Earl's Palace, Birsay

Earl's Palace, Birsay - Historic Scotland Castle in Orkney | Trust Quest

About

The Earl's Palace at Birsay is the roofless residence of Robert Stewart, illegitimate son of James V and half-brother of Mary, Queen of Scots, who was granted the Orkney and Shetland estates in 1564 and made Earl of Orkney in 1581. He built it between 1569 and 1574 as a courtyard palace of four two-storey ranges with three-storey towers at the corners, service rooms below and halls, chambers and a gallery above, entered through an elaborate south doorway; gun holes at ground level in every wall suggest he expected trouble. His son Patrick, 'Black Patie', and grandson Robert were executed in 1615 after the younger Robert seized the palace and marched on Kirkwall. Cromwell's troops found it neglected in 1653 and it was roofless by 1700. Reviewers call it a free, open-gate ruin worth fifteen to thirty minutes, good for children, with a village shop next door; pair it with the Brough of Birsay a kilometre away at low tide.

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Earl's Palace, BirsayOpen at all times; an unstaffed open site, no hours published

Opening times may change at short notice.

Historic Scotland: 'Earl's Palace, Birsay is free to visit and open year-round.' No hours, closures or notices on 20 October 2026; not on Historic Scotland's closures page. Reviewers describe an open gate and a visit of about fifteen to thirty minutes.

A grass courtyard among uneven ruined walls with no facilities; the village shop and deli beside the palace sells food. The Brough of Birsay, reached by its tidal causeway, is about 1 km away.

Photo: Ruined ranges and tall chimney stacks of the Earl's Palace at Birsay around its grass courtyard. August Schwerdfeger, CC BY 4.0. Source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Earl%27s_Palace,_Birsay_2017-05-24.jpg. Licence: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0. Resized and cropped for display; derivatives retain the source licence.

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Walking routes1 route

Birsay Circular (Orkney.com)

5.9 km2hreasy

Dog access not confirmed

5.9 km, grade 2, about 2 hours not counting a crossing to the Brough: from the small car park south of the Earl's Palace north about 1 km to the Brough of Birsay car park, east along the coast past Skiba Geo and Longaglebe Geo, back through Northside by the public road; coastal grass track, easy going, wet in places, minor roads. The Birsay Whalebone has been removed for restoration. Free.

Earl's Palace, Birsay

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Nearby

Brough of Birsay

Dounby Click Mill

Skara Brae

Midhowe Broch

Midhowe Chambered Cairn

Broch of Gurness

Ring of Brodgar Stone Circle and Henge

Knowe of Yarso Chambered Cairn

Stones of Stenness