Old Man of Hoy

The Old Man of Hoy is a 137-meter sea stack of red sandstone on Hoy in Orkney, Scotland. Waves and weather continue to erode its narrow base and steep sides.

Sea stack: A steep, isolated column of rock separated from a coast by erosion. The Old Man of Hoy is a landmark example of this coastal landform.
Hoy: An island in the Orkney archipelago of northern Scotland. The Old Man stands on Hoy’s west coast.
Traditional climbing: A style of rock climbing in which climbers place and remove their own temporary protection. The stack’s ascent depends on climbers protecting themselves on its natural rock.
BBC: The United Kingdom’s public-service broadcaster, founded in 1922. Its 1967 broadcast made the stack’s televised ascent a major public event.
Wave-cut platform: A gently sloping rock surface at the base of a coastal cliff, formed by wave erosion. Wave action at the stack’s base is part of the erosion that shapes its setting.
Orkney: An archipelago off the northeastern coast of mainland Scotland. Hoy and its sea stack form part of this island group.
Rock climbing: The sport of ascending natural rock formations or artificial climbing walls. Climbing has shaped the stack’s modern reputation.
Orkney tourism: Travel and visitor activity associated with the Orkney archipelago. The stack is one of Hoy’s best-known natural attractions.
Coastal erosion: The wearing away and removal of rock or sediment along a shoreline. Erosion by the Atlantic continues to alter the stack’s exposed cliffs.
St John’s Head: A high sea cliff on the west coast of Hoy in Orkney. The stack lies near this dramatic stretch of Hoy’s Atlantic coast.

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