Orkney's tallest hills and biggest sea cliffs on Hoy, with ancient stone and Atlantic weather across the West Mainland
Most of Orkney is low and green, but Hoy breaks the pattern, with high moorland hills and, along its west side, some of the tallest sea cliffs in Britain. The Old Man of Hoy is famous, a slim sandstone stack standing off the cliffs, and climbers come from all over to tackle it. Behind it rise Ward Hill and Cuilags, Orkney’s highest ground.
The National Scenic Area covers 244 square kilometres across Hoy and the West Mainland, and there is far more to it than scenery. This is some of the richest prehistoric country in Britain. On Hoy the Dwarfie Stane is a tomb hollowed out of a single huge block of sandstone, the only rock-cut tomb of its kind in the country.
Hoy is reached by ferry and has little in the way of services, so plan your day and your return. The cliff walks are open and exposed with big drops, and the wind can be fierce, so keep well back from the edge.
