The Old Man
A spiky pinnacle.
Sanshiro KUBOTA from London, UK — CC BY 2.0 · Diliff — CC BY-SA 3.0 · rboed* — CC BY 2.0 · rboed* — CC BY 2.0 · rboed* — CC BY 2.0
The Storr is a mountain on the Trotternish peninsula of the Isle of Skye in northwest Scotland, best known for its rock pinnacle, the Old Man of Storr, about 11 km north of Portree in a straight line. It has a steep rocky east face overlooking the Sound of Raasay, with gentle grassy slopes to the west. The mountain is a prime example of the Trotternish landslip, the longest such feature in Great Britain. The area in front of the cliffs is known as the Sanctuary, full of strangely shaped rock pinnacles left by ancient landslips, the tallest being the spiky Old Man. Dark, sharp rock pinnacles rise above a green slope, with the basalt cliffs of the Storr behind and blue lochs, small islands and the sea below. Mist often wraps the rocks, so they appear and vanish in the clouds. A clear path starts from a car park on the A855 just north of Loch Leathan and climbs for one to one and a half hours to the foot of the pinnacles. It is steep in places and muddy after rain, and the weather is changeable, so start early and wear good boots.
A spiky pinnacle.
Rock pinnacles.
Lochs and islands.
Trotternish peninsula, Isle of Skye, Scotland
About one to one and a half hours.
Steep in places and muddy after rain.