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Burwick, Orkney

Coordinates: 58°44′24″N 2°58′23″W / 58.740°N 2.973°W / 58.740; -2.973
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Burwick
Approaching Burwick Ferry Terminal on the Pentland Venture, May 2011
Burwick is located in Orkney Islands
Burwick
Burwick
Location within Orkney
OS grid referenceND436839
Civil parish
Council area
Lieutenancy area
CountryScotland
Sovereign stateUnited Kingdom
Post townORKNEY
Postcode districtKW17
Dialling code01856
PoliceScotland
FireScottish
AmbulanceScottish
UK Parliament
Scottish Parliament
List of places
UK
Scotland
58°44′24″N 2°58′23″W / 58.740°N 2.973°W / 58.740; -2.973

Burwick (/ˈbʌrwɪk/) is a small harbour on the island of South Ronaldsay in the Orkney Islands, Scotland. It is the closest Orkney harbour to the Scottish mainland and is the terminus of a passenger ferry which operates in the summer to John o' Groats in Caithness.

The name was first recorded in about 1225 as "Bardvik", derived from the Old Norse bar vík, meaning "bay of the extremity", for its position near the southernmost point of the island.[1]

The remains of the Castle of Burwick, a defended Iron Age fort and probable secondary monastic settlement, occupy the promontory west of the harbour.[2]

References

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  1. ^ Mills, A.D.; Room, Adrian (2002). A Dictionary of British Place-Names. Oxford University Press. Burwick.
  2. ^ "South Ronaldsay, Castle of Burwick". Canmore. Royal Commission on the Ancient and Historical Monuments of Scotland. Retrieved 4 May 2014.
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