The Dying Light

Travel Guide

An Aubrey trail around Orkney

Dwarfie Stane, Hoy – a 5,000 year old tomb carved into a single, giant boulder in the middle of a lonely glen where giants and dwarves once lived (if you believe the stories!). In The Dying Light, an unknown man is found lying inside with no obvious cause of death.

Copinsay – Once home to a small community, the island of Copinsay is now uninhabited by humans, but home to a thriving community of seabirds. The homesteads are still there, with the names of the people who once lived in them etched into the walls. In the book, a group of teenagers steal a boat and head to the island for a night of getting up to no good. But they’re not alone…

Burwick, South Ronaldsay – About as far south as you can go in Orkney, Burwick is a tranquil bay surrounded by cliffs and steep, narrow inlets called “geos” that provide shelter for seals to raise their pups. In the book, Freya finds something far less cute in the water here.

Westray – One of Orkney’s northern islands, and one of my favourite places in the county, an island of puffins and seals, beautiful beaches and Viking settlements. It’s DI Fergus Muir’s childhood home, as well as being home to a man who has a score to settle with Freya.

Outertown – Outside of Stromness, and on the edge of Mainland Orkney, a handful of houses cling to the land before it drops into the North Atlantic. The towering sea cliffs of Hoy rise across the sound, and the whole place has an edge of the world feel. The kind of place someone who has something to hide might choose to live…