The islands of Burray and South Ronaldsay are connected to mainland Orkney by a road laid on top of four barriers constructed during the Second World War. While sometimes called the ‘linked isles’ there are times when tidal and storm conditions cut them off from the rest of Orkney and/or mainland Scotland. This magnifies the importance of local services for people visiting, and those living in, South Ronaldsay and Burray.
Sometimes, the ‘linked islands’ also become the ‘forgotten islands’. A recent example of this was a Northlink Newsletter article on the outer isles of Orkney. It left out Burray and South Ronaldsay while including islands closer to mainland Orkney. To give Northlink their due, they apologised when this was pointed out, and added us in. Partly as a result, we are asking for local people’s help in developing a new section on our website for visitors to highlight places to explore and good walks to take.
Finding your way around the islands
All the services and sites that are mentioned on these pages can, with a single click, be seen on Open Street Map.
We have also worked to ensure that all currently occupied housing in the islands are shown on the map. The house name or number, and post-code, have also been added. If you find anything missing please contact us.
Local services in Burray and South Ronaldsay
We have included details of a number of key services including health and care, community activities, transport, shops and craft workshops, restaurants, cafes and hotels, and – of course – toilets.
Exploring Burray and South Ronaldsay
Work has begun on this section and – hopefully – it will be usable by the summer.