South Ronaldsay

South Ronaldsay is one of the islands of Orkney and has a length ( north - south ) of 12 km and a max. Width of 8.5 km an area of 49.8 km ². Your name is derived from Rognvald southern island. The highest elevation of almost treeless island is located in the center 119 m high Ward Hill.

Main place of 850 inhabitants island and excursion destination of the inhabitants of Kirkwall is the old ferry and fishing port of St. Margaret's Hope on the north coast. Here is the year 1290 AD, the same 7 -year-old Norwegian princess died his (known as "Girls of Norway") which should be the Queen of Scotland.

Ferry connections exist from St. Margaret's Hope for Scottish port Gill 's Bay ( ro-ro ferry the Pentland Ferries Ltd. ) And from Burwick pier in the south with the ferry to John o 'Groats ( JOG Ferries). To the main island of Orkney Mainland to the ( capital ) Kirkwall and the airport, performs a built in World War II road over the neighboring islands ( Burray ) and the four dams of the Churchill Barriers leads. There are regular bus services to Kirkwall. In South Ronaldsay, guests can find accommodation in hotels and private accommodation (B & B).

In the northwest of South Ronaldsay lies the small, at the height of the herring fishery resulting in the first half of the 19th century fishing village Herston Village, with St. Peter 's Kirk Pictish symbol stone in which a is kept. South of it are the impressive cliffs and rock formations of Harrabrough. Just a few hundred meters to the north lie the ruins of the Broch Howe of Hoxa. Here is the legend, in 963 or 976 of the Jarl Thorfinn Skull - splitter ( Skullsplitter ) have been buried. On the west of the island are located at Hoxa Head remains of gun emplacements, which reflect the strategic importance of the island in World War II. Another prehistoric monument is the Broch of Wind Wick.

Located in the south Liddle Farm has a private museum near two archaeological sites. Here Banks tomb and the Isbister cairn is about 5,000 two -year-old megalithic sites. In the neighborhood the remains of Liddle Burnt Mound are a Bronze or Iron Age Ancient cooking place to visit. Numerous artifacts have been excavated which the owner of the farm R. Simison part itself ( including some skull) can be seen in his small private museum. 2010 began with the excavation of the complex Banks tomb. It is a megalithic site discovered undisturbed by Maeshowe type the promises of some findings.

Another attraction in the south of the island is the Old St. Mary's Church in Burwick. The present church stands on the supposedly oldest establishment on Orkney and thus Scotland. Here the Church Stone is kept. The round gray stone is a stone Inauguration, are sunk into the two footprints. Similar Steinaddrücke there in Dunadd and in the Shetlands.