Orkney - The Rough Guide to Scottish Highlands and Islands - page 348

giant sandstone pebbles washed smooth by the sea, which make a thunderous noise
when the wind gets up.

The Old Man of Hoy
Rackwick has a steady stream of walkers and climbers passing through en route to the
Old Man of Hoy , a great sandstone stack 450ft high, perched on an old lava flow which
protects it from the erosive power of the sea. The Old Man is a popular challenge for
rock-climbers, and a 1966 ascent, led by the mountaineer Chris Bonington, was the
first televised climb in Britain. The well-trodden footpath from Rackwick is an easy
three-mile walk (3hr round trip) - although the great skuas will dive-bomb you during
the nesting season (May-Aug) - and rewards you with a great view of the stack. The
surrounding cliffs provide ideal rocky ledges for thousands of nesting seabirds,
including guillemot, kittiwake, razorbill, puffin and shag.
Continuing north along the clifftops from the Old Man, the path peters out before
St John's Head which, at 1136ft, is one of Britain's highest sea cliffs. Another, safer,
option is to hike to the top of Ward Hill (1577ft), the highest mountain in Orkney,
from which on a fine day you can see the whole archipelago.

7

ARRIVAL AND GETTING AROUND NORTH HOY

By ferry The passenger ferry runs from Stromness to
Moaness pier, by Hoy village (Mon-Fri 4-5 daily, Sat & Sun
2 daily; 25min; T 01856 850624), and also serves the
island of Graemsay en route.

By bus A minibus usually meets the ferry and will take folk
over to Rackwick or further afield. A Hoy Hopper bus service
(mid-May to mid-Sept Wed-Fri only), which departs from
Kirkwall, also calls at Moaness.

ACCOMMODATION
Burnside Bothy T 01856 791316. You can camp in the
dry-stone-walled field beside this beautiful but basic
heather-thatched bothy by the beach - toilets, cold
water and a driftwood fire available inside the bothy.
Donations box
Hoy Centre T 01856 873535 ext 2417. A council-run,
SYHA-a liated hostel in an old school. Situated in Hoy
village, this place is large and modern, with a well-equipped

kitch en, washing and drying facilities and all rooms en suite.
£17 /person
Rackwick Outdoor Centre T 01856 873535 ext
2417. Housed in Rackwick's tiny little former school-
house, this simple hostel has just eight beds in two
rooms and a small kitchen, but has a great situation in
Rack wick vill age itself - camping permitted. April-
Sept. £13.50 /person

EATING AND DRINKING
Beneth'ill Café T 01856 791119. Even if you've just
come for a day-trip, you'll want to check out this really
friendly, simple café, a short walk from Moaness pier.
Expect Cullen skink, fresh local crab, home-made puddings

and proper coffee - they'll even do you a packed lunch
and an evening meal on a Friday. May-Sept daily
10am-6.30pm.

Lyness
Along the sheltered eastern shore of Hoy, high moorland gives way gradually to a
gentler environment. Hoy defines the western boundary of Scapa Flow, and LYNESS
played a major role for the Royal Navy during both world wars. Most of the old
wartime buildings have been cleared away, but the harbour and hills around Lyness
are still scarred with scattered concrete structures that once served as hangars and
storehouses, and are now used as barns and cowsheds. Among these are the remains
of what was - incredibly - once the largest cinema in Europe, but perhaps the most
unusual building is the monochrome Art-Deco facade of the old Garrison Theatre
(now a private home) where the troops were entertained, on the main road to the
south. Lyness also has a large naval cemetery , where many of the victims of the
various disasters that have occurred in the Flow, such as the sinking of the Royal Oak
(see p.345), now lie, alongside a handful of German graves.