This was our second trip to the Old Man of Storr having visited here in 2019.
Unfortunately Kathryn was poorly back then so I climbed up Storr myself. So it was great to return so that Kathryn could enjoy the awesome views as we make our way up.
The Old Man of Storr
The Old Man of Storr is a six-mile drive from the neighboring port village of Portree, the largest settlement on the Isle of Skye. You can walk up and down the Storr on a 2.3-mile (3.8-kilometer) route that takes roughly one hour and 15 minutes to complete.
Situated atop Trotternish Ridge—a peninsula in the northeastern region of the Isle of Skye, created as the result of a colossal landslip—the Old Man of Storr is a 160-foot pinnacle rock formation named after its likeness to, well, an old man.
The Storr, which refers to the group of looming outcrops that include and surround the Old Man, is a title derived from the Norse word for “Great Man.”
Legend has it that the Old Man of Storr was a giant who resided on the Trotternish Ridge. When he was laid to rest upon his death, his thumb—the “Old Man”—remained partially above ground.
The Old Man of Storr towers over the Sound of Rasaay at an elevation of more than 2,300 feet, and a hike up the grassy mounds toward the group of curious pinnacle rocks that surround the Old Man provides magnificent, panoramic views of the water and the surrounding mainland.
The walk up
As usual, we arrived later in the day to observe the site now has a car park. When we were here in 2019 it was a frenzy of activity trying to find somewhere to park on the roadside. There’s a reasonable fee to pay to park and later in the day, there were plenty of spaces.
Walking boots on, poles at the ready and we were off.
As we climbed up, there was a moody mist around the rocks at the top, a couple of walkers up ahead for a sense of scale, and the stone steps of the path up making a good leading line.
Obviously the higher up you get, the more the views open up. I liked the view of this path as it stretches forward into the distance.
The ‘old man’ (or his thumb) was visible as we got closer to the top and main viewpoint.
I took some shots from the top, which at this moment was challenging as it had started to rain. I like the paths being visible for this amazing vista.
There are amazing views and compositions at every point at this amazing place.
Walk back down via the pinnacles
We made our way back, but decided to walk round the pinnacles. I hadn’t done this back in 2019 and was now treated to some epic views.
I love the path on this shot taking your eye towards the pinnacles and over the top.
As we got closer, we could see two people appearing at the top, and couldn’t quite believe they’d climbed up there.
We only saw a few people on the way up, and after spotting these two people, we saw no one else on the way down.
We were late in the day starting this walk, had a brief rain shower but ploughed on. The experience of enjoying this location and having it to ourselves was amazing.
Back in 2019, it was earlier in the day and sunny, and there was something of a queue at the top to take photos.
We got back to the car and poured ourselves a cup of tea from the flask. We had both really enjoyed it and agreed we would do it again if we come back to Skye in future.
Given that after my 2019 visit, I had previously said I wasn’t bothered about this one, I enjoyed it so much more this time, and would gladly do it again.
It felt good that Kathryn got to experience this amazing place having felt too ill in 2019 to join me.
I think my photos from this trip were much better than last time because the weather was more photo-friendly (overcast, misty) rather than bright sun. Plus, deciding to walk around the pinnacles provided some jaw-dropping views I hadn’t seen or got last time.
Onwards and upwards…