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United Kingdom

Scotland

Earl's Palace, Kirkwall – Kirkwall Town Centre loop from The Pickaquoy Centre

Routes

Hiking trails & Routes

United Kingdom

Scotland

Earl's Palace, Kirkwall – Kirkwall Town Centre loop from The Pickaquoy Centre

Moderate

4.4

(28)

168

hikers

Earl's Palace, Kirkwall – Kirkwall Town Centre loop from The Pickaquoy Centre

02:16

8.86km

40m

Hiking

Moderate hike. Good fitness required. Easily-accessible paths. Suitable for all skill levels. The starting point of the route is accessible with public transport.

Last updated: April 22, 2026

Waypoints

Start point

Bus stop

Get Directions

3.98 km

Orkney Library and Archive

Highlight • Structure

This is where the shuttle bus for the AIDA ends and begins

Translated by Google •

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4.01 km

Junction Road Sea Wall

Highlight • Monument

Within the library wall a section of old seawall is preserved. This is now two streets back from the new seawall.

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4.74 km

Narrow Alleys of Kirkwall

Highlight • Settlement

narrow streets...always nice to look at

Translated by Google •

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4.89 km

Tankerness House

Highlight • Monument

Tankerness House is the museum located in a former mansion.

Translated by Google •

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5.08 km

The former glory can still be guessed well: The Earl's Palace in Kirkwall on Orkney is beauty and at the same time a lesson about abuse of power, decadence and decay. Because the story behind the current ruin is linked to Patrick Stewart, a greedy and cruel ruler of the island, who wanted to live in this magnificent building.
Directly opposite the cathedral in Kirkwall, the windowless walls of the old palace rise up. The multi-storey building was laid out in an L-shape, and its heart was the 16-meter-long hall with two large fireplaces. The Earl's Palace is still considered one of the most beautiful Renaissance buildings in Scotland. But as wonderful as the building might have been for present and present circumstances, it had the flaw that it had been built by corporal service and oppression.

Translated by Google •

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5.20 km

HMS Royal Oak Ship's Bell and Book of Remembrance

Highlight • Monument

HMS Royal Oak was a Revenge-class battleship built for the Royal Navy in the 1910s. During World War I she took part in the Battle of Jutland. Shortly after the start of World War II, the ship was sunk by the German U-47 in Scapa Flow on 14 October 1939.
Source: de.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/HMS_Royal_Oak_(08)
The ship's bell was recovered and displayed as a war memorial in St Magnus Cathedral.
Source: iwm.org.uk/memorials/item/memorial/4

Translated by Google •

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5.48 km

Kirkwall Town Centre

Highlight • Settlement

The historic St. Magnus Cathedral and City Hall characterize the cityscape of Kirkwall. Furthermore, there is a small pedestrian area in the direction of the harbor. There are also the northernmost Scottish whiskey distilleries.

Translated by Google •

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8.86 km

End point

Bus stop

Way Types & Surfaces

Way Types

4.94 km

1.78 km

1.51 km

540 m

< 100 m

Surfaces

4.91 km

3.27 km

476 m

103 m

< 100 m

Elevation

Nothing selected – click and drag below to see the stats for a specific part of the route.

Weather

Saturday 9 May

9°C

2°C

98 %

Additional weather tips

Max wind speed: 36.0 km/h

to get more detailed weather forecasts along your route

Our route recommendations are based on thousands of hikes, rides, and runs completed by other people on komoot.

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Earl's Palace, Kirkwall – Kirkwall Town Centre loop from The Pickaquoy Centre

Orkney Library and Archive

Junction Road Sea Wall

Narrow Alleys of Kirkwall

Tankerness House

Bishop's and Earl's Palaces