Historic SiteOrkneyHistoric Scotland4.8
Free entry for everyone; no membership card is needed.
The Trust's page does not say how parking is charged.
Historic Scotland says parking is available and that the island is reached on foot by the causeway, but publishes no charge or free statement, so the status is recorded as unknown. The car park at the Point of Buckquoy fills when the island is open; reviewers suggest parking in Birsay village by the Earl's Palace and walking the kilometre along the road.
Driving pin: the Brough of Birsay car park at the Point of Buckquoy, 340 m from Historic Scotland's own pin on the island, at the mainland end of the causeway. Historic Scotland gives journey planners only.
The Brough of Birsay is a tidal island off the north-west tip of Orkney's Mainland, reached on foot over a rocky causeway for a couple of hours either side of low tide. Picts and Norse settled it between the 600s and 1200s, and it was a place of power throughout, probably a Pictish centre and later the seat of the Norse earls and perhaps Orkney's first bishopric. Near the landing a replica Pictish symbol stone stands in the graveyard, with a small Pictish well beyond; a maze of Norse house and barn walls of the 800s to 1000s fills the slope; and the 12th-century church of St Peter is among the most sophisticated medieval churches in the Northern Isles after St Magnus Cathedral. A short walk climbs to the lighthouse on the crest, with puffins on the cliffs in late spring. Reviewers warn that online tide times disagree so check locally, and note the car park fills when the island is open.
Historic Scotland: 'Open all year round. Only accessible at low tide.' No hours, closures or notices on 20 October 2026. Check tide times with Skara Brae (01856 841 815) or the Met Office before crossing: there is only a short window, online tide times can disagree, and the causeway is rocky and slippery, so strong footwear is recommended. A summer admission charge has applied here in past years but none is published for 2026.
Grass paths with rabbit holes and unfenced clifftops, so take care with children; no toilets or facilities on the island. Puffins nest on the northern cliffs in late spring.
Photo: The Brough of Birsay tidal island at low tide, the causeway crossing the exposed rocks and the lighthouse on the skyline. Chmee2, CC BY-SA 3.0. Source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Brough_of_Birsay_in_summer_2012_(4).JPG. Licence: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0. Resized and cropped for display; derivatives retain the source licence.
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Dog access not confirmed
5.9 km, grade 2, about 2 hours not counting the crossing: from the car park south of the Earl's Palace to the Brough of Birsay car park, then east along the coast past Skiba Geo and back by the public road; 'if you have the time and the tides are right ... you can cross the causeway'; coastal grass track, easy going, wet in places. Free.
