Hackness Battery and Martello Tower

Hackness, South Walls, Orkney
Historic Environment Scotland logo

These rare and well-preserved coastal defences were built to protect merchant shipping during the Napoleonic Wars, but the mighty military remains never saw action.

Mounted cannon on circular stone gun platform overlooking blue sea and distant hills.

Hackness Battery and Martello Tower will be closed this summer season while we carry out vital conservation work due to water ingress.

Visitors can still explore the exterior of the tower on foot via the pedestrian access gate. There is no vehicle access to the site.

How we look after our sites

Round stone Martello tower with laddered entrance and flagpole under cloudy sky.
A drawing showing a birds-eye view of a small complex of buildings on a piece of land by the sea

How to get here

 View Hackness Battery and Martello Tower on a Google Map

Journey Planners

Search for National Cycle Network routes with the Walk Wheel Cycle Trust

Plan your journey by public transport using Traveline Scotland

Address

Hackness
South Walls
Orkney
KW16 3PQ

National Grid reference:

ND 338 912

Contact

01856 701 727
View overlooking the grassy caved looking inside Skara Brae.

Discover more with the Orkney Digital Guide

Enhance your visit with videos, stories and 3D scans to help you uncover nearly 5,000 years of Orkney’s past.
Buy Orkney Digital Guide

Ready for an adventure?

Use a Membership or Explorer Pass to discover centuries of Scottish history and heritage, all while saving money and supporting our work.

Membership

Ideal for frequent visitors and heritage supporters

Unlimited annual pass for all ticketed sites plus daytime events

Two adults, holding hands with two young children, walk through a graveyard, with historical stone ruins in the background. It is a sunny day.
  • Unlimited annual pass for all ticketed sites plus daytime events
  • Discount in our shops and cafés (on site and online)
  • Historic Scotland magazine delivered to your door
  • Free or discounted entry to sites in England, Wales and the Isle of Man
Buy now View details

Explorer Pass

Perfect for short-term trips and sightseeing

Valid for 14 consecutive days

A family walking across a grassy lawn with the New Abbey Corn Mill building in the background.
  • Valid for 14 consecutive days
  • Entry to all ticketed sites, including Edinburgh Castle, Stirling Castle and Urquhart Castle
  • 20% discount on audio guides at Edinburgh Castle, Stirling Castle and Glasgow Cathedral
  • Guaranteed entry when you pre-book online
Buy now View details