Ascent of the Storr
TROTTERNISH, PORTREE AND THE BRAES
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1. The Storr is the craggy summit atop the grand cliffs behind the famous pinnacle of the Old Man of Storr. Its ascent escapes from the busiest paths round the Old Man and offers spectacular views. Park at the Storr car park in the forested part of the road - there are normally several cars parked here, and there is more space in the lay-by The path starts through the canopied gate by the interpretative boards.
2. The excellent path winds uphill through the woodland. This section was once a quagmire but follow a series of improvement projects can now be done with dry feet. There are occasional breaks in the trees revealing views of the Isle of Raasay offshore and Applecross on the mainland beyond. After passing a marshy point the path reaches a gate (with warning signs) - go through it to reach the open moor with spectacular cliffs ahead. The Old Man can be difficult to pick out from the cliffs behind from this point.
3. Continue up the pitched stone footpath. Ignore a branch to the left and continue on the path heading towards the right side of the Old Man. When nearly at the old man, follow a fainter (but still clear) path off right diagonally up the moor towards the end of the line of cliffs. This eventually reaches a fence with a broken stile – which is awkwardly climbed instead using boulders. The view back from this section to the Old Man and the nearer Needle rock, backed by the Storr Lochs, is a classic.
4. Over the stile, follow the path round to the left. It forks slightly as it approaches a rocky band - the left fork gives slightly the easier way up this scrambly obstacle. (If you fancy a more adventurous route to the summit from here, double back left and follow the edge of the buttresses towards the summit, with great views down the gullies. The final rockwall below the summit is bypassed to the right, where a short easy scramble leads to a grassy gap in the cliffs near the summit.) Otherwise, follow the almost level path in a wide arc around Coire Scamadal. There are views up the coast northwards towards Staffin. About a kilometre on, when the grass slopes to the left have become lower and free of rocks, break off from the path up these slopes to reach the escarpment ridge.
5. Turn left along this ridge, climbing gently to reach the summit of The Storr, marked by a trig point. The views are superb. The Trotternish Ridge stretches away to the north, backed by the hills on the Isle of Harris. East are the islands of Raasay and Rona, with a spectacular array of mainland peaks beyond. To the south are the jagged Cuillin mountains and much of the rest of Skye, whilst west the flat-topped Macleod's Tables are the most prominent landmarks.
6. Follow the edge of the great cliffs (keeping a safe distance) - slightly south of west at first before turning south east after passing the head of a wide, steep scree gully. Ignore this gully and continue along the escarpment downhill. There are soon excellent views across the strange landscape of the Storr Sanctuary and the Old Man below. The escarpment then turns again to the right. Continue WSW along it (becoming less distinct) until reaching a gully where a stream descends the cliffs (make sure it is the gully with the stream as other routes may lead into difficulties). The way down the cliffs is on the near side of this stream - it is steep and stony but has no difficult obstacles.
7. Once below the cliffs, continue descending southeast, aiming to reach the road at the edge of the forest. Head north along the road for 500m to reach the car park.
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