Images from St Magnus Cathedral and Orkney Museum

© Jennifer Wilson

Kirkwall Cathedral

Kirkwall Eurowalk

Free self-guided online walking tour of Kirkwall town centre, highlighting European links. Kirkwall is the capital of Orkney, which was ruled by Norse Earls for 500 years and only became a part of Scotland in 1468.

Visit our website on your mobile device, follow the directions given for the route round the town, tour the main landmarks and learn about their many historic and contemporary associations with other parts of Europe. 

The 1 km walking route begins at the Harbour in Kirkwall and passes along the main streets of the town centre ending up near St Magnus Cathedral.

The walk includes:

  • the long standing historic links with Norway
  • St Magnus Cathedral and Orkney Museum
  • a visit to the birthplace of a famous translator of an Old Norse text from Iceland about Swedish and Norwegian Kings
  • a Polish link to some stained glass in St Magnus cathedral
  • a reproduction of the Carta Marina, the first map of the Nordic countries from 1539
  • a ship in a bottle, made by an Italian prisoner of war who had been stationed in Orkney
  • the childhood home of Sir Robert Strange, a famous engraver who worked and studied in France and Italy

The entire walk is approximately 1 km long, mostly over level ground with some cobble stones and pavements and with some steps into the cathedral. An link to an accessibility guide to Orkney Museum is included on the relevant page of the tour or at the museum website.

Walk at your own pace, enjoy the surroundings and stop for refreshments along the route.

From £0 per adult


Departure days

  • Monday
  • Tuesday
  • Wednesday
  • Thursday
  • Friday
  • Saturday
  • Sunday

January — December

Contact details

EuroWalks in Scotland

EMiS c/o Orbit Communications
42 Charlotte Square
Edinburgh
Midlothian
Scotland
EH2 4HQ

Tour information

Starting

  • Kirkwall

Length

1Hour

Transport

  • Walking

Type

  • Bespoke
  • Private

Themes

  • Archaeology
  • History
  • Walking

Tour prices


From

Prices are subject to change depending on season

EuroWalks in Scotland

Tour company information

EuroWalks in Scotland

EuroWalks in Scotland bring a new insight into local tours by showcasing Scotland’s deep-rooted associations with other European nations. The free self-guided walking tours are devised by members of the European Movement in Scotland (EMiS) with expert knowledge of their localities. Tours are currently available for Dumfries, Dundee, Dunfermline, Edinburgh (3), Glasgow (6), Kirkwall, Perth, St Andrews and Stirling. The online guides are regularly updated. Several longer tours - designed for cyclists and motorists - are also available for Fife and areas of western Scotland.

Opening times

Always available

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