Inside Orkney’s Viking past and shared history with Norway

Orkney, at the cross-currents of Nordic and British life, is reflecting on whether its future belongs in the UK. Mike MacEacheran delves into the history of a place where the extraordinary has long been the norm

A rugged coastline whipped by ocean winds are synonymous with Orkney (Getty)

“Look,” gestures Shapinsay native and sea kayaking guide Kristian Cooper as the North Sea wind ruffles his Viking-length beard and braided ponytail. “This is Orkney.”

He guides his vessel through shallow water onto a seaweed-strewn beach and jumps into action. Paddle hurled on the sand and life vest hastily unfastened, Kristian drags the kayak beyond the tideline, scaring guillemots into flight. Slowly, he picks his way to a tussocky verge, which rises to a headland overlooking Eynhallow Sound and a spectacular panorama of prehistory: a jumble of drystone walls, stone-floored galleries and a tower from the Iron Age. “There are thousands of spots like this in Orkney,” he says. “A different adventure every day.”

With its 5,000-plus years of history taking in the Mesolithic, Neolithic, Iron and Bronze Ages, Pictish, Pre-Christian and Viking periods, Orkney is almost a different country to the rest of Scotland. Several thousands of years ago, Mesolithic hunter-gatherers walked the long shorelines of Mainland, Orkney’s most populous island. Later, Neolithic farmers chose the same land to erect Celtic monoliths and standing stones, ushering in an era of mystery that has never truly been unravelled. Now, a kayak guide like Kristian can chance on Iron Age brochs and the ruins of Norse settlements, all from beach landings in his light-frame canoe. The sheer density of history in these small-scale islands is mind-boggling.