Why this ride
449 km from Stromness to Stromness, about 10 h 03 of riding. It goes by way of Munsary & Shielton, East Halladale, Skinsdale and back through East Halladale. The line favours views over speed.
CURVESCOUT / MOTORCYCLE RIDE
Heart of Neolithic Orkney and Skinsdale starting at Stromness
Plan this ride
- Recorded distance
- 449 km
- Riding-time estimate
- 10 h 03
- Journey
- Recorded itinerary
Distance and timing basis
The recorded total and the leg detail need reconciliation. Inspect the leg notes before using this record for timing or navigation. Stops, delays, approach and any separate return travel add time. Basis: producer-declared routed record.
Reading history stays on this device. My road watch requires a separate selection; opening it does not subscribe this ride.
Distance and riding time are measured on the routed road. Check local closures and conditions before you ride.
Waypoint introductions and full write-ups
1. Heart of Neolithic Orkney
There is a line of ancient monuments on the west Mainland of Orkney that together form what UNESCO calls the Heart of Neolithic Orkney: the chambered tomb of Maeshowe, the stone circles of Stenness and Brogar, and the village of Skara Brae on the Bay of Skaill. Orkney as a whole is a set of green islands with almost no trees, huge skies and a wind that never really stops, and the monuments are about five thousand years old.
Read the complete Heart of Neolithic Orkney write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
Heart of Neolithic Orkney is where the day begins. Next is Munsary & Shielton.
2. Munsary & Shielton
Inland from Wick, in the far north-east of Scotland, the land flattens into a vast, rolling expanse of peat bog, brown and gold, dotted with pools and lochans that reflect the sky. Munsary and Shielton are areas of this blanket bog, part of the Flow Country, which was added to the UNESCO World Heritage list in 2024 as the largest expanse of blanket bog in Europe. Here, sphagnum mosses have built up peat over thousands of years, storing vast amounts of carbon, and the bog teems with life: insect-eating sundews, cotton grass waving white in summer, and birds such as golden plover, greenshank and dunlin nesting among the hummocks.
Read the complete Munsary & Shielton write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
Munsary & Shielton comes up 54 km in. Next is East Halladale.
3. East Halladale
Strath Halladale is one of the emptiest valleys in mainland Britain, and East Halladale is a scatter of crofts and sheep fields along it. The A897 runs up the strath from Helmsdale on the east coast to Melvich on the north coast, following the Halladale River for much of the way, and for long stretches you will see more deer than cars. It is single track with passing places, so the rules are simple: pull in to let faster traffic by, wave, and never park in a passing place.
Read the complete East Halladale write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
107 km in you reach East Halladale. Next is Skinsdale.
4. Skinsdale
Nobody lives in Skinsdale to speak of, which is more or less the point. The glen lies in the east of Sutherland, an empty fold of moorland and burn between the coast at Brora and Helmsdale and the great open bog country to the north-west, and the nearest towns of any size, Golspie, Brora and Dornoch, are all over twenty kilometres away. A road passes through this part of the country, but the glen itself is a place you look into rather than ride through.
Read the complete Skinsdale write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
Skinsdale, about halfway. Next is back through East Halladale.
5. back through East Halladale
Return visit. Read the place description above.
Read the complete East Halladale write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
back through East Halladale sits at 215 km, about halfway. Next is back through Munsary & Shielton.
6. back through Munsary & Shielton
Return visit. Read the place description above.
Read the complete Munsary & Shielton write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
back through Munsary & Shielton comes up 268 km in. Next is Heart of Neolithic Orkney.
7. Heart of Neolithic Orkney
Return visit. Read the place description above.
Read the complete Heart of Neolithic Orkney write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
Heart of Neolithic Orkney closes the day.
Leg by leg
Heart of Neolithic Orkney to Munsary & Shielton
Heart of Neolithic Orkney → Munsary & Shielton is 90 km of getting across. Ride it tidily and keep the enthusiasm for what comes after.
Munsary & Shielton to East Halladale
Munsary & Shielton → East Halladale is 30 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
East Halladale to Skinsdale
East Halladale → Skinsdale is 40 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
Skinsdale to back through East Halladale
Skinsdale → back through East Halladale is 40 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
back through East Halladale to back through Munsary & Shielton
back through East Halladale → back through Munsary & Shielton is 30 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
back through Munsary & Shielton to Heart of Neolithic Orkney
back through Munsary & Shielton → Heart of Neolithic Orkney is 90 km of getting across. Ride it tidily and keep the enthusiasm for what comes after.