Located in close proximity to the southwest of the Ring of Brodgar, Salt Knowe is the largest of the several mounds in the area at 131 feet by 108 feet and nearly 20 feet high.
Most report it as being between 4,500 and 3,500 years old and is thought that it may be a Neolithic chambered cairn similar to nearby Maeshowe. The presence of a Bronze Age cist, however, challenges this belief, and only excavation will resolve the issue.
About Salt Knowe
Orkneyjar: Salt Knowe
Megalithic Portal: Salt Knowe
Journey to Salt Knowe
Salt Knowe is located near the Ring of Brodgar in the "Heart of Neolithic Orkney" -- an area of Orkney's West Mainland now designated as a UNESCO World Heritage Site -- off of the B9055, which is off of the main Stromess-Kirkwall road (A965) on Mainland, Orkney, Scotland.
Ordnance Survey Map (HY293133)
Visitors Information
Visitors information may be found on the Orkneyjar: Archaeology Around the Ring of Brodgar webpage. General tourist information for Orkney may be found on the Visit Orkney website.
Additional Photos of Salt Knowe
Descriptive Sign for Salt Knowe and Other Sites Around Brodgar
The Ring of Brodgar (left) and Salt Knowe (right)
View from the Ring of Brodgar
Salt Knowe
Salt Knowe at Twilight
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