Hoy and West Mainland National Scenic Area facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Hoy and West Mainland National Scenic Area |
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The Old Man of Hoy, at the western side of Hoy, seen from the south.
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| Location | Orkney, Scotland |
| Area | 244 km2 (94 sq mi) |
| Established | 1981 |
| Governing body | NatureScot |
The Hoy and West Mainland area is a special place in the Orkney Islands of Scotland. It's known as a National Scenic Area (NSA). These areas are chosen because they have incredibly beautiful scenery that needs to be protected.
This NSA covers parts of two islands, Hoy and Mainland, plus some of the sea around them. It's one of 40 such areas in Scotland. The Hoy and West Mainland NSA is quite large, covering about 24,407 hectares. That's like 244 square kilometers! Most of this is land, but a good part is also the sea.
National Scenic Areas are mainly about protecting amazing views. However, they often have other cool features too. These can include important history, interesting geology, or special wildlife. Because of this, some parts of the Hoy and West Mainland NSA also have other protections. For example, it includes one of Scotland's six World Heritage Sites. There are also several Special Areas of Conservation and Special Protection Areas here. These extra protections help keep the area's unique qualities safe.
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What is the Hoy and West Mainland National Scenic Area?
This special area was created to protect some of Scotland's most beautiful landscapes. After the Second World War, people in Scotland started thinking more about how to protect their country's natural beauty. A group suggested that certain areas should be kept safe from too much development.
Protecting Scotland's Beauty
In 1981, the Hoy and West Mainland area was officially named a National Scenic Area. This meant that any big building projects or changes in the area would be carefully checked. The goal was to make sure the amazing views and natural features stayed safe for everyone to enjoy.
Even though it's a protected area, it doesn't have a special "National Park" team like some other places. Instead, the local council, Orkney Islands Council, helps manage the area. They work to make sure the landscape remains beautiful.
Amazing Landscapes and Ancient History
The scenery in Hoy and West Mainland is very different from one island to the other. Hoy has big, rounded hills that stand out. Mainland, on the other hand, has a softer, more gentle landscape.
Humans have lived here for thousands of years, and their activities have shaped the land. You can see ancient neolithic monuments, old farm buildings, and stone walls. These show how people have lived and worked on this land for a very long time.
Hoy: Dramatic Cliffs and Sea Stacks
If you arrive in Orkney by ferry, the coast of Hoy is often the first thing you see. It's very dramatic! Hoy has some of the tallest sea cliffs in the UK, like St John's Head, which is 350 meters high.
One of the most famous sights is the Old Man of Hoy. This is a tall, thin rock column standing right out of the sea. It's even taller than the cliffs next to it! Hoy also has some rare woodlands and the highest point in the Orkney islands, Ward Hill. You can also find old Martello Towers here. These were built in 1814 to protect the area during the Napoleonic Wars, but they were never used in a real fight.
West Mainland: Ancient Farms and Stone Circles
West Mainland has a softer, more rolling landscape. It looks like it has been farmed and lived on for thousands of years. The town of Stromness and its connection to the sea are also considered very special parts of this area.
The National Scenic Area also includes the Heart of Neolithic Orkney. This is a group of very old monuments from the Stone Age, when people first started farming. UNESCO named these sites a World Heritage Site in 1999 because they are so important.
Here are some of the amazing sites you can find:
- Maeshowe – This is a unique ancient tomb. It's built so that the sun shines right into its main room during the shortest day of the year (the winter solstice). Vikings once broke into it and left lots of runic writings, which are like ancient messages.
- Standing Stones of Stenness – These are four huge standing stones, part of a very old stone circle. The tallest stone is about 6 meters high!
- Ring of Brodgar – This is a large stone circle, about 104 meters across. It used to have 60 stones inside a big ditch. Experts think it took a huge amount of work to build this monument.
- Skara Brae – This is the best-preserved Stone Age village in Northern Europe. You can see eight ancient houses that give us a peek into how people lived thousands of years ago.
On Hoy, there's another ancient tomb called the Dwarfie Stane. It's carved right out of a giant rock! It's the only tomb in Orkney that was cut from a single stone, not built from many stones.
Protecting Wildlife and Habitats
The Hoy and West Mainland National Scenic Area is also important for its wildlife. There are special protections in place to help different plants and animals.
Special Areas of Conservation
There are three Special Areas of Conservation (SACs) within the NSA:
- The entire Hoy part of the NSA is an SAC. It protects the upland and coastal areas, which are home to unique plants and animals.
- An area of heathland and coast near Stromness is also an SAC. It protects special fens (wetlands), heaths, and sea cliffs.
- The Loch of Stenness is an SAC because of its marine life, including sea mammals.
Special Protection Areas for Birds
The Hoy part of the NSA and the nearby sea are also a Special Protection Area (SPA). This is because it's a very important place for many breeding birds. During the breeding season, over 120,000 seabirds gather here!
Some of the bird species that find a safe home here include:
- Arctic skua
- Fulmar
- Great black-backed gull
- Great skua
- Guillemot
- Black-legged kittiwake
- Peregrine falcon
- Puffin
- Red-throated diver
These protections help make sure that the beautiful landscapes and the amazing wildlife of Hoy and West Mainland stay safe for future generations to enjoy.
