20 Attractions to Explore Near Flotta

The Hackness Martello Tower and Battery were built in 1813-14 to protect British convoys during the Napoleonic Wars, with French and American warships attacking merchant shipping using the Pentland Firth.Barrack room furniture and other military memorabilia give an idea of life at the barracks. Stand on the tower and take in the view towards Scapa Flow.

Fara is a small island in Orkney, Scotland, lying in Scapa Flow between the islands of Flotta and Hoy. It has been uninhabited since the 1960s. Fara always had a good reputation for it's rich pastures but, as with so many other abandoned islands, the people ended up having no choice but to leave due to the poor communications.

Hoxa is a small settlement on the island of South Ronaldsay in the Orkney Islands north of mainland Scotland. Hoxa is located 1+1⁄4 miles west of St Margaret's Hope at the end of the B9043 road. Thorfinn Turf-Einarsson the 10th century Norse Earl of Orkney may be buried at the site of The Howe broch just north of Hoxa.

A beautiful inhabited island adjacent to Hoy in Orkney, Scotland. The name is a corruption of "Sooth Was", which means the "southern voes" – as with Kirkwall, it was assumed that it was a mispronunciation of "walls". It was a tidal island until a narrow causeway, was constructed over the sandbank in 1912, which was known as the Ayre, although this name has become transferred to the causeway itself.

A beautiful uninhabited island in the Orkney archipelago in Scotland. It is 100 hectares in extent and rises to 42 metres above sea level. It is situated in the Scapa Flow and connected to the nearby island of Burray by a causeway built in 1941 to stop passage of small surface craft as part of the boom defences, and thence to the Orkney Mainland via the Churchill Barriers.

A beautiful museum tells the story of the 1932 Watson Lifeboat “Thomas McCunn” together with the Longhope Lifeboat Disaster March 17th 1969. Thomas McCunn is the only launchable slipway lifeboat in the UK and served Longhope 1933-62. The Museum is not manned at all times, however you can make an appointment to view by contacting the Trust.

The remains of the Orphir Round Church, dedicated to Saint Nicholas, are located in Orphir Parish on the Mainland of Orkney, Scotland. It has been a scheduled monument since 2014. It consisted of an apse on the eastern side of its 6-metre wide circular nave. It consisted of a circular nave about six metres in diameter with a semicircular apse with a central window. The walls are one metre thick.

Burray is a small island between South Ronaldsay and the Orkney Mainland. Attractions in Burray include the Fossil and Heritage Centre at Viewforth. The island has a reasonable amount of birdlife, with Eurasian curlew, herring and lesser black-backed gulls breeding here.

A beautiful bay where seal pups thrive and spectacular seas can crash ashore during the autumn and winter. A coastal path around the cliff tops of the Ward Hill and adjoining farm land gives a great vantage point for views over the North Sea and the uninhabited island of Copinsay, which lies on the horizon.”

Orkney Fossil & Heritage Centre was housed in converted farm buildings on the island of Burray, the Centre has an intriguing collection of fossils from Orkney and around the world, including some rare and beautifully preserved specimens. The exhibitions downstairs showcase the extensive fossil and rock collection, with detailed information and illustrations of 380 million year old fish! Ernest Firth was also a collector of heritage objects

Glimps Holm in Orkney is a long, lazy beach with beautiful blue water, golden sand and a nearby Churchill Barrier. Scapa Flow had many entrances, making it difficult to protect the anchorages in this natural harbour. Blockships had been sunk to close the narrow passages, but these proved inadequate. Glimps Holm is connected to Lamb Holm, to the northeast, by Barrier number 2, and to Burray by Barrier number 3.

This 500 years old monument lies in a steep sided valley between Quoys and Rackwick on the island of Hoy. A huge block of hollowed-out red sandstone measuring about 8.5 metres long, the Dwarfie Stane is thought to be Britain’s only example of a rock-cut tomb. It should be stressed, however, that not all archaeologists share this opinion. The stone is a glacial erratic located in desolate peatland. The site is managed by Historic Environment Scotland.

Ward Hill is a hill on the island of Hoy in Orkney, Scotland. It is 481 metres high. The hill forms a curved ridge, reminiscent of a 'J' in shape. The lower slopes are covered in heather and grass, though the top of the ridge is covered in small stones with bare sandy soil. The highest summit is towards the northern end and is crowned by a trig point.

Lamb Holm is a small uninhabited island in Orkney, Scotland. The Italian Chapel, constructed during the Second World War, is the island's main attraction. It is classified by the National Records of Scotland as an uninhabited island that "had no usual residents at the time of either the 2001 or 2011 censuses. On the northwest of the island, on the shore of St Mary's Bay, are the remains of a prehistoric settlement which have been designated as a scheduled monument.

The Churchill Barriers are a series of four causeways linking the Orkney Mainland to the islands of Lamb Holm, Glimps Holm, Burray and South Ronaldsay with a total length of 1.5 miles. The barriers were built between May 1940 and September 1944, primarily as naval defences to protect the anchorage at Scapa Flow, but since 12 May 1945, serve as road links between the islands.

The Italian Chapel is one of Orkney's more unusual attractions but is certainly one of its most visited. It was built during World War II by Italian prisoners of war, who were housed on the previously uninhabited island while they constructed the Churchill Barriers to the east of Scapa Flow. The chapel was not completed until after the end of the war, and was restored in the 1960s and again in the 1990s. It is a popular tourist attraction, and a category A listed building.

Graemsay is on of the smaller of the Orkney Islands, which was located between the Orkney mainland and Hoy and features plenty of nature and wildlife attractions. The island is 409 ha in area and is mainly crofted. The island's geology is Old Red Sandstone of the Devonian period, with two volcanic faults. On the north coast there is granite-schist, a great rarity in Orkney.

This lighthouse is on the Isle of Graemsay in the Orkney Isles located on the northeast point of the island. It was built in 1851 by Alan Stevenson, together with a keepers residence. It marks the main channel into the Scapa Flow harbour, and along with other lights in the area, known as range lights, they aid navigation through Hoy Sound.

Scapa bay is found on the southern coastline of Mainland Orkney. This pretty south-facing sandy beach is framed by cliffs with Scapa Distillery and Scapa Flow Control Centre being prominent features in the landscape. Scapa is just a mile or so from Kirkwall and is popular with walkers and visitors all year round.

Cuilags is a summit in the Hoy region or range in Scotland. Cuilags is 435 metres high. A good trekking destination and also there are so many other options too. All the walking routes up Cuilags on Mud and Routes can be found below. The top can be identified by the large cairn (third from E) on possibly man-made mound.