Victims of their own popularity, the World Heritage designated sites - Skara Brae and Maes Howe - are suffering visitor pressure.
Historic Scotland, the government body appointed for their upkeep, has a big visitor centre at Skara Brae which is very popular - especially with coach parties - but now the site risks being ruined, so it is no longer a nice experience.
Too crowded, too commercial - the site has lost its magic.
Maes Howe is now so busy you have to book on an official guided tour. Now the guides do a great job and Maes Howe is great to see inside but, if you want to get a sense of atmosphere and spirituality, let your imagination loose, go to one of the remoter tombs. See
alternatives.
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At Least Do This: Go early in the day or in the winter months, to avoid the vast numbers of coach parties off the cruise ships.
Alternative: For a better experience, and somewhere 500 years even older than Skara Brae, go to the
Knap of Howar, on Papa Westray (flight is only 12 pounds return!!!) - oh by the way, this one is free to get in and you
can get in the houses, unlike Skara Brae.
Alternatives to Maes Howe include the nearby Unstan, Wideford and Cuween tombs.
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on Aug 10, 2005
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