Stromness Museum — Attraction in Scotland

This is my favourite kind of museum. Small, but packed full with information and exhibits focusing on specifically local history.

There is an entrance fee of £5, but it is well worth it as you can return to the museum using the same ticket and there is so much to take in.

Downstairs covers the Scapa Flow stories from the two world wars, merchant navy, and a special exhibition; upstairs is a collection of taxidermy particularly locally seen birds, and the Hudson Bay Company.

I was particularly interested in the Cairns exhibition, the current special exhibition. It highlighted the results of recent archaeological research on a number of brochs. It was a fascinating window into a mysterious phenomenon, and outlined new discoveries, theories, and understanding. All this in around 4 metres...

This place has character. A real old school compact museum with solid wooden display cases containing fascinating objects and stories that clearly illustrate the importance of Stromness' contribution to history, particularly with regards to the amount of Arctic expeditions that set off from its harbour. Its labyrinth of rooms cover everything from the neolithic history of the area to the natural history & wildlife of the islands of Orkney, all connected by creaking stairways, narrow corridors and low doorways, while the permanent exhibits of items recovered from the German fleet scuttled in Scapa Flow greet you as soon as you enter. The museum is also great value as the nominal entrance fees allow you to return as often as you like...

Initially we weren't sure whether to go in as it seemed small and unimpressive, but oh boy were we wrong! We ended up coming back to it after a few days as there was so much to see in it and they allow coming back as much as you want with the same tickets within a week. In the end we probably spent about 3 hours here.

They've really got everything you can think of here - from various artefacts from various ships sunken around Orkney, to green energy items, stuffed birds and even a necklace made out of human teeth! Alright, enough spoilers, just go in, you won't be...