Welcome
Hoy reserve is the largest RSPB reserve in Orkney at 3,926 hectares and is home to an impressive range of wildlife. Most of the reserve is glorious wild moorland with pockets of native woodland, sub-alpine heath and blanket bog. Look out for hen harriers and merlins hunting over the moorland or maybe even white-tailed eagles soaring above you. Listen for the melancholy calls of red-throated divers, golden plovers and curlews over the hills. There are also spectacular colourful sea cliffs, reaching over 350 metres above the sea, which offer a dramatic backdrop against which to spot swirling seabirds and hardy wildflowers.
Level access
There is level access from the main entrance to:
Eaglewatch ViewpointGetting here
For further information on accessible travel in Scotland, go to Transport Scotland.Travel by public transport
Hoy can be reached from Mainland Orkney from either Houton (passenger and car ferry) to Lyness or from Stromness (passenger ferry only) to Moaness. Visit www.orkneyferries.co.uk for up to date travel information. The closest ferry port to the reserve is Moaness.
If arriving to Moaness, travel straight up the hill from the Moaness Pier and follow the signs for the Dwarfie Stone toward Rackwick. This route follows a single track road all the way and the reserve surrounds the road.
Travel by taxi
Parking
There are three separate car parking areas for each nature trail.
For the Post Road Footpath, there is a small parking space outside the Scottish Water pumping station near Sandy Loch with space for one vehicle. This is on the gravelled road 21m away from the start of the Post Road Footpath and access to the path requires crossing a rocky stream bed, which is usually dry, or over two gabion baskets with a gap and a drop in between.
For the Dwarfie Stone Footpath, park at the signposted Dwarfie Stone car park, where there is room for five cars. The start of the path is 17 metres from the car park.
For the Old Man of Hoy Footpath, park at the Rackwick Beach car park. This car park has a rough and uneven surface. The start of the Old Man of Hoy Footpath is 0.8 km away from the car park, and is accessed by following the track west from the car park up the hill to meet the footpath by the house at Moor Fea.
Arrival
Path to main entrance
Main entrance
Please note that there is no Visitor Centre on the reserve. The only facilities are three trails and there are no staff based at the reserve. The main entrance to the reserve is the Rackwick Road.
Getting around inside
Getting around outside
The Post Road Footpath
This is a linear trail and the distance refers to a one way journey. The path is a rough trail through a moorland environment with narrow sections due to both the nature of the terrain (peat and sandy moraine banks) and encroaching vegetation at both sides of the path. There are some muddy/ boggy sections depending on the prevailing weather conditions, plus boardwalks, wooden bridges, stone and wooden steps. Parking (informal) is at the small parking space outside the Scottish Water pumping station near Sandy Loch with space for one vehicle. This is on the gravelled road 21m away from the start of the Post Road Footpath and access to the path requires crossing a rocky stream bed, which is usually dry in summer, or over two gabion baskets with a gap and a drop in between.
Designated Walking Trail
The Dwarfie Stone Footpath
This is a linear trail and the distance refers to the return journey. The trail has wooden boardwalks, narrow sections with wooden revetments at the sides and/or encroaching vegetation. There are also uneven rocky sections with boulders and loose materials. Some sections can be muddy. For the Dwarfie Stone Footpath, park at the signposted Dwarfie Stone car park, where there is room for five cars. The start of the path is 17 metres from the car park.
Designated Walking Trail
The Old Man of Hoy Footpath
This is a linear trail and the distance refers to the return journey. The trail is mostly unsurfaced and uneven, with stone steps and cross drains in places. It also passes close to unprotected cliff edges. For the Old Man of Hoy Footpath, park at the Rackwick Beach car park. This car park has a rough and uneven surface. The start of the Old Man of Hoy Footpath is 0.8 km away from the car park, and is accessed by following the track west from the car park up the hill to meet the footpath by the house at Moor Fea.
Beach
Access to the beach is along a rough path with one section of steep slope and two narrow kissing gates. There are some sections of uneven terrain and sections narrowed by vegetation at the sides of the track. The path is not owned by RSPB. Park at the Rackwick Beach car park, 27 metres from the start of the track to the beach. The car park has a rough uneven surface. From the first kissing gate, follow the grass paths either left along the side of the stream to a second kissing gate near the Bothy, or straight on to the route along the shore through another kissing gate.
Eaglewatch Viewpoint
Check RSPB Orkney local information for current details for your visit, but typically between Easter and late summer RSPB staff/ volunteers are available in the Dwarfie Stone car park each day between 11am and 4pm, with binoculars and telescopes, to assist visitors in spotting our nesting white-tailed eagles and to provide information on how to make the most of a visit to the reserve. This is an ideal viewpoint for the reserve, and has a level surface.