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Museum · near Kirkwall · Orkney Islands

Shapinsay Heritage Centre

Visitors find Shapinsay Heritage Centre, a museum, 5 km northeast of Kirkwall. A short trip away is St Magnus Cathedral, Kirkwall, 6.4 km off, the first of 11 within 15 km.

Where
5 km
northeast of Kirkwall
Warmest months
Jul–Aug
highs of 17–17°C
In brief

Museum near Kirkwall

Just outside Kirkwall

Shapinsay Heritage Centre is 5 km northeast of Kirkwall. Towns near it ↓

Written from OpenStreetMap, Wikidata, NRS’s localities and Met Office 1991–2020 averages.

When to go

Month by month

In Kirkwall, July and August are the warmest, at 17°C in the afternoon.

Jan7° / 2°135 mm
Feb7° / 2°92 mm
Mar8° / 3°83 mm
Apr10° / 4°69 mm
May13° / 6°56 mm
Jun15° / 8°65 mm
Jul17° / 10°49 mm
Aug17° / 10°65 mm
Sep15° / 9°88 mm
Oct12° / 7°118 mm
Nov9° / 4°131 mm
Dec7° / 2°115 mm
Green months are the warmest. Typical afternoon highs and night lows in Kirkwall, and rain in a month. Met Office HadUK-Grid 1991–2020 averages for Kirkwall. Opening times change through the year: check before you go. Kirkwall’s full climate →
About

Shapinsay Heritage Centre

Museum.

Type
Museum
Town
5 km northeast of Kirkwall
Facts: Wikidata (CC0) and OpenStreetMap (© OpenStreetMap contributors).
Plan your visit

How to visit

Entrance feesFreeNo entrance fee.
Hours and entry: OpenStreetMap contributors. They change through the year: check its site before you go.
The map

Getting your bearings

Shapinsay Heritage Centre sits at the orange dot; the numbered ones are listed below.

12345678

© OpenStreetMap contributors · NRS locality 2022

Towns near it

Where people come from

They run in order of distance, starting where it stands.

1 · 5 km southwest of it

Kirkwall

7,393 people · 11 places to visit

Make a day of it

Combine it with these

Nearby, 11 places within 15 km include 2 castles, 2 museums and a cathedral.

1CathedralSt Magnus Cathedral, Kirkwall6.4 km away2Historic houseBalfour Castle400 m away3Castle · Historic Environment ScotlandEarl's Palace6.4 km away4Castle · Historic Environment ScotlandBishop's Palace6.4 km away5FortFort · Historic Environment ScotlandBroch of Gurness settlement14 km away6MuseumOrkney Museum6.4 km away7MuseumOrkney Wireless Museum6.1 km away8AttractionAttractionHighland Park Distillery7.5 km away

Within 15 km, close and well known first. Numbers match the map.

Questions before you go

Where is Shapinsay Heritage Centre?

Shapinsay Heritage Centre is 5 km northeast of Kirkwall, Orkney Islands.

What is Shapinsay Heritage Centre?

Museum.

When is the best time to visit Shapinsay Heritage Centre?

July and August are the warmest months in Kirkwall, with afternoon highs of 17–17°C (Met Office 1991–2020 averages).

What else is there to see near Shapinsay Heritage Centre?

Within 15 km: St Magnus Cathedral, Kirkwall (6.4 km), Balfour Castle (400 m), Earl's Palace (6.4 km) and Bishop's Palace (6.4 km).

Places: OpenStreetMap (© OpenStreetMap contributors, Open Database Licence) and Wikidata (CC0), placed in the NRS 2022 locality (Open Government Licence v3.0). Visitor counts are the latest Wikidata gives, with their year.

Photos: each place’s Wikidata image, from Wikimedia Commons under the licence below (our copy, resized).

Photo credits (6)

Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Contains HM Land Registry data © Crown copyright and database right 2026. Contains OS data © Crown copyright and database right 2026 (ONS boundaries). Northern Ireland: Source: NISRA; contains Land & Property Services data and Ordnance Survey of Northern Ireland information, © Crown copyright, licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Scotland: contains National Records of Scotland data, Registers of Scotland data and SEPA data, © Crown copyright / © SEPA 2025, licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.