Gairsay

#7191 among destinations in the United Kingdom

Island

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Facts and practical information

Gairsay is a small island in Orkney, Scotland, located in the parish of Rendall, 1.5 miles off the coast, astride one of the approaches to the bays of Firth and Kirkwall. It is about 2 miles long and 1 mile wide and includes one conical hill and a small harbour called Millburn Bay, which is sheltered by the peninsula known as the Hen of Gairsay. ()

Alternative names: Area: 0.93 mi²Coordinates: 59°4'60"N, 2°57'59"W

Location

ScotlandUnited Kingdom

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Day trips

Gairsay – popular in the area (distance from the attraction)

Nearby attractions include: Broch of Gurness, Balfour Castle, Midhowe Chambered Cairn, Blackhammer Chambered Cairn.

5 miNW
History museum, Historical place, Museum
Broch of Gurness, Birsay
127 min walk • The Broch of Gurness is an Iron Age broch village on the northeast coast of Mainland Orkney in Scotland overlooking Eynhallow Sound, about 15 miles north-west of Kirkwall. It once housed a substantial community.
4 miSE
Forts and castles, Gothic Revival architecture
Balfour Castle, Shapinsay
102 min walk • Balfour Castle is a historic building on the southwest of Shapinsay, Orkney Islands. Though built around an older structure that dates at least from the 18th century, the present castle was built in 1847, commissioned by Colonel David Balfour, and designed by Edinburgh architect David Bryce.
6.9 miNW
Archaeological site
Midhowe Chambered Cairn, Rousay
177 min walk • Midhowe Chambered Cairn is a large Neolithic chambered cairn located on the south shore of the island of Rousay, Orkney, Scotland. The name "Midhowe" comes from the Iron Age broch known as Midhowe Broch, that lies just west of the tomb.
3.9 miNW
Archaeological site
Blackhammer Chambered Cairn, Rousay
100 min walk • Blackhammer Chambered Cairn is a Neolithic cairn on Rousay, in Orkney, Scotland. It is a scheduled monument in the care of Historic Environment Scotland. It is thought to date from around 3000 BC.
5.2 miN
Church, Romanesque architecture
St Magnus Church, Egilsay
133 min walk • St Magnus's Church is a medieval church located on the island of Egilsay, in Orkney, Scotland. The site is recognized as the place of execution of Saint Magnus Erlendsson, Earl of Orkney, in the 12th century.
7 miNW
Archaeological site
Midhowe Broch, Rousay
179 min walk • Midhowe Broch is an iron-age broch located on the west coast of the island of Rousay in the Orkney Islands, in Scotland.
6.9 miSW
Island
Holm of Grimbister
177 min walk • Holm of Grimbister is an inhabited tidal islet in the Orkney archipelago of Scotland. Located in the Bay of Firth near Finstown it is connected to Mainland Orkney by a causeway.
2.8 miSE
Nature, Natural attraction, Lake
Vasa Loch, Shapinsay
72 min walk • Vasa Loch is a brackish lagoon in southwestern Shapinsay, Orkney Islands. This water body has been shown on early maps of the island in a very similar shape and size to its current geometry, separated from the North Sea by a narrow strip of raised beach.
6.1 miSW
Island
Damsay
156 min walk • Damsay is an islet in the Orkney archipelago in Scotland. It is approximately 18 hectares in extent and rises to only 11 metres above sea level. It is situated in the Bay of Firth north of the Orkney Mainland near Finstown. Nearby is the smaller islet of Holm of Grimbister.
4.8 miSE
Island
Helliar Holm
124 min walk • Helliar Holm is an uninhabited island off the coast of Shapinsay in the Orkney Islands, Scotland. It is home to a 42-foot-tall lighthouse, which was built in 1893 and automated in 1967. It is a tidal island that used to be connected to Shapinsay.
0.7 miNE
Island
Sweyn Holm
19 min walk • Sweyn Holm is a small island in the Orkney Islands, next to Gairsay. It is thought to be named for Sweyn Asleifsson, who was connected with Gairsay or possibly a corruption of "servant's island" in Norse.