Carn Ghaltair [Cairn Galtar]

Dominating the skyline of Westray, this rounded Marilyn provides an expansive vantage point over the Northern Isles. The ascent follows heathery slopes to a summit trig pillar, where the reward is a clear panorama stretching across the Papa Sound to the low-lying fields of Papa Westray and the dramatic cliffs of Noup Head.

• •The name likely derives from the Old Norse 'galti', meaning boar; Viking seafarers frequently named hills and coastal features after animals that mirrored their physical profile.
• •As the highest point on the island of Westray, the summit offers a rare aerial perspective of Pierowall village and its sheltered natural harbour to the east.
• •The hill qualifies as a Marilyn, a classification for peaks with at least 150 metres of topographic prominence, which is a significant feat for an island summit of this height.
• •Looking south from the trig point, the views extend across the Westray Firth to the distinctive silhouettes of Rousay and the dark, heather-clad hills of Eday.
• •In a landscape where many neighbouring islands barely sit above sea level, this summit provides what is arguably the most commanding 'mountain' perspective in the Northern Isles.