April to September

The airfield is open on Wednesdays, Fridays and Sundays, between 11am and 4pm, some of the buildings will be open, with volunteers on site to welcome anyone wanting to visit.

Our volunteers have been actively working on artifacts in the Cinema and Fire Station while creating displays to bring the site to life. Recently acquired photographs showcasing daily life at the airfield will be displayed alongside information and artifacts related to all aspects of wartime aerial activities in Orkney. The volunteers will continue restoring and displaying more items and will be available to chat with visitors.

Guided tours are also available starting at 2pm at the Bryameadow Road entrance, just inside the second set of brick gateposts along the Bryameadow Road. See our guided tours page for more information.

Entry is by donation – all proceeds go to Birsay Heritage Trust and help towards developing the site.

Please note for safety reasons the Control Tower will only be accessed during guided tours.

October to March

Occasional tours are available between October to March. If there are tours coming up, we will post the times on our Facebook page.

If you would like to arrange a tour in the winter months, please email: hmsternadmin@birsay.org.uk

Please note there is no road sign off the main road at the moment.

Please note: there are toilet facilities at HMS Tern – these toilets are for visitors to the site only and will only be open when volunteers are on site – Wed, Fri & Sun 11am to 4pm, and for those on scheduled guided tours.

Most of the site is open to the public, but some buildings should not be entered. Please do not attempt to explore the surrounding farmland without the permission of the landowners – there will be livestock and crops for most of the year so please respect this and stick to the main area between the Bryameadow Road entrance and the Control Tower – please do not climb over any fences!

Most of the site is accessible but there are some parts of the site with which some visitors with mobility problems may have difficulty. Please contact us if you have any queries about accessibility. Also please note that most of the tour takes place outdoors and the site is very exposed to the elements, so please bear this in mind in less clement weather!