The Needle is a sea stack on the island of

Hoy Hoy ( sco, Hoy; from Norse , meaning "high island") is an island in Orkney, Scotland, measuring – the second largest in the archipelago, after Mainland. A natural causeway, ''the Ayre'', links the island to the smaller South Walls; the two ...

, in

Orkney Orkney (; sco, Orkney; on, Orkneyjar; nrn, Orknøjar), also known as the Orkney Islands, is an archipelago in the Northern Isles of Scotland, situated off the north coast of the island of Great Britain. Orkney is 10 miles (16 km) north ...

, Scotland. It is located on the southwest coast of Hoy at . There is only one known

rock climbing Rock climbing is a sport in which participants climb up, across, or down natural rock formations. The goal is to reach the summit of a formation or the endpoint of a usually pre-defined route without falling. Rock climbing is a physically and ...

route, a grade XS 5c from the landward side, that was established by Mick Fowler and a team in 1991, which was described as "outrageous" in the 2020 guidebook to British sea-stack

climbing routes A climbing route is a path by which a climber reaches the top of a mountain, rock, or ice wall. Routes can vary dramatically in difficulty and grade; once committed to that ascent, it can sometimes be difficult to stop or return. Choice of rout ...

References

Climbing areas of Scotland Landforms of Orkney Stacks of Scotland Tourist attractions in Orkney Hoy, Orkney {{climbing-stub