Go for an invigorating hike and take in the views from the top of one of Britain’s highest vertical sea cliffs.
St. John's Head is comprised of stunning red and yellow rock cliffs, which plummet 1,128 feet (344 meters) to the beach below. Enjoy wonderful scenery as you hike along the coastal path leading to this viewpoint and see how many different types of birds you can spot along the way.
This remarkable headland is located along the coastline of Orkney. Try to get a glimpse of St. John’s Head in the early evening, when its colors are accentuated by the low lighting of the sun.
Notice the prow located on top of St. John’s Head, which is almost separated from the surrounding cliffs. Some believe this prow, called Bre Brough, will eventually become a sea stack. If this occurs, the stack will be more than twice the height of the Old Man of Hoy, a famous sea stack located 1.9 miles (3 kilometers) away.
Just like the Old Man of Hoy, St. John’s Head has been the site of a number of extreme rock-climbing expeditions. First climbed in 1970 by Ed Drummond and Oliver Hill, the headland was later free climbed by Dave Macleod in 2011. While few visitors have the skills needed to climb this challenging headland, they can see impressive views of it from the Scrabster-Stromness ferry as well as during hikes in the surrounding area.
Follow the footpath leading from Rackwick Bay to the Old Man of Hoy, which continues onward to St. John’s Head. This scenic 11-mile (18-kilometer) hike takes around 7 to 8 hours to complete.
Be on alert for nesting skuas, who are known to dive-bomb hikers to protect their nests during breeding season. Look for the summit of St. John’s Head, which is marked by a cairn and an Ordnance Survey triangulation point. After taking a moment to soak up the views, consider following the broad ridge leading northeast and continuing on to see the lovely Cuilags Mountain before descending.
St. John’s Head can be accessed from Kirkwall Airport. Alternatively, take the ferry from Scrabster to Stromness, from where it’s possible to continue onward to Hoy. Admire one of the highest vertical sea cliffs in the British Isles and the beautiful coastal scenery that surrounds it.
