In an age of technology, wool is back – taking advantage of that very technology to open up new products and new markets for yarn spun from traditional breeds of sheep. Visitors from islands along the old Norse sea-routes have come to Orkney to show what they are doing and find out about Orkney’s own developments.

A science and poetry workshop with poet and performer Chandrika Narayanan-Mohan. It will include writing exercises around the politics of discovery, and playing with different writing forms to interpret scientific information. No qualifications or in-depth knowledge about science are necessary, she says. “All you need to bring is curiosity and something to write with!”

Beneath its rough seas, Orkney is home to magnificent seaweed forests, emerald seagrass meadows and intricate maerl beds. Often overlooked, these rich habitats are vulnerable to development across the seascape. Heriot-Watt research student Millie Brown takes a creative approach to discuss what these habitats mean to all of us—communities, local fishermen, scientists and visitors.

The Ness of Brodgar excavations are over and the site is covered – but the study of the finds continues, with new insights emerging, and new questions about what the discoveries may mean. Ness of Brodgar director Nick Card leads a walk around the site, to look at its position within a wider landscape, and provides at first hand the latest news of the progress of analysis.

Join in an afternoon of singing with tutor Irene Watt, accompanied by her dementia-friendly choir. "Singing is a wonderful catalyst for improving health and wellbeing," she says. "Come and learn how to sing in harmony and benefit from this joyous experience." There's also tea/coffee and light refreshments and an opportunity to find out about a new network working to improve dementia care, along with projects in mental health and music therapy.

Join civil engineer Neil Kermode, Steve Sankey and Capt. Bill Spence for a bus tour across the Barriers to hear about their construction and their impact, stopping at each one to get a fuller picture of the scale of the work. The route includes a visit the Old Kirk in Holm to see the exhibition of photos of the building of the Barriers. On the way back there are refreshments at the Barrier View Café, built on the site of the Rockworks, one of the former construction camps.

What’s the best way to protect plants from Orkney gales? Traditionally there were glasshouses and polytunnels, and now there are polycrubs too. Dr Henry Creissen, director of UHI Orkney’s Agronomy and Agriculture Institute, is joined by Horticulture lecturer Clive Chaddock and gardener Ed Bollom to discuss the evidence so far. You can then go on a garden tour with them.

See the new Highland Park heat recovery system at first hand, and hear about its design and operation from Alasdair Punton, process design manager at Edrington, and distillery manager Marie Gulliver. You can see how the heat from the distillation process provides warm air to help dry the malt in the kiln, and warm water for the mash tun. There is time for questions and discussion afterwards, with an appropriate glass to round off.

Join professional gardener Ed Bollom to look at what you need to be doing through the autumn to keep your kitchen garden healthy and productive. He will advise how best to harvest, store and preserve your fruit and vegetables to keep them delicious and nutritious through the winter and beyond. He will also cover what you can sow in the autumn to provide fresh vegetables during the darker and colder months of the year, along with some ideas for interesting and unusual varieties to try out.

Learn how to transform discarded ocean plastics into beautiful or functional objects through the magic of 3D printing. It’s led by Dr Katharina Vones of the Royal College of Art, and Joel Chaney from the Shapinsay-based community organisation Tern360.