Maeshowe Chambered Cairn

Enter one of the finest Neolithic buildings in north-west Europe, a masterpiece of ancient engineering. 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.

Maeshowe sits in one of the richest Neolithic landscapes in Europe – a place of stone circles, villages and burial monuments, where people lived, worshipped, and honoured their dead. It's part of the Heart of Neolithic Orkney World Heritage Site.

For the three weeks before and after the winter solstice (the shortest day of the year), the light of the setting sun shines straight down Maeshowe’s gently sloping passage and illuminates the back of the central chamber. 

If you visit in midwinter - and the skies are clear - you can witness this ancient chamber illuminated by a shaft of light from the setting sun. Visitors wishing to see this should visit in the six weeks in the winter (roughly from the end of November through to the middle of January, weather dependent). The sunset should be visible during the 2pm tour.