The Orkney Islands’ Mainland is the largest island in the archipelago and overflows with sights to see and activities to do. The island is bisected by Kirkwall, Orkney’s largest town, and the west Mainland receives the lion’s share of visitors’ attention because it’s home to the UNESCO World Heritage Site The Heart of Neolithic Orkney. There you’ll find ancient wonders like Skara Brae, the Ring of Brodgar, and Maeshowe among others. The east mainland doesn’t have the same prestige, but the peninsulas of Tankerness and Deerness possess the same rugged coastal beauty as the rest of Mainland. The Brough of Deerness in particular caught my eye, and I visited this beautiful nature reserve on my last visit to soak in the wide Orcadian skies, buffeting sea winds, and towering sea cliffs.

The Mull Head Local Nature Reserve and the Brough of Deerness stand about a half-hour drive east of Kirkwall. Like most of Orkney, this drive runs through flat and pastoral farms bounded by sheer-sided cliffs and rocky beaches. Eventually you’ll reach a small parking area by the nature reserve’s sign. This headland was designated as a local nature reserve in 1993 because of its ecological, archaeological, and geological interest.

Brough of Deerness, Orkney Islands, Scotland

There are several walks you can take from this location, including the Brough of Deerness, around Mull Head, and west to a Covenanters’ Memorial where 200 Covenanters drowned in 1679, so you’ve got options to extend your visit. I opted for the Brough of Deerness hike and quickly came to The Gloup, a sea cave that has partially collapsed on the landward side. Orkney’s bones are all Old Red Sandstone, and the sea’s constant surging and pounding gradually eats away at this rock leaving sea stacks like the Old Man of Hoy, geos, blow holes, and sea caves like The Gloup. The Gloup is a nice little payoff at the start of the walk — you can actually see the parking area in the background of the photo below. Be smart here and stay away from The Gloup’s edge as the ground is likely unstable.

The Gloup, Orkney Islands, Scotland

The muddy, faint path turns north when it reaches the coast and I continued over mostly nondescript terrain, mirroring the sea as a steady wind blew inland. Without trees and elevation the Orkney skies opened wide and sent sun lashing down upon the blue-gray sea. This hike just felt good being atop the cliffs in the autumn wind, soaking in the Orcadian vibration. Sometimes I found unadorned stone slabs standing toward the cliff’s edge, and I presumed these to be markers warning about further progress.

Brough of Deerness, Orkney Islands, Scotland

Brough of Deerness, Orkney Islands, Scotland

Brough of Deerness, Orkney Islands, Scotland

Perhaps 20-30 minutes after leaving The Gloup I found a sign pointing to a small headland, which I could see, called the Brough of Deerness. A short wooden boardwalk leads to steps down to the stoney beach beneath the cliffs. Another staircase, almost hidden amongst the striated rocks, leads up to the top of the Brough of Deerness. These two landmasses were once connected by a land bridge, but what records remain indicate the sandstone bridge had collapsed hundreds of years ago. This section of the hike was really neat to explore after a mostly flat journey.

Brough of Deerness, Orkney Islands, Scotland

Brough of Deerness, Orkney Islands, Scotland

Brough of Deerness, Orkney Islands, Scotland

The ascent to the Brough of Deerness requires some care on that narrow stone stair. I had to hang on to the guide chain fastened to the rocks and focus until I was off the side of the Brough. Once I’d completed the ascent I found a small, grassy clifftop maybe 80 meters wide.

The remains of an old chapel covered in grass and lichen stand not far from the access point. This chapel is actually quite old with postholes and grooves dating from the 10th century. Excavation of the chapel occurred in the mid-1970s that dated the origin of the chapel to the pre-Norse period. Norsemen likely reconstituted the chapel in the 11th or 12th centuries after their conversion to Christianity. The chapel appears to have been in use into the medieval period before falling into permanent disrepair in the 16th century. The grassed-over foundations of several other buildings can be seen around the chapel and probably date from the Norse occupation of Orkney. An Anglo-Saxon coin was found in the chapel, and today people still leave coinage as offerings to their preferred gods.

Brough of Deerness, Orkney Islands, Scotland

Brough of Deerness, Orkney Islands, Scotland

Brough of Deerness, Orkney Islands, Scotland

Wandering across the Brough of Deerness I quickly came to 30-meter sheer cliffsides. Everywhere I looked stood stunning seascapes, sea stacks topped by clusters of seabirds, and long-distance views to many of Orkney’s tiny islands. I suggest bringing a picnic and a book up here to relax among the grasses.

Descending the Brough of Deerness by the same stairs led to some different views of the small bay and the cliffs above it. As you can see, there’s almost no one out here and look at the beauty! I wish I could’ve stayed longer, but I’m cataloguing these special places so that when I return for a longer stint I can have nothing planned but to simply be in these magical loci. Poet Edwin Muir (not conservationist John Muir) was born on Deerness and throughout his writings he likened Orkney to Eden. Come here and you’ll understand.

Brough of Deerness, Orkney Islands, Scotland

Brough of Deerness, Orkney Islands, Scotland

Brough of Deerness, Orkney Islands, Scotland

I retread my steps back to The Gloup and the parking area entirely satisfied with the excursion. The Brough of Deerness is quintessential Orkney and yet different from hikes on the west Mainland, like the Yesnaby Cliffs. This is the quieter, more contemplative Orcadian coast and certainly off the radar for many visitors to the Orkney Islands.

Article Comments

  1. Elyn Mckenzie August 14, 2018 at 5:03 am

    Thanks for your inspiring post. I have yet to visit the Orkney Islands, although they are on my ‘must visit’ list. We went to the Isle of Mull a couple of months back and that was very beautiful. I love the wild Scottish landscape. This year, we have another trip booked to Anguilla, but I would very much like to visit Orkney next year. My husband wants to see the Ring of Brodgar and other Neolithic remains, as he’s very into history. I’m quite happy to sit and admire the views!

  2. Peter M. Dearness September 26, 2020 at 10:27 pm

    I was born in 1939 in Springfield, Mass., USA. From research, it appears that my Scottish ancestry goes back to the Orkney Islands: Starting around 1774 when a William Dearness was born on Sanday, later married to Jean Murray of Stronsay. The first (of four) Peter Murray Dearness born 1816 on Eday. Then two more with that name born in New Brunswick, Canada, then myself here in US. I visited the Orkney Islands six years ago, and plan again in 2021?

    1. Aelyth Savage October 2, 2020 at 11:16 am

      I hope you get back there soon, Peter. Deerness is a pretty part of the Orkney mainland, too.

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