Old Man of Storr

The Trotternish ridge is the largest landslip in Britain: heavy basalt lava flows sit on softer sedimentary rock, which has failed repeatedly, so the whole eastern flank of the peninsula has slumped seaward in a series of collapses, leaving towers and terraces where blocks came to rest. The Old Man is one of those blocks, a pinnacle about fifty metres high standing free below the cliff of the Storr. It was first climbed in 1955 by Don Whillans and is loose, rarely repeated rock. The path from the car park climbs about three hundred metres in two kilometres to the sanctuary below the pinnacles, with the Sound of Raasay and the mainland hills behind. The site became extremely popular after appearing in film and photography, and the path was rebuilt to cope with erosion.

What you actually see

• The pinnacle - a fifty-metre basalt tower left standing by a landslip.
• The landslip terrain - Britain's largest slip, with towers and slumped blocks.
• The Raasay view - the sound and mainland mountains behind the rocks.
• The rebuilt path - stone-pitched steps installed to control erosion.

When to go

April to October for the walk; sunrise draws photographers and the car park fills before dawn on clear mornings. The site is often in cloud, which hides the pinnacle entirely. Winter ice makes the upper path dangerous.

Honest expectations

The path is a steady steep climb of three hundred metres and takes an hour up. The car park is charged and full from early morning in season, with verge parking prohibited. Cloud can mean seeing nothing at all. The ground beyond the path is loose and unstable.

Nearby

The Quiraing lies north along the ridge; Portree is ten minutes south.