Best Clifftop Walks in Scotland
Written by UK Hidden Gems Editorial
Updated 5 August 2026
The best clifftop walks in Scotland are RSPB Scotland Marwick Head Nature Reserve, The Old Man Of Storr, Quiraing, Trotternish Ridge, Edzell Blue Door Walk, Knockan Crag Nature Reserve and RSPB Dunnet Head.
Scotland's coast and high ground throw up some of the grandest cliff scenery in Britain, and this roundup gathers seven walks that make the most of it. Out in Orkney, a grassy path climbs the seabird cliffs of Marwick Head to a lonely stone tower.
On the Isle of Skye, three of the walks share the extraordinary Trotternish ridge: the rock pinnacle of the Old Man of Storr, the tumbled pinnacles and terraces of the Quiraing, and the long, dark line of the ridge itself. Over in Angus, a blue-painted door opens onto a wooded river gorge near Edzell, while in the far north-west Highlands the trails of Knockan Crag climb a hillside that tells the story of the rocks.
Right at the top of the mainland, the red sandstone cliffs of Dunnet Head in Caithness look out across the Pentland Firth to Orkney. Some are short and easy, others a serious mountain undertaking, but each puts you high above the sea or the glen.
Here are seven clifftop walks to seek out across Scotland.
RSPB Scotland Marwick Head Nature Reserve
Photo: Jonathan Long via Geograph.org.uk
Explore Marwick Head Out on the west coast of the Orkney Mainland, near Birsay, Marwick Head is a stretch of sea cliffs kept as an RSPB nature reserve. From the little bay at Marwick, a grassy clifftop path climbs to the top, where the sandstone cliffs are packed in spring and summer with nesting seabirds, guillemots, kittiwakes and more, wheeling and calling below.
On the summit stands the Kitchener Memorial, a tall stone tower raised in 1926 for Lord Kitchener and the hundreds lost when the warship Hampshire struck a mine off this coast in 1916. The reserve is also a stronghold of the rare great yellow bumblebee.
The Old Man Of Storr
Photo: John MacKenzie via Geograph.org.uk
Climb The Old Man Of Storr On the Isle of Skye, the Old Man of Storr is a tall rock pinnacle on the Trotternish ridge and one of the most photographed sights in Scotland. It forms part of a great landslip, a jumble of spires and crags below the cliff of the Storr, with the fifty-metre pinnacle rising above them.
A popular there-and-back walk of about three miles climbs to the foot of the pinnacles from a car park on the road north of Portree, growing steep and rocky higher up, with wide views over the sea to Raasay and the mainland. The pinnacle itself was first climbed back in 1955.
Quiraing
Photo: Julian Paren via Geograph.org.uk
Discover the Quiraing Further north on Skye, the Quiraing is a dramatic landslip on the Trotternish ridge and the largest still-moving one in Britain. Over thousands of years the ground has slumped and broken into high cliffs, pinnacles and hidden plateaus, among them a fortress-like mass of rock called the Prison, a spire known as the Needle and a flat, hidden shelf of grass called the Table, once used to hide cattle from raiders.
A popular circular walk of about four miles runs from a car park on the single-track road below, along and through the crags. The path is narrow and exposed in places, high above the valley.
Trotternish Ridge
Photo: Nigel Brown via Geograph.org.uk
Trotternish Ridge Britain has no larger landslip of its kind: close to twenty miles of dark basalt cliffs formed where heavy lava rock slumped over the softer layers beneath, running north to south down the spine of the Trotternish peninsula in northern Skye. Two of its features draw the crowds, both set on the ridge itself.
The Old Man of Storr, a tall rock pinnacle, is gained by a short and popular walk, while the Quiraing, further north, is a jumble of pinnacles and terraces. The Storr caps everything at 719 metres.
Walkers take on sections, and the full traverse is a long, serious mountain day.
Edzell Blue Door Walk
Photo: Stanley Howe via Geograph.org.uk
Follow the Edzell Blue Door Walk Near Edzell in Angus, the Blue Door Walk follows the River North Esk through a wooded gorge, entered through an actual blue-painted door set in a wall. Beyond it the path runs alongside the river as it cuts through the rocky narrows known as the Rocks of Solitude.
You can take it as a gentle there-and-back stroll or link it into a longer riverside circuit, and the gorge itself marks the line where the Highlands meet the lowlands. It is a change of mood from the open cliffs elsewhere on this list, sheltered and green beneath the trees.
Knockan Crag Nature Reserve
Photo: Dave Fergusson via Geograph.org.uk
Visit Knockan Crag Nature Reserve On the road north of Ullapool, in the far north-west Highlands, Knockan Crag is a nature reserve set up to tell the story of the rocks. It was here that geologists puzzled over old rock lying on top of younger, and worked out the great earth movement now known as the Moine Thrust, plainly seen in the crag.
A turf-roofed shelter marks the start, and waymarked trails climb the hillside past sculptures and interpretation panels. The reserve is free and open all year, with wide views out over the wild, empty country of Assynt to reward the pull uphill.
RSPB Dunnet Head
Photo: Flying Stag via Geograph.org.uk
Explore RSPB Dunnet Head Right at the top of the mainland in Caithness, Dunnet Head is a rugged headland of red sandstone cliffs and the most northerly point of Britain, run in part as an RSPB reserve. Wild coastal heath leads out to sheer cliffs where puffins, razorbills, guillemots and kittiwakes nest, and from a clifftop viewpoint reached by an easy path the view runs across the Pentland Firth to Orkney and the island of Hoy.
A lighthouse built by Robert Stevenson in 1831 stands at the very tip. There is a large car park, and the heath is thick with wildflowers and birdlife.
FAQs
Where are these clifftop walks in Scotland?
They stretch from the northern isles to the mainland and the west coast. Marwick Head is on the Orkney Mainland and Dunnet Head sits in Caithness at the top of the mainland, while the Old Man of Storr, the Quiraing and the Trotternish Ridge all lie on the Isle of Skye. The Blue Door Walk is near Edzell in Angus, and Knockan Crag is in the far north-west Highlands above Assynt.
Which clifftop walk is the easiest?
The Blue Door Walk near Edzell in Angus is among the gentlest, a sheltered stroll beside the River North Esk. The clifftop path to the Dunnet Head viewpoint in Caithness is also short and easy, while the Old Man of Storr on Skye is more of a climb, steep and rocky higher up.
Can I see seabirds on these walks?
Yes. Marwick Head on Orkney and Dunnet Head in Caithness are both RSPB reserves, with guillemots, kittiwakes and, at Dunnet Head, puffins and razorbills nesting on the cliffs in spring and summer. These northern cliffs are among the best seabird spots in the country.
Conclusion
From the seabird cliffs of Orkney to the tumbled ridges of Skye, Scotland offers cliff scenery on a grand scale, and these seven walks show its range. You might climb to the Kitchener Memorial above Marwick Head, trace the pinnacles of the Quiraing or the Old Man of Storr on the Trotternish ridge, or stand at the very top of the mainland on the cliffs of Dunnet Head.
There are gentler moods too, from the blue door and river gorge near Edzell to the geology trails of Knockan Crag above Assynt. Wherever you head, take care near the edges, check the weather and carry the right gear on the higher routes.
Whether you want a short stroll or a full mountain day, these are the clifftop walks to seek out across Scotland.
