Free tours of the upper floors and tower of Kirkwall’s St Magnus Cathedral, and tours of the Ness Battery in Stromness will be Orkney’s contribution to Doors Open Day this Sunday, September 29.

St Magnus Cathedral visitors have been able to pay a small fee to access guided tours of the upper floors and the tower since Easter 2002, and this has proved to be a great success. These tours will be free on the hour from 1pm to 4pm on Sunday. Space on the tours is limited, so please contact the custodian on 874894.

Orkney Islands Council recently acquired Ness Battery, Stromness, from the MoD. The site will be considered for some sort of future development as a visitor attraction, as funds allow. Ness Battery dates partly from World War One and partly from World War Two, and was used to defend the Hoy Sound entrance to Scapa Flow from enemy ships.

Tours of the site will run on the hour from 10am to 4pm on September 29th. Further information can be obtained from Tom Muir on 873191.

Doors Open Day is a Scottish Civic Trust initiative, where local authorities and other landlords or site owners are encouraged to open their properties to the public for a day, or to waive the usual charges, to enable the public to gain more access to noted local buildings and sites.