Old Man of Storr loop — Isle of Skye

We only walked a short tour because a cold that hadn't completely subsided didn't allow us to go any further. But we had to take advantage of the good weather. Starting from the large parking lot at the foot of the rock formation, it soon went quite steeply uphill. It was particularly worth branching off onto a side path, as there are always new impressions and panoramas when you approach the rock formation from the south. Past the Old Man we continued up to what is probably the most spectacular vantage point in this area. For a short time, the Old Man became a minor matter as we unpacked our whiskey and matching glasses. Of course, many other visitors had to photograph this beautiful Scottish tradition... The descent was relatively easy as a good portion of the trail was stair-stepped with large boulders. The views and impressions are difficult to put into words. It is always extremely impressive, fantastic, almost surreal.

This was a hike around an oversized menhir path. The Old Man of Storr rock formation is a 48 m high rocky peak, which I partially walked around. The path offers an inexhaustible source of photo opportunities. It felt like there were hundreds of hikers on the main path, too; it was almost like a pilgrimage on this Sunday, given the good weather. I managed to avoid the crowds to the left and right of the main path. But how did this picturesque rock formation come about? 60 million years ago, when the Earth's mantle melted, basalt rock was formed, which then lay on top of older, less stable Jurassic sediments. About 15,000 years ago, the excessive pressure caused the basalt layer, up to 300 m thick, to slide away. Along the edge of this massive landslide, you can marvel at the spectacular labyrinthine rock formations. One of Scotland's most spectacular landscapes and definitely one of the top attractions on the Isle of Skye.

Together with The Quiraing, the Old Man of Storr is one of the two most iconic (and busy) walks in all of Scotland. To avoid the crowds, we leave early in the morning. This impressive rock formation, which towers high above the landscape, was created by centuries of erosion and is part of the Trotternish Ridge. According to legend, the “Old Man” is a petrified giant, with its characteristic peak reaching up to 50 meters high. => https://efkesweg.be/roadtrip-schotland-the-old-man-of-storr/

Although it is only 5km, the tour is quite challenging due to the incline and many stairs. There are a lot of hikers here, but it is still very relaxed. The views are beautiful.

Idyllic tour to the Old Man of Storr. The rocks are incredibly impressive and the view is fantastic. The only problem: it's completely overrun with tourists. Lots of people are wearing inappropriate clothing and are not in good physical shape (it's uphill for quite a while). So we didn't take the standard route back, but went "around the back". There were no tourists there and it was definitely more beautiful.

Today there were two walks on the program. We skipped the second. You can understand why from the pictures. We visit the towers, rocky outcrops and sculptures at the foot of the Storr, which were created by a landslide. It was a nasty day, from the day after tomorrow they will have beautiful weather! But the rain didn't really bother us, it was mainly the wind that bothered us. We did visit The old Man of Storr, but we also skipped the Storr. On photo 22 you can see how the wind plays with Marina. Still it was a nice day, both proud of the conquest of "the old man" and rich in experience and the beautiful panoramas between the clouds.

My first time in Isle of Skye🥹🤩The weather was as Scottish as it could possibly be (4 seasons in one short hike) and I swear I couldn't stop smiling the whole time! Big views, dramatic weather and hot choc + cheesy chips to top it off👌🏽

An hour of sun is enough to make the rock formation at the "Old Man of Storr" a fantastic experience. Definitely one of the "Best of Scotland" (if the sun plays along😛😛)