The Old Man of Hoy: Britain’s Most Famous Sea Stack

In July 1967, 15 million people sat in front of their television sets and watched something they had never seen before. Live on BBC television, a team of Britain’s best climbers scaled a 137-metre column of red sandstone rising straight out of the Atlantic Ocean off the coast of Orkney. The Old Man of Hoy had arrived in the national consciousness — and it has never left.

That broadcast changed everything. A remote sea stack on an island many people could barely place on a map became one of the most recognised natural landmarks in Scotland. Decades later, visitors still make the journey north to stand on the clifftops and stare down at it.

This article covers what the Old Man of Hoy actually is, the story behind that famous climb, how to get there, and what to expect when you visit.

What Is the Old Man of Hoy?

The Old Man of Hoy is a sea stack — a freestanding column of rock left behind as the surrounding cliffs eroded over thousands of years. It stands on the west coast of Hoy, the second-largest island in Orkney, and rises 137 metres (449 feet) above the sea.

The rock is Devonian red sandstone, formed around 380 million years ago. It sits on a base of harder basalt, which has slowed its erosion compared to the softer sandstone cliffs around it. Even so, geologists estimate the stack is relatively young in geological terms — probably no more than a few hundred years old — and it continues to erode. Sections of rock have collapsed in living memory.

The stack leans slightly to the south, which adds to its distinctive profile. From the clifftop path, you can see clearly that it is not perfectly vertical. That tilt has become part of its character.

The name “Old Man” is a common term for a sea stack in Scots and Old Norse tradition. There is also an Old Man of Storr on Skye and an Old Man of Stoer in Sutherland, though neither has the same scale or fame as Hoy’s version.

The 1967 BBC Broadcast

The Old Man of Hoy was first climbed in July 1966, just a year before the famous television broadcast. The first ascent team was Tom Patey, Rusty Baillie, and Chris Bonington — three of the leading mountaineers of their generation. They found a line up the east face and completed the climb over two days.

The BBC saw the potential in a live broadcast and organised a return visit the following year. On 11 July 1967, six climbers took on three separate routes on the Old Man simultaneously, with cameras placed on the cliff faces and the clifftop above. The broadcast went out across two evenings and was watched by an audience of around 15 million people — one of the largest audiences for a climbing event in British television history.

The climbing team included Tom Patey and Chris Bonington again, alongside Joe Brown, Ian McNaught-Davis, Pete Crew, and Dougal Haston. The broadcast was a technical achievement as well as a sporting one — rigging live cameras on a vertical sea stack in the Atlantic presented enormous logistical challenges for the production team.

The effect on public awareness was immediate and lasting. Orkney’s tourism industry had been modest. The broadcast put the islands — and the Old Man in particular — on the map for a generation of British viewers who might otherwise never have given them a second thought.

Climbing the Old Man Today

The Old Man of Hoy is still an active climbing destination. The original route is graded Extremely Severe (E1), which places it firmly in expert territory. The rock quality is variable — red sandstone weathers and fractures, and the tidal environment means the lower sections can be wet and unpredictable.

Climbers require a boat to reach the base, as there is no path down from the cliffs. Several local operators offer boat access for climbing parties during the summer season. Those planning a climbing trip should check conditions carefully and ensure they have experience on tidal sea stacks before attempting it.

For the vast majority of visitors, the appeal is simply seeing it from the clifftop. No technical skill is required for that, and the view is just as powerful from above as it is from the base.

How to Get to the Old Man of Hoy

Getting to the Old Man requires two ferry crossings. The first takes you to Orkney, and the second to Hoy.

Getting to Orkney: The main options are NorthLink Ferries from Scrabster (near Thurso) to Stromness, which takes approximately 90 minutes, or from Aberdeen to Kirkwall on an overnight sailing of around six hours. Pentland Ferries also run a fast crossing from Gills Bay, near John O’Groats, to St Margaret’s Hope in around one hour. There are also flights to Kirkwall from Edinburgh, Glasgow, Aberdeen, and Inverness.

Getting to Hoy: From Stromness, Orkney Ferries run a passenger ferry to Moaness Pier on the north of Hoy. The crossing takes around 25 minutes and runs several times a day. There is also a vehicle ferry from Houton on the Orkney mainland to Lyness on Hoy, though most walkers use the Moaness service.

Check the Orkney Ferries timetable carefully before travelling. Services are reduced outside the summer season, and the Moaness crossing does not run on Sundays during winter. Booking in advance during peak months is strongly recommended.

The Walk to the Old Man

From Moaness Pier, the walk to the Old Man of Hoy and back is approximately 16 kilometres (10 miles) and takes most people between four and six hours including time at the viewpoint. The route is well-signposted and follows a clear path through moorland and past the valley at Rackwick Bay.

There is an alternative shorter walk from Rackwick Bay itself, which cuts the return distance to around 8 kilometres (5 miles). Some visitors drive to Rackwick on the single-track road from Moaness — there is limited parking at the bay — and walk from there. This reduces the effort significantly and is the route most day-trippers use.

The final section of the walk climbs to the clifftop, where the Old Man comes into view. The path brings you to a point directly opposite the stack, separated by a narrow channel of sea. At 137 metres tall, the scale of it is something that photographs do not fully prepare you for.

The cliffs here have no fences. Take care near the edge, particularly in wet or windy weather. The path can be boggy after rain, so waterproof footwear is worth having regardless of the forecast.

When to Visit

The walk is possible year-round, but the experience varies significantly by season.

Between May and August, the cliffs surrounding the Old Man are alive with seabirds. Puffins, guillemots, razorbills, and fulmars nest on the ledges, and the noise and activity add another dimension to the visit. The long summer days in Orkney — the midsummer sun barely sets — mean there is no shortage of daylight for the walk.

July and August are the busiest months. Expect more people on the path and on the ferries. Late May, June, and early September offer a good compromise between reasonable weather and fewer visitors.

Winter visits are quieter and the light can be dramatic, but the ferry timetable is reduced, the path can be slippery and exposed, and Atlantic gales are a genuine factor on the clifftops. Go in winter if you know what you are doing and have checked the conditions.

What Else to Do on Hoy

Hoy is worth more than a single day. The island has several other points of interest that can be combined with a trip to the Old Man.

The Dwarfie Stane is a chambered tomb carved from a single block of red sandstone around 5,000 years ago. It is one of only two rock-cut Neolithic tombs in Scotland and sits in the valley south of Rackwick. The Ward Hill, at 477 metres, is the highest point in Orkney and a worthwhile walk on a clear day.

Lyness, in the south of the island, was a major Royal Navy base during both World Wars. The Scapa Flow Visitor Centre and Museum at Lyness covers the wartime history of the area, including the scuttling of the German fleet in Scapa Flow in 1919, one of the most dramatic events in British naval history.

Accommodation on Hoy is limited — there is a hostel at Rackwick Bay and a small number of self-catering properties — so many visitors base themselves in Stromness or Kirkwall and travel to Hoy as a day trip. That is perfectly manageable with the regular ferry service.

Plan Your Visit

The Old Man of Hoy is not the easiest landmark to reach in Scotland. It requires planning, two ferry crossings, and a substantial walk. But it is one of those places that rewards the effort in a way that few others do. Standing on the clifftop and looking at a 137-metre column of rock that 15 million people watched on live television more than half a century ago — there is nothing quite like it.

If you are planning a trip to Orkney, build Hoy into your itinerary. Give it a full day, bring waterproofs, and check the ferry times before you leave.