Rackwick Outdoor Centre

…eagerly rushing out to drink in the beauty of the landscape…

Rackwick Outdoor Centre Hostel is in the scenic Rackwick Valley in the north of Hoy.

Rackwick is a place held close to the heart of many. A beach nestled between the 200 foot towering cliffs on either side, topped with the dusty purple of heather. The town of Rackwick is scattered about these slopes. The beach is a jewel box of beautiful rounded boulders of pastel shades.  It has inspired painters and poets:

Between those strong red cliffs,
Under that great mild sky
Lies Orkney’s last enchantment,

– From ‘Rackwick’ by George Mackay Brown

The island’s crofting history is captured and conserved in ‘The Crow’s nest’, a museum of traditional lifestyles housed in a broad-shouldered grass-roofed house. The famous Old Man of Hoy, a precarious looking sea stack with water boiling and tossing at its base, is just over there and the walk out is bracing and popular.

The hostel overlooks all this. It houses a fortunate 8 people in two bunk rooms. Take advantage of the kitchen and dining area before eagerly rushing out to drink in the beauty of the landscape.

 

 

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