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The Old Man of Hoy and the red cliffs of Hoy seen from the sea in evening light.
Orkney

The Old Man of Hoy

A 137-metre red sandstone sea stack off the west coast of Hoy, seen from a coastal path that starts at Rackwick.

Welcome

The Old Man of Hoy is a sea stack of red sandstone, 137 metres tall, standing off the cliffs on the west coast of Hoy.

It is one of the tallest sea stacks in the British Isles and possibly the most famous. Chris Bonington, Rusty Baillie and Tom Patey first climbed it in 1966, and a live television broadcast of further ascents the next year brought it national fame. The climb is a serious undertaking, on fragile sandstone and very exposed, and it is only for people who know exactly what they are doing.

You can see the stack without climbing it. A path leaves Rackwick and follows the coast to a viewpoint above it, about 5.75 miles there and back, and Walkhighlands gives two and a half to three hours for the walk. Care should be taken where the path reaches the cliffs: keep well back from the edge, and carry a back-up means of navigation. Beyond the viewpoint the coast runs north to St John's Head, at 335 metres the highest vertical sea cliff in the UK.

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The Daily for 11 November, from Scotland with love. The broken stone walls of a lochside castle rise from a small tree-covered island, autumn foliage glowing orange against the dark water and forested hillside beyond.
Close byRackwick BayA remote bay of sand and giant boulders on Hoy, under red sandstone cliffs, where the walk to the Old Man begins.3 min by roadSee itRed sandstone cliffs rising from the sea on the coast of Hoy by Rackwick, a small building on the grass below.

Before you go

A walk on open coast with no opening times, ending at high sea cliffs.

Keep well back from the edge, and treat the stack itself as a climb for experts only.

Where
The west coast of Hoy. The walk starts at Rackwick (grid reference ND201992).
Open
There are no opening times: it is a walk on open coast.
Walk
Walkhighlands gives 9.25 km (5.75 miles) there and back from Rackwick, 2.5 to 3 hours and 220 metres of ascent, on a clear path that is stony in places.
Care
The path ends at high sea cliffs, and Walkhighlands says care should be taken where it reaches them. Orkney.com says never to get too close to the cliff edge. Carry a back-up means of navigation and do not rely on a single phone, app or map. Climbing the stack is a serious undertaking and only for people who know exactly what they are doing: the sandstone is fragile and the route is very exposed.
Beyond
You can go on along the coast to St John's Head, the highest vertical sea cliff in the UK. Walkhighlands says the path becomes increasingly rugged and waterlogged in places, and that the round trip from the Old Man takes at least 2 hours.
Parking
There is a parking area in Rackwick, where the walk starts.
Toilets
Rackwick has public toilets for ladies and gents.
Getting there
Hoy is reached by two Orkney Ferries routes: the car and passenger ferry from Houton to Lyness, and the passenger-only ferry from Stromness, by way of Graemsay, to Moaness. From Lyness the drive to Rackwick takes the best part of half an hour. Bus route 2 from Kirkwall and route 5 from Stromness meet the ferries at Houton.
From Moaness
A private bus service meets the ferry at Moaness and drives visitors to Rackwick; booking in advance is essential, on 01856 791 315. You can also walk from the pier to Rackwick by the Rackwick Glen route, 7.25 km (4.5 miles) and about 2 hours one way. There is no public transport to Rackwick, and a taxi can be booked in advance.
To Orkney
Loganair flies to Kirkwall from Aberdeen, Dundee, Edinburgh, Glasgow and Inverness. NorthLink Ferries sail from Aberdeen to Kirkwall and from Scrabster to Stromness, and Pentland Ferries from Gills Bay to St Margaret's Hope.

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Where it is

On the west coast of Hoy, seen from a coastal path that starts at Rackwick.

Close byOn Hoy and in Stromness.
  1. Scapa Flow MuseumA free museum in the old naval pumphouse at Lyness on Hoy, telling how Scapa Flow served the fleet in both world wars and what it meant for Orkney.13 miles 34 min by road
  2. The old lifeboat station at Brims on South Walls, a grey boathouse with a curved roof standing on a timber jetty over the water on a clear day.Longhope Lifeboat MuseumThe old lifeboat station at Brims on South Walls, where the lifeboat Thomas McCunn still sits in the building she was launched from.21 miles 45 min by road
  3. A white gallery at the Pier Arts Centre, framed paintings along the walls.Pier Arts CentreA free gallery on a pier in Stromness, with Margaret Gardiner's collection of Hepworth, Nicholson and Wallis.28 miles 163 min by road
Directions
Red sandstone cliffs rising from the sea on the coast of Hoy by Rackwick, a small building on the grass below.AttractionsRackwick Bay0.6 miles

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Stay nearby

Places to stay near the stack, and when each is next free.

A turreted white mansion with stepped gables and tall chimneys stands behind a low stone wall on a lawn.House of the Northern Gate
  • Sleeps 18
  • In Dunnet
  • 18 miles from the Old Man
Check datesPlaces to stayEvery stay in OrkneyAll our places to stay nearby, to search by date and by who is coming.See them all
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ArticleConquering the Old Man of Hoy
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