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The Old Man of Hoy

Introduction

The Old Man of Hoy is a 449-foot (137-metre) sea stack on Hoy, part of the Orkney archipelago off the north coast of Scotland.

The Old Man of Hoy is formed from Old Red Sandstone, it is one of the tallest stacks in the United Kingdom. The Old Man is popular with climbers, and was first climbed by mountaineers Chris Bonington, Rusty Baillie and Tom Patey in 1966.

The rock is composed of layers of soft, sandy and pebbly sandstone and harder flagstones of Old Red Sandstone, giving the sides a notched and slab-like profile.

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    Open to the public

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