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The Orkney Islands - Scotland's Remote and Remarkable Island Group

From Ferne Arfin, About.com

The North Atlantic Drift warms Orkney, making it a temperate, year round destination with a fascinating history, colorful wildlife and great seafood.

Closer to Norway than to England, Orkney was the last holdout of the Vikings in the United Kingdom. They stayed until 1468. Before them, and reaching back to a mysterious past of at least 5,000 years, Stone Age communities lived, farmed and built houses on Orkney. You can still see the monuments they left behind. There are so many, in fact, that large tracts of the main island are included in a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Orkney is also a sophisticated island, popular with artists and artisans inspired by the islands' subtle colors, their dramatic and changing light and their melancholy beauty.

Images 1-12 of 17
  1. Northern Shores - Off Scotland, A Deserted Beach on Orkney Orkney Beach
  2. Kirkwall BasinKirkwall Basin, Orkney Island, Scotland
  3. St. Magnus Cathedral in Kirkwall, Orkney's CapitalSt. Magnus Cathedral, Kirkwall, Orkney
  4. Stromness Harbour Stromness Harbour, Orkney Island, Scotland
  5. The Pier Art CentreStromness Harbour, Orkney, Scotland
  6. Pedestrian Street in StromnessSheltered Street in Stromness
  7. Making Orkney ChairsTraditional Orkney chairmaking
  8. Colorful Nets Always Need Sorting OutOn Kirkwall Pier, Orkney
  9. Orkney SeafoodFresh seafood is one of the delights of a visit to Orkney
  10. A Feast From a Top ChefFresh seafood is essential to Orkney's sophisticated cuisine
  11. Trompe l'oeil in the Italian ChapelTrompe l'oeil in the Italian Chapel on Orkney
  12. The Standing Stones of StennessThe Standing Stones of Stenness, Orkney, Scotland
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