12,000 troops were stationed at the Lyness base, HMS Prosperine, during WWII. This walk explores the legacy of that time, visiting the museum, war cemetery, air raid shelter, and climbing Wee Fea hill for good views over Scapa Flow.
Bog Factor
Minor roads and track
Lyness Pier.
Ferry to Lyness from Houton, Mainland Orkney.
ND312946
Start from the pier at Lyness and walk straight ahead to the Scapa Flow Museum which gives a taste of life on Hoy during WWII. This extensive free museum is well worth a visit and also has a cafe.
From the museum head along the road to the left, passing one of the piers which are now home to nesting seabirds. Keep right when the road forks soon the remaining base and beams of what was once the recreation centre for the base. Housing a cinema, restaurant, and various shops, dances were regularly held and by 1943 1,900 personnel were using the centre each week.
Continue straight up to the road, cross and turn up the road next to the Hoy Hotel to head up towards Wee Fea. The Hoy Hotel stands on the site of the ablution block for the camp where the Women's Royal Naval Service personnel lived, with over 1,500 women stationed here by 1945. The large concrete building seen on the hill ahead was the communications centre for the base. The road passes a small house and becomes a rough track after a cattle grid. Stay on the track as it climbs up beside a plantation and then bends left and levels off to pass behind the communications centre.
Soon a picnic area and viewpoint is reached. From here you can understand why Scapa Flow is such a good natural harbour, protected by many islands, and the entrance points that had to be protected during both world wars from enemy ships and submarines are also visible. From here retrace the route back down to the Hoy Hotel and turn left along the road.
When the road bends left stay on it to detour to the Naval Cemetery on the left. This is the final resting place for nearly 600, mainly service personnel, who died during both World Wars. Leaving the cemetery turn right back along the road, then left at the next junction, passing the telephone exchange. Turn right at the junction. The base has been returned to civilian use and most of the buildings demolished - the area on the right would have been full of huts accommodating officers, whilst on the left were sports facilities. Keep left when the road forks, the area to the right once housed massive oil tanks to store the vast amounts of fuel needed by the fleet, only one now remains.
The road curves round to the right near the sea. Just before reaching the big barn-like buildings - workshops from the base - you can detour to the right, aiming for a kissing gate, to visit the military air raid shelter. Steps lead down into the shelter, which was built using reinforced concrete and corrugated iron sheeting with earthed piled on top. You can still make out the arrows which mark the safe limits to withstand a blast. From the shelter return to the road and a short distance brings you back to the start at Lyness pier.
This website and app are run by 'Walkhighlands for All' - a not-for-profit set up to serve walkers' needs.
We rely on the generosity of our users - can you help?
