Visitors to Orkney now have the opportunity to take an exclusive ‘after hours’ tour of the Neolithic village of Skara Brae.
EDINBURGH, 2016-Jul-18 — /Travel PR News/ — Uncovered by a storm in 1850, Skara Brae is world famous for being the best-preserved Neolithic settlement in Western Europe. During the summer months staff at Skara Brae welcome hundreds of visitors, who can view the nine surviving Neolithic houses from the path that winds through the settlement – but lack of space means they haven’t been able to get up close to the delicate ancient monument.
Now special Twilight Tours for groups of up to 12 people will allow visitors to avoid the crowds and get up close to prehistory.
Sian Evans, Islands and World Heritage Visitor Services Manager, said,
“Visitors often tell us they would like the opportunity to see inside the houses at Skara Brae, as the day time access is limited to a walkway which gives more of a bird’s eye view of the site. It’s not practical to do this during the day because it gets so busy – we can easily welcome a thousand people to the site on a busy day. Introducing Twilight Tours seemed like a great way to solve this.
The tours will give people the rare chance to enjoy the monument when it’s quiet, and to hear some of Skara Brae’s stories in more detail. We’re hoping members of the local community will come along too, and enjoy this exclusive view of their unique site.
Tours last 45 minutes and run Tuesday – Saturday until Wednesday 31 August 2016. Booking in advance is essential – see our website for details.
Times: 5.30pm, 6pm, 6.30pm, 7pm, 7.30pm and 8pm.
Notes for editors
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2016 Year of Innovation, Architecture and Design
2016 will shine a spotlight on Scotland’s achievements in innovation, architecture and design through a wide-ranging, variety of new and existing activity.
The Year of Innovation, Architecture and Design started on 1 January 2016 and will end on 31 December 2016. It will build on the momentum generated by the current 2015 Year of Food and Drink as well as previous years including Homecoming Scotland 2014, the Year of Creative and the Year of Natural.
Through a series of exciting events and activity, the year will showcase Scotland’s position as an “innovation nation”, its outstanding built heritage, and its thriving, internationally acclaimed creative industries sector.
The Year of Innovation, Architecture and Design is a Scottish Government initiative being led by VisitScotland, and supported by a variety of partners including Scottish Government, Creative Scotland, Architecture + Design Scotland, Scottish Tourism Alliance, Scottish Enterprise, The National Trust for Scotland, Historic Environment Scotland, Highlands and Islands Enterprise and The Royal Incorporation of Architects in Scotland (RIAS).
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Special Twilight Tours of Neolithic village of Skara Brae available until 31 August 2016