Marwick Head
A bird cliff about 85 m high on the west coast of Mainland, managed as an RSPB reserve. A memorial tower to Lord Kitchener stands on the clifftop.
Marwick Head is a nature reserve managed by the RSPB. In early summer, tens of thousands of guillemots, razorbills, and kittiwakes nest on the cliff faces, and puffins are occasionally seen. The Kitchener Memorial on the clifftop honors Lord Kitchener and more than 700 others who died when HMS Hampshire struck a mine near here in 1916. A name wall listing the victims was added in 2016. It is about a 30-minute uphill walk from the Marwick Bay car park.
Opening hours
All day, free
Nearby sights
- Brough of Birsay
- Earl's Palace, Birsay
- Skara Brae
- Skaill House
- Yesnaby
- Pier Arts Centre
- Stromness
- Stromness Museum