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  • North Hill

North Hill

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Address
RSPB North Hill, Papa Westray KW17 2BU
Grid ref
HY495538
What3Words
grant.crowd.enough

There's nowhere quite like Papa Westray. Studded with delicate wildflowers, North Hill is perhaps Orkney's finest area of maritime heath. The reserve is home to an extremely rare plant, the Scottish primrose, while stunning low-level cliffs play host to nationally important numbers of breeding Arctic terns and skuas.

Plan your visit

Opening times

Open at all times.

Entrance charges

Free entrance to RSPB members
Yes
Adults
Free, but donations are very welcome.
Children
Free, but donations are very welcome.

Facilities

  • Car park
  • Guided walks
  • Viewing point
  • Nature trails
  • Educational facilities

Accessibility

  • Full accessibility information (external website)

How to get here

By road

From the pier or airfield, travel northward along the main road. Continue past Rose Cottage (painted pink) until the road bends sharply to the right at the reserve entrance.

Sat nav POI file: If you have a satellite navigation system that can accept POI files, please see our POI page for a download link and instructions.

Other ways to get there

Papa Westray can be reached from Mainland Orkney by either ferry or plane - see the Papa Westray site for further information.

For flights and ferry information to Orkney, contact VisitOrkney at West Castle Street, Kirkwall, KW15 1GU. Website: visitorkney.com Tel: 01856 872856.

Get directions from Google Maps
View on What3Words
RSPB reserves on Google Earth

Group booking information

Group visits are welcome. Please contact the Orkney office on 01856 850176.

Schools booking information

School visits are available on our Orkney reserves on a variety of topics. Please contact the Orkney Office on 01856 850176 for further details.

Downloads

Helping you find your way around. PDF, 128Kb

North Hill trail guide

Contact North Hill

  • RSPB North Hill, Papa Westray KW17 2BU
  • orkney@rspb.org.uk
  • 01856 850176
  • Find us on facebook

What will you see?

Our star species

    Arctic skua, lightform

    Arctic skua

    They come to places like Papa Westray to breed but spend all their other time at sea.

    Arctic tern

    Arctic tern

    They nest on the island, but be careful not to stray too close to their nests, as they will attack!

    Guillemot illustration

    Guillemot

    Although ungainly above water, underwater they are agile and manoeuvrable.

    kittiwake adult

    Kittiwake

    Visit in spring and early summer and your ears will be filled with their calls.

    Puffin, adult in summer plumage

    Puffin

    Enjoy the comical antics of puffins in spring and early summer from the viewing points on the cliffs.

Nature spectacles

Look closely for the tiny precious purple blooms of Scottish primrose in May and July.  These rare flowers are found in just a few locations in Orkney and North Scotland.

Seasonal highlights

  • Spring
  • Summer
  • Autumn
  • Winter

Seabirds are returning to the cliffs to breed including guillemots, razorbills, puffins and kittiwakes. Great and Arctic skuas claim territories. At the beginning of May, Arctic terns arrive to begin breeding amongst the heather. The rare Scottish primrose at Fowl Craig begins flowering in mid-May.

Enjoy coastal plants which are in full bloom along the cliff tops, while seabirds feed chicks on the cliff ledges. The Scottish primrose at Fowl Craig flowers again in July and you should see breeding wading birds. Seals, whales and dolphins can be seen around the coast.

Occasionally, dolphins and whales can be seen breaking the surface on calm days. Autumn is a time when many unusual bird species can turn up on Papa Westray - keep your eyes peeled and you may be lucky enough to spot a rarity.

Great northern divers, black guillemots and red-throated divers can be seen offshore. Both grey and common seals may be hauled up on the rocky shore or surfing in the waves.

About North Hill

Habitat

Explore a magical maritime heathland studded with delicate wildflowers as you explore the wild coast. The low-lying cliffs along the reserve's east coast hold a small, but densely packed colony of guillemots, razorbills, shags and kittiwakes. Look out for puffins and black guillemots around the coast.

Conservation

We are maintaining the special maritime heath for the benefit of breeding populations of Arctic terns and Arctic skuas, while protecting the site from marine pollution and introduced mammalian predators.

Seasonal grazing by cattle helps breeding waders, including lapwings, redshanks and snipe. We are also working to protect breeding seabirds, including guillemots, kittiwakes, fulmars, black guillemots and razorbills.

We use regular monitoring to inform our management of the reserve, including surveys of key breeding bird species and studies on seabird productivity.

Site information

The North Hill nature reserve covers an area of 206 hectares and is largely maritime heathland bounded by sea cliffs and rocky shoreline. The reserve is managed in partnership with the North Hill Grazing Committee and is owned by the community.  The special habitats and species found here are recognised by designation as a Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI), a Special Protection Area (SPA) and Marine Protection Area (MPA).

Please note there are livestock on this site and on neighbouring land and you may encounter them on your visit here.

RSPB Scotland welcomes responsible access, in line with the Scottish Outdoor Access Code.

Latest forum posts

  • Vandelism at RSPB reserve Brodgar

    I've just been reading sadly that there has been vandalism at RSPB reserve Brodgar in Orkney. It’s nothing to do with any wildlife. But sadly the historical stone circle at that RSPB reserve has been covered in graffiti. It a big criminal effence to ...

    Posted 11/04/2019 by THOMO
  • Wrapping up the Fortnight

    Our fortnight is over, back to the daily grind - but time for a last thread to finish off our time in the Orkneys. You may have noticed a lack of Bonxies on the previous threads - I was simply saving them up.  They get a bit of a bad press as Pirates...

    Posted 25/06/2018 by Whistling Joe
  • Do You Ever Feel Like You're Being Watched?

    There's a lot of coastline to stroll along on Orkney, some of it very dramatic, like the cliffs here at Yesnaby.  With the winds pushing the waves, it's very impressive Incidentally, the car was parked on the clifftops, just out of shot top right.  W...

    Posted 22/06/2018 by Whistling Joe
  • Island Hopping

    We're staying on Mainland, but there are lots of smaller islands you can catch a ferry to go and see.  One of the closest and most obvious is Hoy, so the other day we packed our lunch and caught the boat.  The ferry bounced around a bit on the way ac...

    Posted 20/06/2018 by Whistling Joe
read our forum

Latest blog posts

  • Stoat Snippet 102

    Welcome to the latest news and updates from the Orkney Native Wildlife Project New to our blog and want to find out more about the project, how to volunteer with us or have a question?  Visit our Facebook page, our website or email us at info@on...(r...

    Posted 01/07/2021 by Orkney Native Wildlife Project
  • Stoat Snippet 101

    The latest blog from the Orkney Native Wildlife Project, the world's largest stoat eradication, explaining the impact of invasive non-native species during this year's Invasive Non-Native Species (INNS) week.(read more)

    Posted 28/05/2021 by Orkney Native Wildlife Project
  • Curlews in Orkney - Outrageous Goals, Extravagant Hope , by Richard Clubley

    photo courtesy of RSPB Images When Stephen Hawking was writing “A Brief History of Time” someone advised he would lose half the potential readership with each equation he included; so he settled on just e=mc² in the entire book. I’m thinking the same...

    Posted 21/04/2021 by EleanorD9
  • Stoat Snippet 100

    Welcome to the latest news and updates from the Orkney Native Wildlife Project New to our blog and want to find out more about the project, how to volunteer with us or have a question? Visit our Facebook page, our website or email us at stoatsig...(r...

    Posted 21/04/2021 by Orkney Native Wildlife Project
read our blog

Activities and events

Activities for children and families

Guided walks are available on Wednesdays and Saturdays during summer. Booking essential. Please contact orkney@rspb.org.uk for details.

Leisure activities

School visits are available on our Orkney reserves on a variety of topics. Please contact the Orkney Office on 01856 850176 for further details.

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