Tradespeople in Burray, Orkney

About Burray

Burray is a small island connected to the Orkney Mainland and South Ronaldsay by the Churchill Barriers — the causeways built during the Second World War to protect the eastern approaches to Scapa Flow.

The island's main settlement, Burray Village, sits on the western shore overlooking Scapa Flow, with a small harbour, a shop, and the Sands Hotel.

The Italian Chapel on neighbouring Lamb Holm, built by Italian prisoners of war from two Nissen huts during the construction of the barriers, is one of Orkney's most visited sites and lies just to the north of Burray.

Burray is quiet and largely agricultural, but its position on the barrier road between the Mainland and South Ronaldsay means a steady flow of traffic passes through.

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About Orkney

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Orkney is an archipelago of around 70 islands off the north coast of mainland Scotland, separated from Caithness by the Pentland Firth — one of the most powerful tidal races in Europe.

Of those 70 islands, roughly 20 are inhabited, and most of the population of around 22,000 lives on the largest island, known simply as the Mainland, where the towns of Kirkwall and Stromness serve as the administrative and cultural centres.

Orkney's history stretches back over 5,000 years. The Heart of Neolithic Orkney — a UNESCO World Heritage Site comprising Skara Brae, Maeshowe, the Ring of Brodgar, and the Stones of Stenness — represents some of the best-preserved prehistoric sites anywhere in northern Europe. The islands were under Norse rule for around 600 years, and that Scandinavian heritage remains visible in place names, dialect, and culture.

The islands are reached by ferry from Scrabster and Aberdeen, and by air from Edinburgh, Glasgow, Aberdeen, and Inverness. Orkney's economy is built on agriculture, fishing, renewable energy, whisky, and tourism, and the islands have a quality of life consistently rated among the highest in Scotland.