Ward Hill
© Mary Harris
Hoy
The Island of Hoy Standard Tour
Hoy derives from the old Norse word Haey, which means high. It is the highest and arguably the most beautiful scenery in Orkney. This tour covers the northern half of Hoy. It starts and ends at the ferry terminal in Lyness, Hoy.
We travel straight from the ferry terminal in to wilderness and on to the Hills of Hoy, Rackwick Bay, cliffs (highest vertical in the UK) & beach, where we stop for a picnic (please bring a packed lunch). We then visit the mysterious Dwarfie Stane and Betty Corrigall’s grave.
We will break for free hot/cold drinks and snacks at Lyrawa Hill (111m) for breath taking panoramic views of the whole of Scapa Flow, looking from the Atlantic Ocean to the North Sea, the Pentland Firth and the Orkney South Isles. We also travel through the former WW1 & 2 Naval Base and the Commonwealth War Graves Cemetery, for an opportunity to hear of Hoy’s dramatic wartime history.
Our guides have a sharp eye for wildlife, so will be looking for sea eagles, hen harriers, red throated divers, merlins, curlews, otters, seals, mountain hare and the omnipresent and infamous bonxie (great skua)!
Due to there being so much to see, unfortunately we can't fit the three hour return walk to the Old Man of Hoy in to this tour, (please see private tour).
The tour will end with a visit to the Scapa Flow Visitor Centre (temporary exhibition) or a short cliff top nature walk at the Hill of White Hamars, where the most fascinating coastal geology and many types of seabird can be seen. After which, we will transfer you back to the ferry at Lyness.
From £49 per adult
Departure days
- Monday
- Tuesday
- Wednesday
- Thursday
- Friday
- Saturday
- Sunday
March — October
Contact details
Ness House
Longhope
Stromness
Orkney
Scotland
KW163PG
Tour information
Tour company information
Island Tours of Hoy
Hoy, the second largest island in the Orkney archipelago with a population of approximately only 400 residents. Hoy is unique, and very different from the Orkney Mainland and other isles. The vertical cliffs are the highest in the British Isles, there are vast swathes of wilderness, an abundance of wildlife, with a history stretching from the Neolithic era to modern day.
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