Orphir is a parish and settlement in Mainland, Orkney. It is averagely 9 miles (14.5 km) southwest of Kirkwall

Kirkwall

Kirkwall is the biggest town and capital of Orkney, off the coast of northern mainland Scotland. The town is first mentioned in Orkneyinga saga in the year 1046 when it is recorded as the residence of Rögnvald Brusason the Earl of Orkney, who was killed by his uncle Thorfinn the Mighty...

, and comprehends a seaboard tract of about 7 by 3½ miles (11 by 5½ km), and includes Cava

Cava, Orkney

Cava is an uninhabited island in the Orkney archipelago in Scotland. It is in extent and rises to above sea level. The literal meaning of the name is 'calf island', a terminology often used to designate a small island near to a larger one...

 and the Holm of Houton

Holm of Houton

-Geography:The Holm is in Midland Harbour, part of Scapa Flow. It is south of the Mainland parish of Orphir, near Houton whence its name.The Holm is north of Cava and Rysa Little, and to the north west of Hoy over the Bring Deeps.-References:...

. The coast includes Houton Head, about 300 ft (91.4 m), but all elsewhere is nearly level; and the interior is an assemblage of vales and hills, the latter culminating at about 700 feet (213.4 m) above sea level, and commanding fine views.

A chief residence was the Hall of Clestrain

Hall of Clestrain

The Hall of Clestrain in the parish of Orphir, Orkney, Scotland, was built in 1769 for Patrick Honyman. It featured in the second series of the BBC TV series Restoration...

; and chief antiquities include the ruins of Earl Paul's Palace, remains of pre-Reformation chapels, and several tumuli

Tumulus

A tumulus is a mound of earth and stones raised over a grave or graves. Tumuli are also known as barrows, burial mounds, Hügelgrab or kurgans, and can be found throughout much of the world. A tumulus composed largely or entirely of stones is usually referred to as a cairn...

.

John Rae

John Rae (explorer)

John Rae was a Scottish doctor who explored Northern Canada, surveyed parts of the Northwest Passage and reported the fate of the Franklin Expedition....

 (30 September 1813 – 22 July 1893), the explorer

Exploration

Exploration is the act of searching or traveling around a terrain for the purpose of discovery of resources or information. Exploration occurs in all non-sessile animal species, including humans...

 of Canada

Canada

Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...

's Arctic

Arctic

The Arctic is a region located at the northern-most part of the Earth. The Arctic consists of the Arctic Ocean and parts of Canada, Russia, Greenland, the United States, Norway, Sweden, Finland, and Iceland. The Arctic region consists of a vast, ice-covered ocean, surrounded by treeless permafrost...

was born at the Hall of Clestrain in this parish.