Cottascarth and Rendall Moss

Tier levels in Scotland are under constant review and liable to change. Car parks and trails are open at the majority of our sites but please check below for full details. Please follow Scottish Government guidance on non-essential travel and if applicable stay local to your nearest reserves and green spaces. See our dedicated Covid-19 updates page for the latest safety information (link below).

Address: RSPB Cottascarth and Rendall Moss, Lower Cottascarth Rendall, Orkney KW17 2PA

Grid ref: HY369195

See our reserves Covid-19 updates page for which sites are open and other important details.

When you visit this tranquil wildlife haven, you'll discover a magical mosaic of mires and heath that is a special place for some of the UK's most magnificent birds of prey - merlins, kestrels and hen harriers. It also has one of the highest densities of breeding curlews in Europe.

Plan your visit

Open at all times.

Free entrance to RSPB members: Yes

Adults: Free, but donations are very welcome.

Children: Free, but donations are very welcome.

Facilities

Car park
Viewing point
Nature trails
Educational facilities

Accessibility

Full accessibility information (external website)

How to get here

By bus

Buses stop at Norseman village, 2 miles (3.2 km) to the east of the reserve. Bus route is No 6 Kirkwall to Tingwall. Up to date travel information can be found on travelinescotland.com.

By bike

Cycle route 1 of the National Cycle Network runs through Norseman village, 2 miles (3.2 km) to the east of the reserve.

By road

The reserve is 4.5 miles (7.3 km) north of Finstown off the A966. Take the minor road west at Norseman village, signposted for RSPB Cottascarth, then turn right at Settisgarth, following the signs for the reserve. The road passes through the farmyard at Lower Cottascarth Farm (follow the signs for the hide) to the car park just above it. Lower Cottascarth is a working farm so please be considerate and aware of farm machinery and equipment as you pass through the farmyard.

Sat nav POI file: If you have a satellite navigation system that can accept POI files, please see our POI page for a download link and instructions.

Other ways to get there

For flights and ferry information to Orkney, contact VisitOrkney at West Castle Street, Kirkwall, KW15 1GU. Website: visitorkney.com Tel: 01856 872856.

Get directions from Google Maps

RSPB reserves on Google Earth

Group visits are welcome, however the Cottascarth car park is not accessible for vehicles larger than a minibus. For more information, please contact the Orkney office on 01856 850176.

School visits are available on our Orkney reserves on a variety of topics. Please contact the Orkney office on 01856 850176 for further details.

10 degrees, Light rain

Contact Cottascarth and Rendall Moss

RSPB Cottascarth and Rendall Moss, Lower Cottascarth Rendall, Orkney KW17 2PA
orkney@rspb.org.uk
01856 850176

What will you see?

Our star species

Curlew

In spring, you can hear their gorgeous, 'bubbling' song.

Hen harrier

Hen harriers breed on the moorland here.

Merlin

Keep your eyes peeled for a dashing merlin on a high-speed hunt.

Short-eared owl

Short-eared owls can be seen hunting over the farmland all year.

Snipe

These cryptically-coloured waders can be seen here all year-round, with the greatest numbers in spring.

Nature spectacles

Our wonderful turf-roofed stone hide at Cottascarth is a fantastic space in which to relax on a fine spring day and watch for the spectacular twisting, turning and swooping sky-dancing display flight of the hen harrier.

Look to the skies for sky-dancing hen harriers above the moorland. Listen out for the familiar call of the cuckoo near the Eddie Balfour hide. Spend a little time on your way past Rendall Moss enjoying the bubbling calls of displaying curlews.

See if you can spot a stonechat perched on top of the thistles in front of the hide. Enjoy the sight of short-eared owls hunting across the moorland on a summer evening. Watch out for buzzards drifting past – look out for one of the many Orkney birds that have been marked with red wing tags to help monitor them.

Enjoy the changing colours of the hills, which turn a subtle shade of pink and purple as the heather comes into flower in late summer and early autumn. You may also be lucky enough to catch sight of a merlin chasing migrating meadow pipits.

Visit the Eddie Balfour hen harrier hide around dusk and watch hen harriers travelling through on the way to their communal winter roosts. Watch and listen for ravens displaying in late winter – marvel at their aerial acrobatics, including dramatic barrel rolls.

About Cottascarth and Rendall Moss

Habitat

Cottascarth is a tranquil wildlife haven. The expanse of heather moorland is home to birds of prey such as hen harriers and merlins. The car park at Cottascarth offers panoramic views towards the northern isles of Orkney across Rendall Moss, a mosaic of mire, wet heath, scattered willow scrub and grassland which is alive with the bubbling calls of curlew in spring.

Conservation

Eddie Balfour, after whom the hide at Cottascarth is named, started one of the longest running raptor studies in the world here and his pioneering 30-year study and the work it inspired are responsible for much of what we know about hen harriers today. Eddie’s work at Cottascarth ensured that this area was protected – in 1971 it became the first RSPB nature reserve in Orkney. In addition to its importance as a site for breeding hen harriers, Cottascarth also holds a significant assemblage of moorland birds.

Management of the reserve focusses on providing an undisturbed and protected haven for the range of species which find a home here, and light grazing by sheep helps keep the moorland and grassland areas in ideal condition for breeding birds. The mixed habitats on Rendall Moss benefit from grazing to produce a mosaic of vegetation heights amongst which breeding waders can nest and raise chicks. Rough patches of long vegetation also provide ideal hunting grounds for hen harriers and short-eared owls, their sharp eyes pinpointing the Orkney voles which use these areas.

Site information

The reserve covers 325 hectares, with large areas of moorland on the hillsides and a fantastic patchwork of mire, wet heath, blanket bog, scattered willow scrub and grassland on the lower ground. The site is part of the West Mainland Moorlands Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI) and the Orkney Mainland Moors Special Protection Area (SPA), designated for its specialist moorland habitats and breeding birds.

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Activities and events

Activities for children and families

The Eddie Balfour hen harrier hide is designed as a large, open, welcoming hide which is ideal for visiting families. See how many animals you can spot in our brightly coloured mural inside the hide. There is a picnic spot with bench outside the hide – look carefully at the old sycamore tree and see if you can find the wooden seal hiding in its branches!

We hold family-friendly events throughout the year.

Leisure activities

Visit in spring, and Cottascarth offers one of the best spots on Mainland Orkney for taking photographs of skydancing hen harriers.

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Cottascarth and Rendall Moss