Discover 5 hidden attractions, cool sights, and unusual things to do in Hoy (United Kingdom). Don't miss out on these must-see attractions: Old Man of Hoy, Dwarfie Stane, and Ward Hill. Also, be sure to include RNLB Thomas McCunn in your itinerary.
Below, you can find the list of the most amazing places you should visit in Hoy (Scotland).
Table of Contents
Old Man of Hoy
The Old Man of Hoy is a 449-foot sea stack on Hoy, part of the Orkney archipelago off the north coast of Scotland. Formed from Old Red Sandstone, it is one of the tallest stacks in the United Kingdom. The Old Man is popular with climbers, and was first climbed in 1966. Created by the erosion of a cliff through hydraulic action some time after 1750, the stack is not more than a few hundred years old, but may soon collapse into the sea.[1]
Address: Rackwick Bay, KW16 3RS Hoy
Dwarfie Stane
Historical landmark in Hoy, Scotland. The Dwarfie Stane is a megalithic chambered tomb carved out of a titanic block of Devonian Old Red Sandstone located in a steep-sided glaciated valley between the settlements of Quoys and Rackwick on Hoy, an island in Orkney, Scotland. The stone is a glacial erratic located in desolate peatland. The site is managed by Historic Environment Scotland.[2]
Address: Off the Rackwick Road, Hoy
Ward Hill
Massive hill for hiking and stunning views. Ward Hill is a hill on the island of Hoy in Orkney, Scotland. It lies at the north of the island between Moaness and Rackwick, and is the highest point in both Orkney and the Scottish Northern Isles at an elevation of 481 m.
The hill forms a curved ridge, reminiscent of a 'J' in shape. The lower slopes are covered in heather and grass, though the top of the ridge is covered in small stones with bare sandy soil. The highest summit is towards the northern end and is crowned by a trig point. The ridge is well separated from the other hills of Hoy, and both the other Marilyns on the island have high topographic prominence. Ward Hill is separated from Cuilags by the Glens of Kinnaird, and from Knap of Trowieglen by the glen carrying the road between Moaness and Rackwick, in which lies the Dwarfie Stane.
Ward Hill may be climbed from a variety of starting points. The northern side, directly above Hoy Village is steep and craggy, and thus presents the least appealing ascent route.
The existence of Anastrepta orcadensis (also known as Orkney Notchwort), a liverwort found in the United States, Canada, and widely in Europe, was first discovered on Ward Hill by William Jackson Hooker in 1808.[3]
RNLB Thomas McCunn
Boat. RNLB Thomas McCunn is a 45ft 6in Watson-class lifeboat stationed at Longhope in Orkney, Scotland, from January 1933 until April 1962. During which time she was launched on service 101 times and saved 308 lives. After Thomas McCunn left Longhope she was placed into the reserve fleet for ten years before being sold and used as a pleasure boat. In 2000 she was bought by Longhope Lifeboat Museum. The lifeboat is now at the centre of a display in the old slipway at Brims and is still launched on special occasions.[4]
Hoglinns Water
Loch in Scotland. Hoglinns Water is a small freshwater loch in the south of the island of Hoy, Orkney. It drains in to Heldale Water via Hoglinns Burn. The loch was surveyed in 1906 by Sir John Murray and later charted as part of the Bathymetrical Survey of Fresh-Water Lochs of Scotland 1897-1909.[5]