Discover the epic Viking saga woven into Scotland’s soul! The Viking Age exploded in 793 when dragon-prowed longships struck Iona’s monastery, igniting over 250 years of raid, trade, and settlement.
Fierce Norwegians fully colonised Orkney and Shetland (99 % Norse place-names remain), transformed the Hebrides into the Kingdom of the Isles, and dominated Caithness and Sutherland.
Powerful Orkney earls like Thorfinn the Mighty ruled a sea-empire stretching to Dublin, while Norse-Gaelic lords such as Somerled founded the lasting Lordship of the Isles.
Visit Orkney’s Maeshowe tomb (Viking-aligned to the midwinter solstice) and the UNESCO Heart of Neolithic Orkney sites; explore Shetland’s Jarlshof with its Viking longhouses; sail the Western Isles where longships once beached; and stand at Largs, scene of Scotland’s 1263 victory over the last Norwegian fleet.
From runestones to modern festivals like Up Helly Aa, Scotland’s Viking blood still runs strong—come sail into history!
