Balfour, Orkney

Balfour
Balfour Harbour, quay and slipway
Balfour Location within Orkney
OS grid reference	HY479164
Civil parish	Shapinsay
Council area	Orkney Islands
Lieutenancy area	Orkney Islands
Country	Scotland
Sovereign state	United Kingdom
Post town	ORKNEY
Postcode district	KW17
Dialling code	01856
Police	Scotland
Fire	Scottish
Ambulance	Scottish
UK Parliament	Orkney and Shetland
Scottish Parliament	Orkney
List of places UK Scotland 59°01′48″N 2°54′25″W / 59.030°N 2.907°W / 59.030; -2.907

Balfour is a village on the island of Shapinsay, Orkney. The village is situated on Elwick Bay, which was used as an anchorage by Haakon IV of Norway before sailing south to eventual defeat at the Battle of Largs in 1263.^[1] Today, the village still possesses a harbour, with mock defensive walls constructed at the same time as the castle. David Balfour even added a stone marked with the date 1725, taken from Noltland Castle on the island of Westray, to his defences.^[2] A car ferry to Kirkwall, operated by Orkney Ferries, sails from a pier at the harbour. This became a roll-on/roll-off service in 1990.^[3]