Mill of Ayreland

Last updated

Burn of Ayreland at the Mill of Ireland (Ayreland) Burn just south of Maes Howe, Mainland Orkney - geograph.org.uk - 535546.jpg
Burn of Ayreland at the Mill of Ireland (Ayreland)

The Mill of Ayreland is an historic watermill driven by water force of the Burn of Ayreland, a northwesterly flowing coastal stream within Mainland Orkney, Scotland, that empties into the Clestrain Sound approximately five kilometres southerly of Stenness. [1]

Contents

Prehistory and history

This watermill is located several miles south of important Neolithic and Iron Age archaeological sites. Several kilometres to the north are the Standing Stones of Stenness and the Ring of Brodgar. [2] About three miles to the northeast is the Iron Age Maes Howe ancient site.

The Burn of Ayreland had supplied the Mill of Ayreland with water power since the Late Middle Ages; this watermill functioned into at least the late 1880s. The mill now functions as a country inn.

See also

Reference line notes

  1. United Kingdom Ordnance Survey Map Landranger 45, Orkney Mainland, 1:50,000 scale(2003)
  2. J. Gunn, Orkney: the Magnetic North, Thomas Nelson & Sons, Edinburgh, Scotland (1932)

58°58′08″N3°13′39″W / 58.96886°N 3.22757°W / 58.96886; -3.22757


Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Orkney</span> Archipelago, county and council area in northern Scotland

Orkney, also known as the Orkney Islands or The Orkneys, is an archipelago in the Northern Isles of Scotland, situated off the north coast of the island of Great Britain. Orkney is 10 miles (16 km) north of the coast of Caithness and has about 70 islands, of which 20 are inhabited. The largest island, the Mainland, has an area of 523 square kilometres (202 sq mi), making it the sixth-largest Scottish island and the tenth-largest island in the British Isles. Orkney's largest settlement, and also its administrative centre, is Kirkwall.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rousay</span> One of the Orkney Islands

Rousay is a small, hilly island about 3 km (1.9 mi) north of Mainland, the largest island in the Orkney Islands of Scotland. It has been nicknamed "Egypt of the north", due to its archaeological diversity and importance.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ring of Brodgar</span> A neolithic stone circle in Orkney, Scotland

The Ring of Brodgar is a Neolithic henge and stone circle about 6 miles north-east of Stromness on Mainland, the largest island in Orkney, Scotland. It is part of the UNESCO World Heritage Site known as the Heart of Neolithic Orkney.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Brough of Birsay</span> An uninhabited tidal island off the north-west coast of The Mainland of Orkney, Scotland

The Brough of Birsay is an uninhabited tidal island off the north-west coast of The Mainland of Orkney, Scotland, in the parish of Birsay. It is located around 13 miles north of Stromness and features the remains of Pictish and Norse settlements as well as a modern light house.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mainland, Orkney</span> Main island of the Orkney Islands, Scotland

The Mainland, also known as Hrossey and Pomona, is the main island of Orkney, Scotland. Both of Orkney's burghs, Kirkwall and Stromness, lie on the island, which is also the heart of Orkney's ferry and air connections.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Eday</span> Island in the Orkney Islands, Scotland

Eday is one of the islands of Orkney, which are located to the north of the Scottish mainland. One of the North Isles, Eday is about 24 kilometres from the Orkney Mainland. With an area of 27 km2 (10 sq mi), it is the ninth-largest island of the archipelago. The bedrock of the island is Old Red Sandstone, which is exposed along the sea-cliffs.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Shapinsay</span> Island and (until 1975) civil parish in Orkney Islands, Scotland

Shapinsay is one of the Orkney Islands off the north coast of mainland Scotland. There is one village on the island, Balfour, from which roll-on/roll-off car ferries sail to Kirkwall on the Orkney Mainland. Balfour Castle, built in the Scottish Baronial style, is one of the island's most prominent features, a reminder of the Balfour family's domination of Shapinsay during the 18th and 19th centuries; the Balfours transformed life on the island by introducing new agricultural techniques. Other landmarks include a standing stone, an Iron Age broch, a souterrain and a salt-water shower.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Stones of Stenness</span> Henge in Orkney Islands, Scotland, UK

The Standing Stones of Stenness is a Neolithic monument five miles northeast of Stromness on the mainland of Orkney, Scotland. This may be the oldest henge site in the British Isles. Various traditions associated with the stones survived into the modern era and they form part of the Heart of Neolithic Orkney World Heritage Site. They are looked after by Historic Environment Scotland as a scheduled monument.

Thurso Bay, known also as Scrabster Bay, is a bay of Atlantic water between the points of Clairdon Head and Holborn Head on the north coast of Caithness, Scotland.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Burn of Ayreland</span> Coastal stream on Mainland Orkney, Scotland

The Burn of Ayreland is a northwesterly flowing coastal stream on Mainland Orkney, Scotland, that discharges to the Clestrain Sound about two miles south of Stenness. Draining chiefly agricultural lands elevated mosses and moorland. This stream has a notable lack of turbidity and a pH level of approximately 8. Armouring of the stream bottom consists of pebbles, cobbles and occasional boulders.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Stines Moss</span>

Stines Moss is an elevated bog in the southwest upland area of the Orkney Mainland, Scotland.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Waulkmill Bay</span>

Waulkmill Bay is a tidal bay on the southwest of Mainland Orkney, Scotland. This bay and its immediately surrounding area have been identified as a Site of Special Scientific Interest by Scottish Natural Heritage.

Ayreland may refer to:

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Stenness</span> Human settlement in Scotland

Stenness is a village and parish on the Orkney Mainland in Scotland. It contains several notable prehistoric monuments including the Standing Stones of Stenness and the Ring of Brodgar.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Loch of Stenness</span> Brackish loch in Orkney, Scotland

The Loch of Stenness is a large brackish loch on Mainland, Orkney, Scotland and is named for the parish of Stenness. It is 2 miles northeast of the town of Stromness, lies immediately to the south of the Loch of Harray and is close to the World Heritage neolithic sites of the Stones of Stenness and Ring of Brodgar. In Old Norse its name was Steinnesvatn.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Loch of Harray</span> Freshwater loch in Mainland Orkney, Scotland

The Loch of Harray is the largest loch of Mainland Orkney, Scotland and is named for the parish of Harray. It lies immediately north of the Loch of Stenness and is close to the World Heritage neolithic sites of the Stones of Stenness and Ring of Brodgar. In Old Norse its name was Heraðvatn.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Prehistoric Orkney</span> Overview of the prehistoric period on the Orkney Islands, Scotland

Prehistoric Orkney refers only to the prehistory of the Orkney archipelago of Scotland that begins with human occupation. Although some records referring to Orkney survive that were written during the Roman invasions of Scotland, “prehistory” in northern Scotland is defined as lasting until the start of Scotland's Early Historic Period.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tormiston Mill</span> Watermill (1882–1962), Visitor Centre (1989–2016) in Stenness

Tormiston Mill is a Category B listed watermill located on the Mainland of Orkney, in Scotland, owned by Historic Scotland since 1989. The mill sits adjacent to Maeshowe Chambered Cairn.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hoy Sound</span>

Hoy Sound is a body of salt water subject to tidal currents situated south of the town of Stromness in the Orkney archipelago of Scotland.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Orphir Round Church</span>

The remains of the Orphir Round Church, also St Nicholas's Church, are located in Orphir Parish on the Mainland, Orkney, Scotland. It has been part of a scheduled monument since 2014.