Old Man of Storr Hike: The Best Sunrise Hike on Skye? My experience

Old Man of Storr Hike: trail stats, parking, difficulty, best time to visit and my first-hand recap of one of the most spectacular hikes on the Isle of Skye.

If there's one image that convinced me to visit the Isle of Skye in the first place, it was the Old Man of Storr.

After seeing those dark rock pinnacles in countless photos over the years, I half expected reality to be slightly less impressive. Instead, the hike turned out to be one of the highlights of my entire Scotland trip. I did it at sunrise at the end of April 2026, with clear skies and almost nobody else around, and quickly understood why the Old Man of Storr has become the symbol of Skye.
Here's what the hike is actually like, plus everything I wish I had known beforehand.

The Old Man of Storr is, technically speaking, the aftermath of the Trotternish Ridge partially collapsing thousands of years ago, somehow resulting in one of the most recognizable landscapes in Scotland.
The dark rock pinnacles left behind became the “Old Man”, while “the Storr” refers to the entire surrounding mountain and cliff formation. And unlike many famous natural landmarks that require a telephoto lens to look impressive, the Storr is immediately dramatic even from the roadside. And that’s a large part of why it became the visual mascot of the Isle of Skye.

The name itself comes with several local legends. One of the best-known says a giant was buried beneath the ridge, leaving part of his body emerging from the landscape after death. Which sounds mildly ridiculous until you see the formations in low morning light and realize Skye has a very specific talent for making dramatic folklore feel oddly reasonable.

Film productions keep returning for the same reason tourists do. During my visit in April 2026, crews were filming the new Highlander adaptation with Henry Cavill and Karen Gillan around the Storr area. Honestly, after seeing the landscape in person, it would have been stranger if nobody had tried filming a sword fight there eventually.

The Old Man of Storr sits on the eastern side of the Trotternish Peninsula, along the A855 road that runs through some of the most famous landscapes on the Isle of Skye. It’s about 15 minutes north of Portree by car, which is why Portree ends up being the most practical base for most people visiting the area. Besides being close to the hike, I also found Portree to have a nice concentration of restaurants, pubs and accommodation.

The hike itself only explores a small section of the Trotternish Ridge, but the surrounding ridge continues much farther north toward other famous stops like Lealt Falls, Kilt Rock and the Quiraing. In practice, many people end up turning the Storr into the first stop of a full-day road trip around the peninsula.

By Car

Most people reach the hike by car, either independently or through a guided tour. The road from Portree to the Storr is fully paved, well-maintained and easy to drive compared to many other roads around Skye.
The official parking area sits directly beside the trailhead and currently has around 140 spaces, toilets and payment machines. Parking is paid between 8 am and 8 pm, but free overnight, which makes sunrise hikes particularly convenient. When I arrived shortly after 6 am, there were only a couple of other cars in the entire lot. During the afternoons, the situation is much less peaceful.

By Bus

It’s technically possible to reach the Storr without a car from Portree, although not easy. Stagecoach route 57A connects Portree with Staffin and stops near the trailhead along the A855.
For travelers not wanting to drive at all, reaching Portree itself by public transport is also technically feasible. Most people arrive via:
• Citylink buses from Glasgow or Inverness
• Train connections to Kyle of Lochalsh followed by buses into Skye

Once on Skye though, public transport is not structured enough to cover all the major sights. So, my suggestion is, if you don’t want to drive at all, to book an organized tour.

Where to Stay

For most people, Portree is the best base for the hike. It’s close to the Storr, full of restaurants and accommodation, and well-positioned for exploring the rest of northern Skye afterwards.
That matters because the Storr is rarely the only stop people make in this part of the island. Continuing north naturally connects you with places like Lealt Falls, Kilt Rock and the Quiraing, which is exactly what we ended up doing after the hike.

If you need any suggestions, I've stayed with my friends at Stonefield House, which is just a 10- minute walk from Portree harbour, and I had an amazing time.

Quick stats

The hike starts directly from the official Storr car park on the A855, about 15 minutes north of Portree, and follows a very clear uphill path toward the famous rock pinnacles. Here’s a few stats:
Type: Out-and-back
Distance: ~4–5 km round trip (~2.5–3.1 miles) depending on viewpoint/route variation
Difficulty: Moderate (short hike, but steep and relentless in the second half)
Starting / Finishing Point: Old Man of Storr Car Park, A855
Total Elevation Gain: ~350 m (1,148 ft)
Time to Complete: 1.5–2 hours for most hikers
Time to Reach Main Viewpoint: ~45 minutes
Trail Type: Well-defined uphill path with rocky and muddy sections in wet conditions

There are also a few route variations once you reach the formations. Most people turn right toward the classic panoramic viewpoint overlooking the pinnacles, but alternative paths continue left and higher into the wider Storr landscape for hikers wanting longer routes.

Is the hike difficult?

No. Despite how dramatic the Old Man of Storr looks in photographs, the hike itself is fairly accessible for average hikers in dry weather. There’s no technical climbing involved, and the main challenge is simply the concentrated elevation gain, since most of the uphill arrives in the second half of the ascent. There’s no scrambling, no exposed climbing and no technical terrain on the classic route.
The beginning is slightly confusing because of the gates and fencing near the trail entrance, but after the first couple of minutes the route becomes obvious and difficult to lose, even in lower visibility.
In good weather, a reasonably fit hiker can reach the classic viewpoint in around 40 to 45 minutes. Average hikers will probably need closer to 50 minutes to an hour, depending how many times you stop for photos. Rain, mud and strong winds, however, can completely change the experience.

The First Section From the Car Park

The hike starts directly from the main parking area. You pass through three gates in total during the ascent, including the first one immediately above the parking lot. They’re simple push/pull farm-style gates rather than anything complicated.

The first section is the easiest part of the hike. The terrain is mostly normal dirt and gravel path with a gradual incline that lets your legs warm up properly before the steeper section begins. The Storr remains visible during most of the ascent, although not yet in the dramatic arrangement you see from the classic viewpoint.
For roughly the first 1.5 to 2 km, the trail feels more like a steady uphill walk.Views begin opening up fairly early behind you toward the Sound of Raasay and the coastline around northern Skye, especially once you gain a little elevation above the road.

The Steeper Middle Climb

A bit after halfway up, the hike changes personality.
This is where the famous stone path begins, and where most of the elevation gain suddenly arrives all at once. Several rebuilt stone sections and steps cut directly through the hillside toward the rock formations, creating the steepest and most physically demanding part of the route.

It’s not dangerous or technical, but it is relentless for a short stretch. In dry conditions, like during my hike, it’s perfectly manageable for average hikers. In rain or mud, I can easily see this section becoming much more annoying on the knees and calves, especially on the descent.

The path itself remains wide enough throughout the climb and never feels exposed. There are no dangerous drop-offs or scrambling sections on the classic route. 

Once you arrive below the pinnacles, you’ll see the route split. Most people turn right toward the classic viewpoint overlooking the Old Man and the surrounding ridge, while alternative paths continue left toward different angles and higher routes into the wider Storr landscape.

The final approach to the viewpoint itself is short and relatively easy.

The Viewpoint

This is the real payoff of the hike.

The famous arrangement of the pinnacles only fully reveals itself from the classic viewpoint area, where the rock formations suddenly align with the wider landscape below. From there, you’re looking at a combination of dark basalt towers, green cliffs, distant mountains and the water surrounding eastern Skye all at once. In clear conditions, the scale becomes absurdly good.

Sunrise is easily the best time to hike the Old Man of Storr, and unlike many travel opinions confidently thrown around online, this one actually has a practical reason behind it: the entire landscape faces the sunrise almost perfectly.
By the time I reached the viewpoint shortly after 7am, the pinnacles were already fully illuminated by direct golden light. During the ascent, the colors gradually shifted from pinkish-red tones into warmer yellow light as the sun rose higher behind us. The visibility was completely clear, which made the scale of the surrounding ridge and coastline look almost exaggerated.

Sunset, on the other hand, is surprisingly less ideal than many people assume. Since the sun sets on the opposite side of the ridge, the Storr formations and much of the landscape below end up sitting in shadow. You still get atmosphere and potentially dramatic skies, but you lose a lot of the detail, texture and contrast that make the place visually impressive.

Midday is also honestly much better than sunset here. The softer early morning light disappears, but the formations still remain dramatic and fully visible.

More than the exact hour though, visibility is the real deciding factor. Low cloud and fog can completely hide the wider landscape around the Storr, which is part of what makes the viewpoint so spectacular to begin with. A cloudy sunrise will almost always be less impressive than a clear midday hike.

• Check visibility, and I mean not just rain. Low clouds can hide most of the landscape.
• Keep an eye on the wind forecast, too. Strong gusts are often a bigger issue than rain.
• Wear proper hiking shoes or sturdy boots, as the trail becomes muddy surprisingly quickly after rain.
• Bring waterproof layers even if the forecast looks perfect. Skye occasionally enjoys changing its mind.
• Start early if possible, mostly because parking and the trail are noticeably quieter.
• Bring water; there are no facilities once you leave the parking lot.
• Trekking poles are optional, but can be useful on the steeper stone sections.
• A headlamp is recommended for sunrise hikes outside the summer months.
• Close the gates behind you. They're there for livestock, and the sheep appreciate your cooperation.
• If the weather is terrible, don't force it. The Old Man of Storr isn't going anywhere, and on Skye tomorrow's forecast often has the personality of a completely different country.

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