The Old Man Of Hoy Seastack Guided Climb

This two day guided climb up the Old Man Of Hoy seastack is an adventure to not be missed! at 5 pitches 137m long it is the longest of the seastack climbs of Scotland and is the most iconic. It is regarded as the most impressive and sought after of the three main stacks and is situated in a truly iconic location off the west coast of Hoy. 

If you are competent at the grade of VS/HVS then we guarantee you will enjoy this trip and be able to get to the top under the guidance and instruction of our experienced staff (all members of AMI so they hold the highest rock climbing qualification you can gain in the UK). If you don’t climb outdoors already but are comfortable on the indoor grade of 6a that will suffice as well. We normally aim to climb the seastack on day 1 after getting the ferries across and take a more relaxed day 2 but if the weather dictates otherwise we may swing these days around and climb The Old Man of Hoy on day 2 instead. 

We will meet at the Scrabster ferry car park for 07:30 in the morning of the first day where we will ensure everyone has the correct kit to climb the Old Man of Hoy and then board the ferry heading to Stromness – on board they offer a nice hearty full cooked breakfast which we can recommend to people snd we can even view the seastack from the ferry as we pass. 

Once we reach Stromness we will need to wait a short while normally an hour or two before the second ferry runs taking us to Hoy itself so we often sit in a local cafe to discuss the trip and any other climbing adventures people have undertaken before. 

We will then get the ferry across to Hoy and the taxi to Rackwick or depending on taxi and ferry times we might drive across on the ferry (all included in the costings). From here we will deposit our equipment that we do not need just now like tents etc and we will walk across the paths to the iconic Old Man of Hoy seastack which we will spot towering above the headland from afar and bit by bit work our way towards a stunning view down onto it. 

We scramble our way down the steep banks and make our way across the old collapsed part of the stack which joins the remaining stack to the mainland. We will then begin our climb taking in the 5 pitches of the Old Man of Hoy. Pitch 1 is a nice warm up on good rock before pitch two which is the hardest pitch of the climb involving a small down climb and two small roofs to surmount (we may split this into 2 sections). From here, pitch three and four are very similar to the first pitch with easier climbing before we reach the fifth and final pitch which is often people’s favourite pitch of the route. We climb a corner crack which we can quite literally see through the entire stack to the other side which only formed in 1992!

Topping out on the seastack we will admire the stunning views and possibly even view the sunset from the top before taking three abseils back down to the base of the Old Man of Hoy. The final abseil is truly something to behold.

Day 2 is very relaxed we wake up in the morning chill and then get the taxi and ferries back across to the mainland where will part our ways. If the weather looks poor on day 1 but good on day two we may swing the days around having a more relaxed day 1 and a more extreme day 2 with an early morning climb of the Old Man of Hoy seastack.

We are proud to recommend local accommodation options within the Aviemore area for people when you are up before or after your guided 2 day trip up the Old Man Of Hoy seastack:

Aviemore:

Youth Hostel A budget friendly option for people.

Coylumbridge Hotel Aviemroe – good for groups and families alike.

Premier Inn – always a good shout.

Rothiemurchus Campsite – situated in the stunning forest, this is a beautiful budget friendly option.

Glenmore Campsite – situated at Scotland’s highest beach, Loch Morlich has phenomenal views across to Cairngorm Mountain.

Newtonmore & Surrounding Areas:

https://www.wherestagsroar.co.uk/ award winning accommodation in the Highlands – perfect to stay at while up on an outdoor adventure.

Invernahavon Caravan Park – a bit quieter than the others as it is a little further away from the hustle and bustle of Aviemore.

Dalraddy Holiday Park – a family and dog friendly campsite.

Booking a two-day guided trip to climb up the Old Man of Hoy seastack is an incredible experience that will stay with you for a lifetime.

The Old Man of Hoy seastack is steeped in climbing history having been first climbed in 1966 by Chris Bonnington and Tom Patey – two of the Uk’s finest ever climbers. This was actually filmed live on the BBC 1 year later in a repeat ascent as well with 15 million viewers. Catherine Destivelle climbed the route in 1997 solo while pregnant (not a recommended choice) and has also been climbed by blind and deaf individuals as well. It has been climbed by 7 years olds as well so it is doable for extremely adventurous kids – our minimum set age is 8 but we can go younger for the right individuals. People have set up slack lines off the top across to the mainland and also base jumped off the top. So it is steeped in a lot of history. 

The Old Man of Hoy seastack itself is 137m high making it the UK’s highest stack and is believed to be no more than around 250 years old which is quite short in the lifespan of stacks. But because of the high seas and exposed position on the coast it will likely not see out our own lifetimes and will collapse at some point. the 40m long crack we climb at the top on the last pitch only appeared in 1992. It is made up of two different types of sandstone and sits on basalt which gives it its stength to stand. Unlike many seas stacks it is actually not separated from the mainland as when it’s second leg collapsed some 100 years or so ago it created a walkways to the mainland that always stays out of the sea. The wind here on average is 18mph and the sea an impressive 60m deep either side of it which makes for the coastlines very speedy erosion. 

So why not climb this iconic seastack (the Old Man of Hoy) before it falls down! and be one of the people who can say you conquered Britain’s most impressive and famous sea stack climb!

We pride ourselves on providing as much kit as possible for you.  However, the list below is what we recommend you should bring to your guided 2 day trip up the Old Man Of Hoy seastack:

• Travel insurance. (We are insured for all our trips, but we recommend everyone has their own travel insurance as well.)
• Lunch, water.
• Personal medication
• Sun cream, midge net
• Waterproofs (it is Scotland after all)
• Sturdy footwear.
• Climbing Shoes, harness, helmet (if you prefer to use your own as opposed to what we supply)
• Rucksack
• Tent, roll mat, sleeping bag (can supply if needed)
• Food for 2 days & stove + gas if you intend to cook (can supply if needed).

Here at Highland Outdoor Adventures, we pride ourselves on providing as much as we can but you are welcome to bring your own equipment if you do prefer. The list below is what we provide you with on the day to climb The Old Man of Hoy seastack.

• All instruction.
• All Ferries & Taxi On Hoy
• Helmets (if you don’t have your own with you)
• Ropes
• Harness (if you don’t have your own with you)
• Climbing shoes (if you don’t have your own with you)
• All Technical Climbing Gear
• All first aid and safety equipment.
• Transportation from Aviemore or Inverness to Scrabster can be arranged.
• Photographs of the day provided for you at no extra cost!