Ward Hill is a hill on the island of Hoy in Orkney, Scotland. It lies at the north of the island between Moaness and Rackwick, and is the highest point in both Orkney and the Scottish Northern Isles at an elevation of . The hill forms a curved ridge, reminiscent of a 'J' in shape. The lower slopes are covered in heather and

grass Poaceae ( ), also called Gramineae ( ), is a large and nearly ubiquitous family (biology), family of monocotyledonous flowering plants commonly known as grasses. It includes the cereal grasses, bamboos, the grasses of natural grassland and spe ...

, though the top of the ridge is covered in small stones with bare

sand Sand is a granular material composed of finely divided mineral particles. Sand has various compositions but is usually defined by its grain size. Sand grains are smaller than gravel and coarser than silt. Sand can also refer to a textural ...

soil Soil, also commonly referred to as earth, is a mixture of organic matter, minerals, gases, water, and organisms that together support the life of plants and soil organisms. Some scientific definitions distinguish dirt from ''soil'' by re ...

. The highest summit is towards the northern end and is crowned by a

trig point A triangulation station, also known as a trigonometrical point, and sometimes informally as a trig, is a fixed surveying station, used in geodetic surveying and other surveying projects in its vicinity. The station is usually set up by a map ...

. The ridge is well separated from the other hills of Hoy, and both the other Marilyns on the island have high

topographic prominence In topography, prominence or relative height (also referred to as autonomous height, and shoulder drop in US English, and drop in British English) measures the height of a mountain or hill's summit relative to the lowest contour line encircling ...

. Ward Hill is separated from Cuilags by the Glens of Kinnaird, and from Knap of Trowieglen by the glen carrying the road between Moaness and Rackwick, in which lies the Dwarfie Stane. The existence of '' Anastrepta orcadensis'' (also known as Orkney Notchwort), a

liverwort Liverworts are a group of non-vascular land plants forming the division Marchantiophyta (). They may also be referred to as hepatics. Like mosses and hornworts, they have a gametophyte-dominant life cycle, in which cells of the plant carry ...

found in the

United States The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...

Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its Provinces and territories of Canada, ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, making it the world's List of coun ...

, and widely in

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, was first discovered on Ward Hill by

William Jackson Hooker Sir William Jackson Hooker (6 July 178512 August 1865) was an English botany, botanist and botanical illustrator, who became the first director of Kew Gardens, Kew when in 1841 it was recommended to be placed under state ownership as a botan ...

in 1808."Bryology (mosses, liverworts and hornworts)"
Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh. Retrieved 15 May 2008."West Highland Mosses And Problems They Suggest"
(January 1907) ''Annals Of Scottish Natural History'' 61 p. 46. Edinburgh. Retrieved 11 June 2008.

References

Marilyns of Scotland Mountains and hills of the Scottish islands Protected areas of Orkney Mountains and hills of Orkney Highest points of historic Scottish counties Hoy, Orkney {{Orkney-geo-stub