Maybe they're scared that someone might bump their head in the entrance chamber...

You couldn't make it up.

I was driving from Pont ar Elan to Rhayader this morning and had, as usual, to manoeuvre around sheep sat in the middle of the road... that is to say the sight of a ton or so of metal mass hurtling toward them had no impact upon their nervous systems. The crows, on the other hand, stepped neatly out of the way.... feeding upon sheep's carcass. Naturally.

So, are we to assume the average tourist to Maes Howe is as intelligent as a sheep, but less so than a crow? What happened to responsibility for one's own actions? Or are the authorities playing a political game here? To cite an obvious example, are visitors to The Nine Stones of Winterbourne Abbas less important than those to Maes Howe?

I visited last February and I can tell you there was minimal traffic so it's a bit strange to me that they are closing this just as we are going off season.

Given the nature of the island (it's an island with just a few ferry trips) I have to wonder exactly how busy it gets traffic wise in Summer.

I take the point about large groups being a potential issue but I have to say does this warrant closure all year round.

Seems to me that there's politics involved, never a good thing, always present regarding our ancient heritage sites it seems.