Rackwick
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Rackwick | |
|---|---|
 View of Rackwick from Moor Fea | |
  Rackwick Location within Orkney | |
| OS grid reference | ND201992 |
| Civil parish | |
| Council area | |
| Lieutenancy area | |
| Country | Scotland |
| Sovereign state | United Kingdom |
| Post town | STROMNESS |
| Postcode district | KW16 |
| Dialling code | 01856 |
| Police | Scotland |
| Fire | Scottish |
| Ambulance | Scottish |
| UK Parliament | |
| Scottish Parliament | |
Rackwick is a small coastal crofting township in the north west of the island of Hoy in Orkney, Scotland.
As well as a handful of tourist amenities the township is largely made up of crofts and other small dwellings, however most now form second homes with Rackwick having very few full time residents.[1][2] In 2016 there were only three dwellings occupied year round.[3]
The Orcadian poet George Mackay Brown's poem Rackwick describes the township as "the hidden valley of light" and "Orkney's last enchantment".
The name Rackwick may derive from the Old Norse reka-vík, meaning bay of jetsam.[4]
Rackwick is surrounded on three sides by the hills Moor Fea, Mel Fea, and Red Glen, with two glacial U-shaped valleys (glens) leading into Rackwick containing two burns (streams), Rackwick Burn and South Burn. The Township overlooks Rackwick Beach and Rackwick Bay, with the adjacent coastline dominated by imposing cliffs. Rackwick also borders the RSPB Hoy nature reserve. There is only one minor road to Rackwick, leading from Linksness 4 miles (6.4 km) away, passing by the Dwarfie Stane megalithic tomb. The township is the main starting point for people walking to the Old Man of Hoy, a notable sea stack 1.5 miles (2.4 km) away.[5]
Amenities
Rackwick has a series of small unstaffed community-run museum buildings and an archive centre, including an old schoolhouse and the restored 18th century Cra'as Nest croft and farmstead.[6] The township also contains a bothy, Burnmouth, run by the Hoy Trust, and the Rackwick Outdoor Centre – a hostel by the Orkney Islands Council in a former school building. There is also public toilets and a small car park.
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