View from the orri

An orri is a type of small stone hut found around here. Orris are dome-shaped, mortarless huts, often with a top made of slate or wood. Inside they contain just one low room, although sometimes the surface area is only two or three square metres.
Orris were mostly used as night shelters by shepherds and cowherds after sheep and cows were moved to higher ground for grazing in the summer and early autumn. They vary in their arrangements: most stand alone. In the mountains they were also probably used as storm shelters or refuges when conditions suddenly deteriorated. In extremis, they can still serve that purpose today.