A967
| A967 | ||||
| Location Map ( geo) | ||||
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| From: | North of Stromness (HY260108) | |||
| To: | Birsay Bay (HY253278) | |||
| Via: | Twatt | |||
| Distance: | 11.9 miles (19.2 km) | |||
| Meets: | A965, B9056, B9055, B9057, A986, B9056, A966 | |||
| Highway Authorities | ||||
| Traditional Counties | ||||
| Route outline (key) | ||||
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The A967 serves the western side of Orkney's Mainland, running from Stromness in the south up to Birsay in the north, albeit not actually reaching either place! It is a scenic drive, but as it misses the actual coastline, the B9056 is more dramatic.
The road begins just outside Stromness at a junction with the A965 and heads north through Sandwick Parish. Once again with Orkney it passes numerous small settlements lining the western shores of the Loch of Stenness and Loch of Harray, although none could be regarded as villages. The first few miles are quite bendy, with short straights as the road curves through Quholm and then around Redland Hill. A much sharper bend sees the B9056 continue ahead while the A967 turns sharply right. About a mile later the B9055 crosses the A967 at a staggered crossroads. It is a busy road, connecting the world-famous World Heritage sites of the neolithic village at Skara Brae with Maes Howe and the nearby stone circles of the Ring of Brodgar, Stones of Stenness. Between them they are some of the most important Neolithic monuments in the world, and draw thousands of tourists every year.
A series of bends leads to a long straight and after just over a mile, the B9057 also crosses the A966. Another couple of bends then lead to an even longer straight past Isbister to the A986 junction at Twatt. This unfortunately named village is now famous across the world, thanks to the internet, but "Twatt" is actually a fairly common surname in Orkney. The A986 joins from the right, but the junction is set up as a TOTSO, with priority from the A986 onto the northern section of the A967.
The road now winds north west along the southern shore of the Loch of Boardhouse, skirting the bottom of Ravie Hill, before turning north again into the parish of Birsay. The other end of the B9056 is met by the village hall and then kinks over a stream at the Mill of Boardhouse. Just north of the bridge, it comes to an end where it meets the A966, just short of the village centre of Birsay, albeit this is little more than a slightly denser area of settlement around the ruinous Bishop's Palace, shop and parish church.
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