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  • Brodgar

Brodgar

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Address
RSPB Brodgar, B9055, Stromness KW16 3JZ, UK
Grid ref
HY294135
What3Words
bring.decompose.laces

Discover a wildlife haven in the heart of Neolithic Orkney. You'll find the nature reserve at Brodgar in a spectacular setting, located between the Lochs of Harray and Stenness, bordering the iconic Ring of Brodgar. Curlews, drumming snipe, lapwings, dunlins, redshanks and oystercatchers all call this place home.

Plan your visit

Opening times

Open at all times.

Entrance charges

Free entrance to RSPB members
Yes
Adults
Free, but donations are very welcome.
Children
Free, but donations are very welcome.

Facilities

  • Pushchair friendly
  • Picnic area
  • Guided walks
  • Viewing point
  • Educational facilities

Accessibility

  • Full accessibility information (external website)

How to get here

By bus

By bus - Bus number X1. Ask the driver to drop you at Ring of Brodgar stop. Walk approximately one mile (1.6 km) along B9055 to Ring of Brodgar reserve. Up to date travel information can be found on travelinescotland.com.

By road

From Stromness or Kirkwall, take the A965 and turn (left from Stromness or right from Kirkwall) onto the B9055 (signposted for Ring of Brodgar). Parking is available 1.5 miles (2.4 km) along this road on the right in a car park shared with the Ring of Brodgar archaeological site.

Sat nav POI file: If you have a satellite navigation system that can accept POI files, please see our POI page for a download link and instructions.

Other ways to get there

For flights and ferry information to Orkney, contact VisitOrkney at West Castle Street, Kirkwall, KW15 1GU. Website: visitorkney.com  Tel: 01856 872856.

Get directions from Google Maps
View on What3Words
RSPB reserves on Google Earth

Information for dog owners

  • This nature reserve is important for wildlife. RSPB Scotland welcomes responsible access, in line with the Scottish Outdoor Access Code.
  • During the ground-nesting bird breeding season (1 April - 15 August) and in areas with livestock, we would ask that you keep your dog close to you, preferably on a short lead, and please clean up after your dog.

Group booking information

Group visits are welcome. For more information, please contact the Orkney office on 01856 850176. Coach parking is available in the Ring of Brodgar car park.

Schools booking information

School visits are available on our Orkney reserves on a variety of topics. Please contact the Orkney Office on 01856 850176 for further details.

Downloads

Helping you find your way around. PDF, 632Kb

Brodgar trail guide

Contact Brodgar

  • RSPB Brodgar, B9055, Stromness KW16 3JZ, UK
  • orkney@rspb.org.uk
  • 01856 850176
  • Find us on facebook

What will you see?

Our star species

    Wading curlew illustration

    Curlew

    In spring, you can hear their gorgeous, 'bubbling' song.

    Standing Lapwing illustration

    Lapwing

    Watch the nesting lapwings here chasing predators that may come too close.

    Oystercatcher illustration

    Oystercatcher

    You can see oystercatchers between spring and autumn.

    Redshank, summer plumage

    Redshank

    Keep an eye out for the redshanks' display flights over the wet meadows in spring.

     Skylark illustration

    Skylark

    Spring visits to Brodgar will be enriched by the beautiful song of skylarks.

Nature spectacles

With its stunning position sandwiched on a narrow strip of land between the brackish Loch of Stenness and the freshwater Loch of Harray, Brodgar can be a wonderful place to scan through the large flocks of ducks, swans and grebes which frequent the lochs.

A crisp sunny morning can see the grassland areas dotted with hundreds of golden plovers and lapwings, and if you are lucky enough for the wind to drop, the mirror-calm lochs will reflect back the images of the surrounding hills and the hundreds of wildfowl present. You may even see a seal basking on an isolated rock by the road, far inland from the sea.

Seasonal highlights

  • Spring
  • Summer
  • Autumn
  • Winter

As you walk around the world-famous Ring of Brodgar stones, open your ears to the magical soundscape of displaying waders. Watch for breeding ducks on the wetter grassland areas. If you visit early in the morning or late in the evening, you may be lucky and catch a glimpse of boxing hares in the meadows.

The reserve is one of the best places on mainland Orkney to see the rare great yellow bumblebee (once widespread but now found only in north Scotland), feeding in amongst our flower-rich meadows. Enjoy the colourful mix of flowers blooming alongside the trails. On warm sunny days, spot great yellow bumblebees feeding on the red clover – look out for a yellowish-brown bee with a distinct band of black between the wings. Watch out for lapwings, curlews and redshanks, all busy raising their families.

Scan through the flocks of wading birds which gather around the reserve. Look out for short-eared owls, merlins and hen harriers hunting over the grasslands while you listen out for the cries of migrating geese overhead.

See if you can spot small flocks of farmland birds such as twites, reed buntings and skylarks feeding in the grassy areas. Large flocks of golden plovers and lapwings can sometimes be seen on the fields. Scan the lochs for Slavonian grebes, goldeneyes, scaups and large flocks of wigeons and teals.

About Brodgar

Habitat

A gentle stroll along our flower-rich trail will take you past the meadow, which hums with bees in summer. The grassland fields are alive with the bubbling calls of curlews, the drumming of snipe and the unmistakable display flight of lapwings in breeding season. In winter, the lochs play host to a range of wildfowl, including ducks, swans and grebes.

Conservation

Our aim at Brodgar is to give a helping hand to some of the wildlife which is being squeezed out of modern landscapes. Since acquiring the reserve in 2001, we have been managing the land to benefit a range of species, including lapwings, curlews, redshanks, snipe, skylarks and great yellow bumblebees. Our grassland areas are lightly grazed by cattle or mown in late summer to create the ideal conditions where waders can nest and raise their chicks and a range of wildfowl nest on the wetter areas.

Since starting this management, curlews and skylarks have returned to breed here. We’ve been busy converting one of our fields into a flower-rich meadow – by mowing annually and removing the cuttings we leave nutrient-poor soil that's perfect for flowers like red clover, yellow rattle and bird’s-foot trefoil. We’ve also boosted this process by adding in seed-rich green hay from flower-rich sites. The verges by the nature trail are also managed for wildflowers and the site has become a real haven for carder bees and the rarer great yellow bumblebee. 

Site information

The reserve covers 34 hectares of grassland, meadows and loch shore, and was acquired in 2001. The site borders the heart of Neolithic Orkney World Heritage Site, and surrounds the internationally renowned Ring of Brodgar standing stones.

Please note there are livestock on this site.

RSPB Scotland welcomes responsible access, in line with the Scottish Outdoor Access Code.

Latest forum posts

  • Vandelism at RSPB reserve Brodgar

    I've just been reading sadly that there has been vandalism at RSPB reserve Brodgar in Orkney. It’s nothing to do with any wildlife. But sadly the historical stone circle at that RSPB reserve has been covered in graffiti. It a big criminal effence to ...

    Posted 11/04/2019 by THOMO
  • Wrapping up the Fortnight

    Our fortnight is over, back to the daily grind - but time for a last thread to finish off our time in the Orkneys. You may have noticed a lack of Bonxies on the previous threads - I was simply saving them up.  They get a bit of a bad press as Pirates...

    Posted 25/06/2018 by Whistling Joe
  • Do You Ever Feel Like You're Being Watched?

    There's a lot of coastline to stroll along on Orkney, some of it very dramatic, like the cliffs here at Yesnaby.  With the winds pushing the waves, it's very impressive Incidentally, the car was parked on the clifftops, just out of shot top right.  W...

    Posted 22/06/2018 by Whistling Joe
  • Island Hopping

    We're staying on Mainland, but there are lots of smaller islands you can catch a ferry to go and see.  One of the closest and most obvious is Hoy, so the other day we packed our lunch and caught the boat.  The ferry bounced around a bit on the way ac...

    Posted 20/06/2018 by Whistling Joe
read our forum

Latest blog posts

  • Stoat Snippet 102

    Welcome to the latest news and updates from the Orkney Native Wildlife Project New to our blog and want to find out more about the project, how to volunteer with us or have a question?  Visit our Facebook page, our website or email us at info@on...(r...

    Posted 01/07/2021 by Orkney Native Wildlife Project
  • Stoat Snippet 101

    The latest blog from the Orkney Native Wildlife Project, the world's largest stoat eradication, explaining the impact of invasive non-native species during this year's Invasive Non-Native Species (INNS) week.(read more)

    Posted 28/05/2021 by Orkney Native Wildlife Project
  • Curlews in Orkney - Outrageous Goals, Extravagant Hope , by Richard Clubley

    photo courtesy of RSPB Images When Stephen Hawking was writing “A Brief History of Time” someone advised he would lose half the potential readership with each equation he included; so he settled on just e=mc² in the entire book. I’m thinking the same...

    Posted 21/04/2021 by EleanorD9
  • Stoat Snippet 100

    Welcome to the latest news and updates from the Orkney Native Wildlife Project New to our blog and want to find out more about the project, how to volunteer with us or have a question? Visit our Facebook page, our website or email us at stoatsig...(r...

    Posted 21/04/2021 by Orkney Native Wildlife Project
read our blog

Activities and events

Activities for children and families

The grassy nature trail through the reserve is suitable for children and pushchairs. We hold events throughout the year, all of which will be suitable for families. Historic Environment Scotland offer free guided walks around the Ring of Brodgar throughout the year. 

For more information on events and to book tickets, please visit events.rspb.org.uk/brodgar

Leisure activities

Archaeology: The reserve borders the Heart of Neolithic Orkney World Heritage Site and surrounds the impressive standing stones of the Ring of Brodgar. The Ness of Brodgar, an archaeological dig site of international importance, is also adjacent to the reserve and is open during the summer.

Walking: The 2-mile (3.2 km) trail around the reserve offers beautiful views of the heart of West Mainland Orkney, with the towering hills of Hoy in the background.

Photography: You will be spoilt for choice for photographic opportunities at Brodgar nature reserve, with stunning scenery, plentiful wildlife and atmospheric archaeology all on offer.

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