If there is one thing on the Isle of Skye you must see, it is the Old Man of Storr...
What is the Old Man of Storr?
The Old Man of Storr is iconic with spiky, odd shaped rock pinnacles, set against rolling green hills and coastline of Skye. As part of the Trotternish ridge the Storr was created by a massive ancient landside, leaving one of the most photographed landscapes in the world
Getting there
It is 15.5 miles (28 minutes) from Sligachan camp site, and 6.3 miles (14 minutes) from Portree. Just follow the main road
Parking
The car park is located right by the main road but is not that big and fills up quickly in summer, there is an extended layby which cars park on, spilling out and lining the main road
The climb
The Storr walk uses the same path up and down, starting and returning at the same point (the carpark). It covers 3.8km, with the average time to complete the walk being between 1 ½ and 2 hours, if walking at a good pace, and stopping for photographs and to admire the scenery. We would say this is a medium difficulty. You can also take the longer loop trail, which leads you right up to the Storr
To get up The Storr is a constant climb, the first part is covered in gravel, then it becomes a dirt trail, then muddy. It is not difficult, but it is a slog to the top
For best views continue to follow the trail to the right, this leads up to a vantage point where you will get that iconic view, which is featured on tourist brochures
What to wear
We wore trainers, and we walked with ease through the muddy portions, our trainers are comfy but otherwise we would recommend wearing waterproof hiking boots. The weather is changeable so bring waterproofs, and layer up
When to go / Weather
We went in August, peak tourist season. Expect rain, sunshine, low cloud, wind, mist, midges and lots of tourists
The weather doesn’t have to be sunny, as the moodiness of the grey clouds looks great in photographs.
If it rains, hold out, crowds may disappear, and you will get the place to yourself, the rain doesn’t always last long.
We would recommend avoiding the site between 10am and 4pm as this is when the day- trippers will be there. You may also get a pretty sunrise/ sunset if you leave it to either side of the day
The Old Man of Storr is Skye’s most famous sight and the most photographed location. Expect it to be very busy!
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