Region : Orkney Island : Eday Town or village : Calfsound Grid Reference : HY 560 381 Period : 3rd millennium BC Vinquoy CHAMBERED CAIRN

This is a well preserved example of a Maes Howe type of chambered cairn. The entrance is on the south and the passage roofed by seven lintels. The passage is 4m long, 1m high and only 0.4m to 0.6m wide. Four side-cells open off the central polygonal chamber. The low cells' entrances are in two pairs (in the photo the two eastern ones are visible). The chamber's walls rise vertically to lintel height, after which they oversail to a surviving height of 3m, like a beehive. The cairn was built on a hilltop, with magnificent views over Orkney. It is likely to have served as a burial place and to have been in use for several hundred years. It was first entered in 1857 via a hole in the roof, but nothing is known of its original content. Then it was restored in 1985.

Other chambered cairns ------------------ Achnacree (Carn Ban) Barpa Langass Beorgs of Housetter Blackhammer Cairnholy I Cairnholy II Camster Long Camster Round Camus nan Geall Clettraval Cnoc Freiceadain North Cnoc Freiceadain South Coille na Borgie South Cuween Hill East Bennan Garrywhin (Cairn o' Get) Holm of Papa Westray North Holm of Papa Westray South Isbister (Tomb of the Eagles) Knowe of Lairo Knowe of Yarso Maes Howe Midhowe Nether Largie South Ord North Ord South Punds Water South Yarrows South Taversoe Tuick Torrylin Unival Unstan Vinquoy Wideford Hill Other sites in Orkney ---------------------- Barnhouse Settlement Barnhouse Stone Blackhammer Comet Stone Cuween Hill Dwarfie Stane Grain Gurness Holm of Papa Westray North Holm of Papa Westray South Isbister (Tomb of the Eagles) Knap of Howar Knowe of Lairo Knowe of Yarso Liddle Maes Howe Midhowe Broch Midhowe Chambered Cairn Rennibister Ring of Brodgar (Brogar) Skara Brae Stone of Setter Stones of Stenness Taversoe Tuick Unstan Vinquoy Watch Stone Wideford Hill