Banks Chambered Tomb

Orkney


Discovered while digging was under way for a car park, this 5000-year-old chambered tomb has yielded a vast quantity of human bones, well preserved thanks to the saturation of the earth. The tomb, dug into bedrock, is an atmospheric if claustrophobic visit. The guided tour mixes homespun archaeological theories with astute observations. Within the adjacent bistro, you can handle discoveries of stones and bones, including the remains of otters, who presumably used this as a den. Follow signs for Tomb of the Eagles.


Lonely Planet's must-see attractions

Nearby Orkney attractions

1. Tomb of the Eagles

0.36 MILES

Two significant archaeological sites were found here by a farmer on his land. The first is a Bronze Age stone building with a firepit, indoor well and…

2. Duncansby Head

7.11 MILES

Two miles east of John O'Groats, Duncansby Head has a small lighthouse and 60m-high cliffs sheltering nesting fulmars. A 15-minute walk through a sheep…

3. Fossil & Heritage Centre

8.58 MILES

This eclectic museum is a great visit, combining some excellent 360-million-year-old Devonian fish fossils found locally with a well-designed exhibition…

4. Hackness Martello Tower & Battery

8.92 MILES

Built during the Napoleonic Wars, when French ships passed through the Pentland Firth to prey on North Sea merchant vessels, this battery, accompanied by…

5. Flotta

9.15 MILES

The most distinctive feature of this small, flat island – in fact, the name comes from the Norse for 'flat island' – is the 68m-tall flare stack rising…

6. Italian Chapel

10.87 MILES

The Italian Chapel is all that remains of a POW camp that housed the Italian soldiers who worked on the Churchill Barriers. They built the chapel in their…

7. Longhope Lifeboat Museum

11.16 MILES

At the southern end of Hoy, Longhope’s former lifeboat launching station holds a small lifeboat museum, centred around one of the old boats itself, the…

8. Scapa Flow Visitor Centre & Museum

11.57 MILES

Lyness was an important naval base during both World Wars, when the British Grand Fleet was based in Scapa Flow. This fascinating museum and photographic…

  • placement: superzone
  • path: Destinations/POIs/superzone
  • possible size: [970, 250], [970, 90], [728, 90], [1, 1],
  • targeting:
    {
      "url": "scotland/south-ronaldsay/attractions/banks-chambered-tomb/a/poi-sig/1287306/1319087",
      "destination": "Orkney",
      "continent": "Europe",
      "country": "Scotland",
      "region": "Orkney",
      "position": "superzone"
    }