The Isle of Skye: Old Man of Storr

The ‘Old Man’ is a large pinnacle of rock that stands phallic-like out from a craggy hillside on the road north from Portree, Isle of Skye. As part of the Trotternish ridge, the Storr itself was created by a huge ancient landslide, rendering the remaining hillside one of the more photogenic in the world. Easily achievable in a single afternoon, the hike to the Old Man of Storr should be one anybodies list visiting Scotland and the Isle of Skye.

Location

The Old Man of Storr is located on the north of Skye in the area known as ‘Trotternish’. The start of the walk is by the main road from Portree to Staffin. To reach the carpark at the foot of the hike, drive north from Portree for about ten minutes until you reach two carparks to your left - be warned, the area is hugely popular during summer, so head off really early to avoid disappointment with a completely overstuffed carpark. Also, do note that the Isle of the Skye is known for having extraordinarily capricious weather - so expect mud, buckets of rain, and a lashing by the wind. My big piece of advice here - wear boots. Only boots will do. Also, if in Skye during Autumn or Winter, definitely try and ascend in the late afternoon - the views over the valley below and distant shoreline as the sun sets is beyond compare.

The Walk

Once you park in the carpark you can pretty well look up and you will see ‘Old Man’ and the high cliffs that surround. Getting to the foot of the ‘Old Man’ will take about 45 minutes. The first stage of the walk will take you through the first gate, and up through a winding series of switchbacks through deforested areas.

The path here is largely gravel and loose rocks. After about 5-10 minutes the path will fork (not for the first time). Go ahead and take the right path - while both paths meet up again, the right is definitely more photogenic. After a short while following the path upwards you’ll come to the second gate - head through this, and you’ll note the end to the gravel path - here begins the mud (glad you brought the boots now eh?). Carry on up the grassy/muddy slope, about half way up the steep slope the path splits in two, take the left hand side option (as you face uphill). Follow the left hand split in the path and work your way uphill. There are a heap of uneven rock steps on the path.

As you continue uphill the ‘Old Man’ will be on your far right side. Ahead are many other rock formations. The path now turns right to face the Old Man and continues with more uneven rock steps. Now on the final approach to ‘the Old Man’ the path curves uphill heading for the foot of the rock pinnacle. I would certainly recommend ascending to the actual base of the Storr itself - from the top the views are fantastic, we stood there for about half an hour, looking out to sea over the Islands of Raasay and Rona. Be warned however, in the late afternoon the winds up here can be absolutely lethal - they cut through all three layers of my clothing. Once sated, head back down the hill as carefully as you can.

The views from The Storr itself are up there with the more breathtaking that I have ever seen. The sheer scale of the panorama afforded you from the base of the Storr is one thing, but the feeling of being surrounded by granite, lush hillsides, and endlessly rolling waves below is another. You’d be hard pressed to find a better view anywhere in Scotland. Also note, scenes in Ridley Scott’s film, ‘Prometheus’ were filmed here - the more you know.