The Storr and The Old Man of Storr

29 May 09 - a lovely sunny day with some wind
Start: OS Explorer 414 GR507528; Storr carpark by the forest on A855

Set off: 1110
Return: 1430
Duration: 3hrs 20mins. Distance: 7.5km
Total Height Climbed: 560m

Note hill walking can be dangerous - the first part of this route to The Old Man of Storr is on decent paths but they are steep and can be slippy when wet. The area around The Old Man is very loose and steep, the route up to The Storr itself is very loose and steep in sections, these details are for your info only.

This is the view down from The Storr which is the hill above the Old Man - the path is on the left and comes up through the woods along the break in the woods on the left. You can also see the road where the carpark (hidden by the trees) is located. For this view it is certainly worth the effort to get up onto the top, however The Old Man and The Sanctuary are also worth a walk if you don't fancy the full circuit!
We started on the obvious path from the carpark and meandered up through the woods on an excellent, although in some places slippy and wet, path. It is fairly steep in sections but very manageable, busy and is a lovely walk through the woods with lots to sniff and trot over, well for dogs anyway!
The trees eventually open out a bit and you get your first view of the huge Old Man of Storr which you can pick out against the backdrop of the cliff - you'll probably also see loads of people walking up the paths to and around the area! When you come out of the trees you go through a gate and your onto the final steep section up to the The Old Man. We followed the path up to the right and took the photo on the left,, before turning left to cross below him again on a gentle path which headed for the Sanctuary before turning right again to take the photo on the right - if you click on the photo to look closer you'll see some humans at the base of the Old Man so you can get an idea of the scale! He's rather tall! We followed the rough path up to the base and stood in awe at how undercut the rock is! We then dropped down the front area before turning left (facing downhill) and following a slope up around the right (now facing uphill) of The Old Man and around the back to the dip and then dropped steeply down to pick up the path behind. We followed this path north, behind some more pinnacles with great gaps and holes in them and continued along this path to a fence which I went under and Steve went over! This path takes you along and around the base of the cliffs and eventually up into an easier grassy area where a decision is taken on whether to follow the much longer and easier path which swings off right below more cliffs before you come back around left above the cliffs to eventually get to the Storr (thus avoiding the steeper and loose sections). The alternative is to follow close to the cliff edge and work your way up steeply across loose rocks and soft ground before picking up the path which takes you across below the steeper sections to a grassy break which is climbed very steeply (using well worn grassy steps) to bring you out a few hundred yards from the top which is lovely and grassy/mossy and fairly flat as seen in these pictures:

After a lovely lunch of Ham & Cheese sarnies, crisps and choccy biccies, I declined the dog treats and sat basking in the sunshine whilst Steve took his boots and socks off and took the photos - check my smile in the above right photo.After a rest we kitted up, went over to the trig point and then followed the route back down, steeply at first before staying left away from the cliffs and picked up the path lower down which we followed back around to the fence once again. A final picture of the Old Man and accompanying features was taken and we then headed back down the path, through the forest and back to the car.

A great walk into a fascinating landscape which is a must for all visitors to Skye certainly at least up the The Old Man but the extra effort (and care) is worth it to get onto The Storr itself.