Dry Stone Walls – a history

Dry Stane Dykes have been a beautiful feature of the Scottish landscape for hundreds – even thousands of years. They tell a story about their area; the local stone that’s been quarried, the way the land has been used and wildlife that’s sheltered by it or grown over it as the years have passed. A dyke is built like an intricate jigsaw puzzle, with stones carefully chosen and placed. There is no mortar used to hold it all together – amazing when you think of the centuries these walls have stood. The oldest dry stane dykes in Scotland are found in Orkney, in the village of Skara Brae, where...