Orkney Fossil & Heritage Centre & Cafe

One of the Best Places To Visits in Burray Frequently mentioned in reviews: Top-rated.online cuts through the clutter, highlighting only the reviews that are most helpful, earn the most likes, or come from the most active contributors. This place should be renamed as it's so much more than just a museum. The World War with the floor map of Scapa Flow showing the WW1 scuttling of the German fleet, and WW2 the route taken by UB40 which sunk Royal Oak, and the model of the 3rd barrier, really brought home and made easy to understand and put into perspective everything that happened in Orkney. I was pleasantly surprised to learn of the Argyllshire from the model ship, which went aground near my home in Holm. The ballast stones of which were used in the building of the pier at Ness point. Maureen at the desk was very welcoming, and humour regarding going in the dark room with white trousers. What a very pleasant surprise the Orkney & Heritage centre is. A very warm welcome greets you as you walk in. The place offers amazing displays of fossils, an insight into Scapa Flow, and up the stairs a walk back in time in the heritage centre. Ind blowing. After digesting all that was on offer we popped into the cafe, I had the very delicious 😋 seafood Chowder with a warm banock and the wife had a delicious 😋 backed potato 🥔 with beans 🫘 and for desert we bought a bag of their delicious 😋 homemade tablet. were welcoming, friendly and helpful. This and is located 19 minutes out of Kirkwall. It houses a diverse and surprisingly excellent range of cultural and natural objects. The information boards help understand the geology and evolution of Orkney and the wider world. Well worth a visit. 👍👍👍 Très beau petit musée avec une collection vraiment très intéressante. Les trouvailles archéologiques et palaéontologiques se trouvent au rdc, les objets de la vie quotidiennes des ancêtres au premier étage. Le musée est très bien entretenu et vaut certainement une visite. Quirky little museum, one floor of with information about Orkney geology and geological timescale. Very informative. The exhibit is not overly expansive, which is a thing as it’s easy to overload on number of exhibits. I think the real gem is the first floor exhibit of Orkney “things” from WW 1 to WW2, island life, curiosities, all neatly arranged and described. An extra archive room let’s you poke around in old documents, books and maps. Friendly staff. Closes the end of September but they were stock taking the end of October so we could go in. Really lovely set out. Lots of items not just the but lots about the of the islands. Definitely worth a stop and have a look. I last visited this area some fifty years ago when my ship, the Royal Fleet Auxiliary Stromness, berthed at her namesake port in the Orkneys. This time, visiting on Fred Olsen's Balmoral, I hired a bike for £50 because I was a man on a mission! My neighbour, nee Moira Christie, is an Orcadian, born in Kirkwall. And she reckons that the Orkney fudge made in the Relic at the Centre is the best there is. After my lengthy bike ride, done in first gear owing to a technical issue for which Cycle Orkney generously refunded £20, I headed straight for the cafe, under instruction to purchase only the vanilla variety, But the seafood chowder and bannock lured me outside where the sun was shining. Excellent fare indeed from a very menu. I wouldn't normally drink Irn Bru - the eclectic drink - 'Made in Scotland from Girrrders' - the advert used to say, but it just had to be done. Really tasty soup, first class bannock and drink £10. Thence to the adjacent where, apart from an excellent display of the eponymous rocks, I was fascinated by the very well put together exhibition of the huge Scapa Flow anchorage. As a Naval man, with 38 years full time and reserve service, it really did put the of the WW1 and WW2 anchorage and its many sunken ships into sharp focus. The souvenir shop is also worth a mention, containing a really great selection of locally crafted goods. Had it not been for Moira's 'Orkney Fudge', which, to be honest I always knew as tablet, I would never have ventured here, but it was well worth it for both the and the excellent cafe. Reasonably for amateur paleontologists, although admission does seem a little steep. Was hoping to see a Brontosaurus for the money, but it's apparently on loan to the Smithsonian. As a BWV211 level coffee addict, I was mildly irked that the coffee shop was closed; the website needs to be updated to reflect this fact. Some nice and exhibits, friendly and informative staff. Nice mix of and ww2 history. Toilets available to use I spent a captivating afternoon exploring the Orkney and Heritage Centre, and I was thoroughly impressed! The exhibits are thoughtfully curated and beautifully presented, telling the story of the region’s rich natural history. The collection is fantastic. What really stood out to me was the staff’s passion and knowledge. They were friendly, approachable, and happy to answer every question. The centre is clean, well-maintained, and has a welcoming atmosphere. Bonus points for the small gift shop stocked with beautifully crafted souvenirs that make excellent keepsakes. Overall, the Orkney and Heritage Centre is a hidden gem. A must-visit for families, enthusiasts, or anyone curious about Orkney’s fascinating past. I left inspired and eager to explore more of the island’s natural heritage. Highly recommended! Fantastic place, loads of (obviously) and displays about history. Fantastic place with real pieces of fossils,real dinosaur teeth,amazing crystals. Upstairs of war fashion and guns,old workshops and much much more.... Absolutely wonderful little collection, not only of fossiles (some truly excellent specimens there) but also ones from around the world. The rooms dedicated to the of Orkney and the building of the Churchill Barriers were equally fantastic. Everything was well researched and explained, whilst keeping it approachable. I highly recommend stopping by here on your way from St Margaret's Hope to Mainland! Great place, friendly helpful staff, informative and the first floor os full of Orkney history. The is excellent too, their pea and ham soup and paninnis are yum! Unexpectedly good. The guy selling the tickets was very knowledgeable and friendly. There were an eclectic mix of exhibits including from the 2nd world war. There's a fun wind-up air raid siren that you can operate, that according to the rest of the family was very very loud, but I was sure I needed to experience it. The actual section was very if you like that sort of thing. All in all, worth a visit if you're in that neck of the woods Great place to take kids who are interested in and maybe dinosaurs - plus they can enjoy trying the air raid siren! Also a place to understand someone the experiences of the islanders and how they lived in the past, with some nice exhibits donated by locals and tales about what they saw etc. The lady on the desk was very friendly and helpful and there is a lot to see. We were surprised how this centre is. Welcoming staff. The exhibits were very pertinent to Orkney. The are very well displayed with explanations. The military about the Churchill barriers was particularly interesting. It needs 2 hours to really do it justice, but even a shorter visit is worthwhile. Lovely with tasty food. Very nice gift shop with handmade items. We really enjoyed all of the aspects of the museum, the family story and their collections. Quite nice collection! Well put together and curated. 👍 We have often driven past but not been tempted. This was a mistake since it is a lovely based around three subjects. A really array of sea-based with a fascinating explanation of the geological story which produced these objects; a similarly fascinating story of the building of the Churchill barriers and their effect on the islanders; and an eclectic collection of artefacts from the 18th and 19th centuries. The only downside, the has been closed all year due to shortages but the shop has some buys. An update: to supplement the section on the building of the Churchill Barriers we visited the Holm Heritage Centre in St Nicholas Kirk back on the mainland. A fascinating collection of photos of the building of the Barriers. A little difficult to find (KW17 2SD) but worth the effort. This place is a total Aladdin’s cave and so interesting, it is on two levels the upper level accessible by a flight of stairs , but my 91 year old mother managed , loads to see and well laid out , the attached was great also food was nice , plentiful and reasonably priced, were efficient and friendly. If I could give them more than 5 stars , I would .. Lovely business, great exhibition on fossils, naval, and - something for everyone! The woman on the front desk was so lovely and helpful. One thing we weren't aware before we visited was that the is no longer open. It gave us opportunity to explore other cafes at the advice of the though! A real treat. Excellent exhibitions, well laid out and cared for. Especially was the Scapa Flow floor map with views out over the Flow itself; lends real immediacy to the display. Lovely little and clean toilets. All in all, recommended for a visit. 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