The sixth Orkney Viking Week will be held on 11-14 September 2025, in indoor and outdoor venues around Orkney.

Orkney Viking Week 2025 is part of Orkney Archaeology Society’s Orkney Archaeology Festival.

Family Day

Sunday 14th September will be a family day, with activities and fun for all ages.

Where – Skaill House gardens

When – 10 am to 1 pm

Cost: Free entry, some activities may have a charge.

Falconry, mini axe throwing, storytelling, tablet weaving, butter making, create your Viking name, Hnefatafl Viking board game, treasure hunt. Toss the head of Cubbie Roo the giant! And much more.

Bake with the Vikings.

Where: Barony Mill followed by Birsay Community Centre

When: Sunday 8th September, 2.45 pm – 5.00 pm

Cost: £25 per person – booking essential

Booking: https://www.ticketsource.co.uk/orkney-time-travel/bake-with-the-vikings/2024-09-08/14:45/t-dvqajmy

Immerse yourself in the history of the ancient Viking grain, bere. Still grown in Birsay as one of the last few remaining places in Scotland to grow this ancient grain. Visit the historic working water mill, Barony Mill, where the bere is ground by the heavy water-driven millstones and dried on a traditional fire-heated floor. Hear about the history of the mill and how it preserves its heritage doing the milling process in the way it has been done for centuries. See the water-driven mechanism in action and get close to the bere itself! Following this, you will take part in a cookery class with chef Lorraine Johnston, where you will learn to bake traditional Orkney oatcakes made with this ancient Viking grain, using oats and bere from Barony Mill. While the oatcakes are baking, Viking expert and storyteller Dr Ragnhild Ljosland is coming to entertain with tales of Viking Birsay and the sea. At the end, you take home a bag of your own warm oatcakes.

Suitable for: Adults

Practical information: The starting point is Barony Mill, which is just outside the village of Palace in Birsay. (Google map link). You would need a car to get there.

The tour of the mill begins promptly at 2.45

The cookery class and storytelling will be in Birsay Community Hall, approximately 0.5 mile from the mill.(Google Map link)