United Kingdom
The Old Man of Hoy appears on the starboard side like a geological exclamation mark — a 137-metre pillar of Old Red Sandstone standing alone against the Orcadian sky, separated from the sea cliffs of Hoy by a gap that grows wider with each passing storm. This scenic passage past one of Britain's most celebrated natural landmarks is a highlight of any expedition cruise or coastal voyage through the waters of Orkney, offering a perspective on the stack that no land-based visitor can replicate.
From the sea, the Old Man reveals its full biography. The layered sandstone bands — ranging from deep red at the base through ochre and grey to a capping of harder flagstone at the summit — record approximately 400 million years of geological history. The stack's base, continuously undermined by North Atlantic waves, shows the concavity that will eventually cause its collapse. Geologists have monitored its deterioration with increasing attention, and the broad consensus is that the Old Man's days are numbered in centuries rather than millennia — making every current viewing a privilege.
The first ascent of the Old Man was achieved in 1966 by Chris Bonington, Tom Patey, and Rusty Baillie — an event broadcast live on the BBC and watched by fifteen million viewers, making it one of the most famous climbs in British mountaineering history. The route, graded E1 and requiring five pitches, remains a coveted tick for ambitious rock climbers, though the increasingly friable nature of the sandstone adds an element of risk that grows with each decade.
The surrounding seascape enhances the drama. Hoy's western coast presents some of the most impressive sea cliffs in Britain — St John's Head, at 351 metres, is the highest vertical sea cliff in the country. Fulmars, great skuas, and puffins populate the cliff faces, and the waters below are frequented by harbour porpoises, grey seals, and occasional orcas. The contrast between Hoy's wild, mountainous terrain and the gentle, pastoral landscape of Orkney's other islands is striking and speaks to the geological diversity of the archipelago.
The passage is typically included on expedition cruises around the Scottish coast and Northern Isles, operating between May and September. Weather in these latitudes is infamously mercurial — fog, rain, and heavy swells can all obscure the view, and experienced ship operators build flexibility into their schedules to maximise the chance of a clear sighting. When conditions cooperate, the Old Man of Hoy seen from the sea, bathed in the golden light of an Orcadian evening, is one of the great sights of British coastal cruising.