Rich ..... you respond more to the 'lived in' places than the 'ceremonial' then from the sound of it ... Jarlshof I have been to ... impressive, as you say ... and I am a big fan of the Brochs that sprinkle the Northern Isles and Caithness.
Never been to Orkney for longer than a few hours ferry stopover on my way to Shetland (though have it penciled in as a Morgan road trip for sometime soon 🙂)... was always focused on the music, drinking and general carrousing associated with the wonderful Shetland Folk Festival ... was a 'must do' for years til a hand injury put paid to my music making.
In this NE corner we have the vast majority of the unusual lunar-aligned recumbent stone circles (I think there may be one or two in SW Ireland) ... much more human-scaled and associated with a local tribe, village or group of families ... many are rarely visited and are very personal and atmospheric places to sit and listen to the wind blow down the ages
K
