footbridge. First built in the 13th century, it was a stronghold of the Clan Mackenzie, and the present castle was rebuilt in the early 20th century.
More UNESCO World Heritage sites in Scotland
Questions
Where is Skara Brae?
Skara Brae is in Stromness, Scotland, United Kingdom. The nearest other LOQAH stamps are Heart of Neolithic Orkney (9.2 km), John o' Groats (49 km), Culloden Battlefield (180 km).
How do I get the Skara Brae stamp?
Open LOQAH when you are at Skara Brae and get its stamp. The app checks where you are once, at that moment, and the stamp goes into your Scotland volume, confirmed on site, with the date.
I have been to Skara Brae before. Can I still have the stamp?
Yes. Add it from Earlier trips in your Scotland volume, with the date if you know it, or import your Google Timeline and LOQAH matches the places you were.
Collect your first stamp.
LOQAH is free on iPhone and Android, in India and 20 more countries, with more countries on the way. Stand at a place, collect its stamp, and keep every trip in a passport that grows.