Tomb of the Eagles

“My dad Ronnie was just digging his fields when he unearthed an ancient stone,” smiles Freda, a pillar of the legendary Orcadian family, the Simisons. “That changed everything. He had just discovered the Tomb of the Eagles and my mum and him devoted much of their lives to a prehistoric site everyone loved. We’re delighted to see it open again, so everyone can experience this special place.”

I cannot think of any significant historic site in the world I’ve had to haul myself into using a rope and wee metal trolley. There is touch of Indiana Jones about eking into the tomb this way.

The Tomb of the Eagles is quite simply one of the most remarkable scheduled monuments in the whole of Scotland. And perhaps the most unique. This epic site has never been owned by the National Trust for Scotland; nor Historic Scotland. It emerged purely through the passion, energy and creativity of Ronnie and his family. “Dad had many archaeologists and various experts visit here over the years, but he learned from them and ended up doing a lot of the work himself, insisting that none of the finds were taken off Orkney,” explains his other daughter Kathleen, who is also with me in the Tardis-esque visitor centre, which re-opened in September.

The family have quite a tale to tell about what happened after that fateful discovery in 1958 and what unfolded in the following years. They talk of the police and doctors being called out when the skeletons started to be unearthed after thousands of years. They also tell me how the 5,000-year-old site grew “arms and legs” over the years as people started to come, and the site was fully excavated to allow access into the tomb, with a visitor centre later sprouting up. In its heyday a bus ran to the Tomb of Eagles and it became a must-see Orcadian attraction. By 2019 a whopping 16,000 visitors hauled themselves into the darkened tomb on that wee rope-pulled trolley. We’ll come to that joy later.

The Tomb of Eagles had become a roaring success by 2019, but then disaster struck with Covid. First came enforced Lockdown closures and then the impossible re-opening with impractical social distancing measures in place at this unique site. The unthinkable happened and Ronnie and the Simisons’ beloved site had to stay closed, seemingly for good.

Joe Horrocks – who has thrown his own passion into the Tomb of the Eagles – picks up the story here. “Things have happened very fast,” he explains with a twinkle in his eye. “It was only in November 2022 that we had a public meeting to look at possible ways ahead. Out of that grew the idea of an ambitious community buy out to resurrect the Tomb of the Eagles and secure its future.” The speed of the rebirth has been remarkable as support was secured from the Scottish Land Fund and the National Lottery, as well as crowdsourcing from all over the world. “Everyone wanted to help, we had support from as far afield as America and Canada, then from Asia and Australasia too. It was amazing.” beams Joe.

The visitor centre is amazing too. I’m lucky to have the sisters (Freda Norquay and Kathleen MacLeod) show me around, telling stories as they go, as their passionate mother once did.

In the old days a human skull might have been thrust into my hands; today it’s a digitally printed replica, but it’s a no less dramatic scene setter. I wander through their myriad exhibits, which shine light on the Tomb of the Eagles and the wee burnt mound and prehistoric dwelling that sits by it that is part of the wider experience here.

The last of the exhibition rooms blows me away. It leaves the Neolithic times behind us to home in on the much older Mesolithic. It’s one of the deepest dives I’ve seen into those days. So little of Mesolithic culture remains today, their use of wood and the fact that Neolithic builders often plundered their sites to build their own, hampering our attempts to learn more. Here, though, we have evidence, solid research and synapse-popping theories.

My mind buzzing down the millennia Joe leads me in search of the star attraction a mile away, with a quick detour to check out the burnt mound. You can make it a circular walk by working your way in one direction via the seabirds and seals of Ham Geo.

Either way it’s a dramatic approach as the land abruptly halts in the face of soaring sea cliffs, the hulk of Scotland glowering back just across the Pentland Firth. The mainland is just an easy NorthLink ferry ride away; it feels much more distant.

I pay homage to Ronnie and his wife at the standing stone memorial to them, which reads simply, “Ronnie and Morgan ‘together with the ancestors”.

It’s an evocative spot, my head, heart and soul already spinning before I even enter the famous Tomb of the Eagles. It was named after the remains of the mighty sea eagles that were found alongside the skeletal remains of what we now think were around 100 people. One theory has it that the eagle in this part of Orkney was part of a ritual that saw flesh stripped from the dead so that their spirit may continue and their bones could be interred.

The tomb is housed within a thick domed carpet of turf. The only way in is through a dark and narrow three metre corridor. And the only way through here is on the infamous wee trolley. The old one broke, so this one has come courtesy of Freda’s husband. It’s gloriously simple and gloriously old world. I cannot think of any significant historic site in the world I’ve had to haul myself into using a rope and wee metal trolley. There is touch of Indiana Jones about eking into the tomb this way.

Inside I can stand, indeed the tomb is surprisingly spacious. Joe points out the various chambers and spots where the dead were interred – men, women and children. It envelops with a calm stillness, the pitch dark adding to the atmosphere. It’s the sort of place you whisper to your friends in even if there is no one else there. And the wild wind outside whispers through the narrow tunnel alongside the ghosts of our ancestors.

Joe tells me more stories – this is an archaeological marvel alive with stories. Ronnie himself comes alive with the hulking stone Joe points out. This is very first one that Ronnie chanced upon, the solid bedrock from what became his own life’s work and his family’s enduring passion. As I leave the Tomb of the Eagles Freda waves me off. Before I catapult back forward through the centuries, she says, “What ultimately makes the Tomb of the Eagles so special is family. How we have grown it as a family and how we have welcomed people here as a family.”

Freda is right – the Tomb of the Eagles is special in no small part due to family and the new community group running it remains inexorably connected to the Simisons and their legacy. The Tomb of the Eagles is also utterly unique in other ways and it’s certainly the only community owned archaeological phenomenon anywhere in the world I’ve been to where you haul yourself in a wee metal trolley fashioned by a typically creative Orcadian. If you’ve not been, go. If you’ve been before, go again and rejoice in the resurrection of the wondrous Tomb of the Eagles.

By Robin McKelvie
Robin McKelvie is an award-winning travel writer and broadcaster who has been published in over 200 magazines and newspapers worldwide.

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