Sips & Trips with Molly

On our Highlands Trip, myself and my boyfriend both had a ‘dream activity’ pick that we’d want to do. I had the Fairy Pools, and he chose the Old Man of Storr. There are tons of gorgeous walks in the Highlands, but Old Man of Storr is one of the most popular ones which is based in the Isle of Skye.

The iconic basalt pinnacle that stands out amongst the already stunning landscape. Overlooking the Sound of Raasay, you truly get the postcard/Pinterest views that will stay with you forever. It is North-East of the island near, Portree so plan ahead when visiting. The Isle of Skye is full of geological wonders, including dinosaur prints and more and the Old Man of Storr is the remains of a volanic plug – Only 2.6 billion years old!

Where to Park

There is good parking options at Old Man of Storr, your sat nav should direct you straight to it but if you go during busy periods get there earlier to secure a spot. I believe we paid no more than £5 and we were there for 4 hours or so.

I completely underestimated how big Isle of Skye was, and it took us about an hour to get there from the Fairy Pools and about 1.5 hours from Balmacara where we stayed – highly recommend you stay here its gorgeous! We stayed at the Cosy Toes pods which is run by Caroline and it was the best stay ever!

What to Bring

Being honest, I didn’t know what to expect from this walk. I’m glad my boyfriend didn’t tell me the extent of the walk as I probably wouldn’t have done it and regretted it.

You definitely need some good walking/hiking boots for comfort and there are also some steep inclines and unsecured paths. For extra security, perhaps bring some hiking poles – we didn’t need these but it got windier and these would have been handy!

Layer up, bring some light layers of clothing we again you are in Scotland and walking high up so it gets a bit chilly even in April/May!

The Walk

The walk itself takes about 1.5 – 3 hours depending on the route you take and the pace. There is a mixture of flat paths but also steep inclines, rock steps and paths along the side of the cliff which goes straight down.

The walk is around 2.4 miles and the elevation is 600ft. We didn’t look at the difficulty but online it says moderate and I have to agree!

At the beginning of the walk you have the option to take the harder or easier route for the first section, the harder bit is super steep so keep that in mind. You then have the main walk up to the Storr which has lots of steps but you get some fantastic views!

You might tell from the pictures above how knackered I was but was keen to keep the vibes up!

You can opt to continue the walk round to the right of the Old Storr to the summit for views of the landmark as well as the lochs. My boyfriend didn’t tell me about this bit because the path was a bit trickier. It got very windy at this point and some of the path isn’t that solid so it can be nervewracking. But when I tell you the views are worth it, they really are!

I hope you are enjoying the images so far, it was hard to pick a few as there are thousands we took – Scotland is so beautiful most of our car journeys we were silent or just saying ‘wow’.

I pushed myself and that’s the mantra I’m trying to continue life with. One of my Dad’s last things he said to me was to try something, even if you aren’t great at it, just give it a go, so I did and I loved it. I also had him in my head saying ‘get a grip and get on with it Wooders’ whilst Jake was patiently waiting for me.

One thing we did do was bring snacks and drinks and thank goodness we did. Some chocolate and a sip of coca cola later and my spirits and energy was back up. At the summit, please get a picture. No brainer, but this is one photo you will want!

Going down was much better than going up, my quads weren’t being used as much which was nicer! I will say just be careful for any bits of the path which might be slippier but don’t worry too much as this might make you more unbalanced. Take it slow and enjoy the views. It’s one of the best walks we have ever done!