The Vikings in Orkney

Viking Orkney - Settlement to 1100

For six hundred years Orkney was dominated by the Norse, initially invaders and then settlers from Western Norway, who rapidly colonised the islands and then went on to build the Earldom which at its peak controlled much of the west coast of Scotland, the Isle of Man, Caithness and Sutherland. Orcadians today remain proud of their Norse heritage and, though British, maintain their historic links with Norway.

The westward expansion of the Vikings started late in the 8th century and, apart from population and other pressures, was made possible by technology. The development of large ocean-going sailing ships, combined with a knowledge of seamanship and navigation, which could reliably transport people, livestock and goods for long distances, allowed them an ascendancy over other coastal Europeans for several centuries.

Brough of Birsay - Norse church

and much more...