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Wideford Hill Chambered Cairn

Near Kirkwall, Orkney
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Open all year round
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Descend into the darkness of a 5,000-year-old chambered tomb.

Wideford Hill Chambered Cairn is an excellent example of Neolithic design and construction. It is well preserved, with a high central chamber and three cells opening off it.

Today the tomb is accessed through the roof, rather than original long and narrow passage from the west. Inside there are rare examples of Neolithic scratch art.

Wide shot of the Wideford Hill Chambered Cairn under a bright blue sky with scattered clouds. The cairn’s circular stone walls form three stepped levels, partially covered with grass and wildflowers.
Image ©Paola Arosio and Diego Meozzi.
Interior of the Wideford Hill Chambered Cairn, showing rough stone walls built from stacked slabs.
Side view of the Wideford Hill Chambered Cairn on a sloping hillside, with multiple concentric stone walls forming stepped levels. Heather and grass cover the surrounding landscape, and fencing runs along the upper slope.
A close-up shot if a wall in a chambered cairn. Flat, lichen-covered stones have been stacked on top of each other to create an ancient-looking but clearly very sturdy structure.

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