10-11 July 2026
My husband wanted to visit Hoy too but he certainly didn’t want to spend the night in a tent or to carry camping equipment to the highest point in the Orkney Isles, both of which were to be part of my adventure. We made the crossing from the Orkney mainland together and he drove me from the car ferry terminal at Lyness to the north east part of Hoy. It was a damp and foggy morning but we still spotted a hen harrier as we drove north on the island to a superb community centre in a renovated kirk building. We looked at the interesting exhibitions together before he told me “You’re on your own now” as he drove away to explore further south on Hoy and return to the Orkney mainland later that day.
I ventured out dressed in full waterproofs. It was murky, foggy and damp – definitely not a promising start to my overnight adventure. It was easy to walk along the road then the start of “The Postman’s Path” to Sandy Loch. At this point, my route left the path to climb up a steep hill side to the summit of Cuilags. At 435m, this is the second highest hill on Hoy.
I was fortunate that there were intermittent views as the rolling banks of mist and cloud blew over.
From the summit, I headed towards a saddle but was still on pathless terrain and trying to avoid being attacked by the circling great skuas.
There was a small rise on the far side of the saddle to the trig point at 378m.
My route headed towards St. John’s Head where there’s an Iron Age hill fort and the highest vertical sea cliff in Britain at 343m. Sadly the fog here meant I couldn’t see the sea. I could hear birds and smell the guano so I surmised that I was near bird nesting cliffs. However, there was a defined path around the coast so I just stuck to that. I saw a mountain hare in its summer colours.
Eventually I spotted the Old Man of Hoy shrouded in mist. As I descended towards the lower cliffs and the Old Man, the mist cleared. I heard voices coming from the direction of the sea stack and soon realised that there were four people climbing the Old Man. Near the viewpoint, I saw two women walking – the first people I had met since leaving the Kirk Community Centre. They were also looking at the climbers: “It’s certainly not my cup of tea” the older woman explained.
I headed off towards Rackwick, soon meeting a large group and a few family groups walking towards me.
I continued to walk through Rackwick, past the museums and the hostel and phone box then on to the Postman’s Road. Actually in the weather conditions, it was tempting to follow the minor road to the Dwarfie Stone and omit the climb to Ward Hill.
Nonetheless, I continued along the Postman’s path and passed close to the most northerly native woodland in the UK at Berriedale.
There’s no path to go up the steep heather and grass covered hillside to a peak at 358m. I just headed straight up the hill on a part where I thought the map contours were slightly more widely spaced. It was hard work, especially with my large rucksack containing camping equipment.
Having reached the first summit, the gradient eased and I it was an exhilarating trek along and up a ridge to the second peak at 420m and then to the trig point on Ward Hill at 479m. By then the fog had cleared and I enjoyed the far reaching views as far as the mainland of Orkney.
My descent was over steep pathless ground, carefully avoiding the cliffs, to arrive near the Burn of the Nowt Bield. The foliage was too overgrown to camp anywhere near the stream and the whole area was infested with midges too. I did take the opportunity to replenish my water supply. There were roadworks on the minor road and it looked as though the roadworkers would be staying in the area overnight in their vans. That was the area where I had planned to camp.
I reached the road to the east of the roadworks and started to walk along the verge heading east towards the Dwarfie Stane. A couple overtook me in their car and offered me a lift (it was around 7.30pm and I was still a long way from any habitation). I declined and explained that I was carrying a tent and planned to camp.
Eventually I reached the small car park and footpath to the Dwarfie Stane and turned up the flagged and boarded path. This is the only wholly rock cut prehistoric tomb in UK and dates from 3500BC. It’s cut from a single sandstone block. There is a narrow passage to two small cells. An inscription in Persian calligraphy states “I have sat two nights and have learned patience” left by Major William Mounsey, who camped here in 1850. In his novel The Pirate, Sir Walter Scott alludes to the stone’s function as the favourite residence of Trolld, a dwarf famous in the northern sagas.
I camped a short distance away from the stane as I (rightly) didn’t expect there to be any visitors that evening after 8pm. I would be gone well before 9am in the morning as I had a ferry to catch (Moaness to Stromness foot passengers) at 10am. Suffice to say, after my hard walk with significant hills to climb I slept well, undisturbed by ghosts or dwarfs.
The next morning, on reaching Moaness, I discovered that I was on the same ferry as the heroic Polish climbers who I had photographed as they climbed the Old Man. All four of them had reached the top and returned down safely. They are clearly highly experienced and competent rock climbers. Very impressive!
Despite the damp and foggy start, I had been fortunate to enjoy an amazing adventure with some excellent views and a superb camp in an iconic location.
