The Storr

Not to be confused with Old Man of Stoer.

The Storr
An Stòr
The Storr, seen from the east
Elevation	719 m (2,359 ft)
Prominence	c. 674 metres (2,211 ft) Ranked 73rd in British Isles
Parent peak	Sgurr Alasdair
Listing	Graham, Marilyn
Location
Location	Trotternish, Skye, Scotland
OS grid	NG495540
Topo map	Ordnance Survey Landranger 23

The Storr (Scottish Gaelic: An Stòr) is a rocky hill on the Trotternish peninsula of the Isle of Skye. The hill presents a steep rocky eastern face overlooking the Sound of Raasay, contrasting with gentler grassy slopes to the west.

Geology

The Storr is prime example of the Trotternish landslip, the longest such feature in Great Britain. It is the type locality for the mineral gyrolite.

The area in front of the cliffs of the Storr is known as the Sanctuary. This has a number of weirdly shaped rock pinnacles, the remnants of ancient landslips. The most famous of these, and by far the largest and most apparent when approaching from the south, is known as the Old Man of Storr (Bodach an Stòir).

Ascent routes

A well constructed path, used by many sightseers, leaves the A855 just north of Loch Leathan. It heads up through an area of forestry, with glimpses of the scenery beyond. After about 1.6 kilometres (1.0 mi) the walker emerges from the trees, into a spectacular, almost lunar, landscape.

Most day-trippers are content simply to wander around the Sanctuary, admiring the pinnacles and gazing up at cliffs of The Storr. Walkers can easily ascend to the summit however by skirting below the cliffs whilst heading north. After passing over a fence and climbing a brief steep section of loose rock, the recommended route heads north west as far as Coire Scamadal, 1 km north of the summit, then doubling back and heading southwards, climbing towards the summit. From this route, visible breaks in the cliffs offer tempting short cuts, but these are steep, may not save time and may not be safe.

An alternative route to or from the summit starts 500 metres (⅓ mile) south-west of the car park and heads north west to Bealach Beag, about 1 kilometre (0.6 mi) south-west of the summit, following the course of a stream which breaches the cliffs. A steep section of this course is slippery and requires care.

The Storr is often climbed as part of a much longer expedition, following the full length of the Trotternish landslip.

Media and the arts

From 1 August to 17 September 2005 one of Britain's single largest environmental artworks was staged on the walk up to Coire Faoin at the base of the Old Man of Storr and the Storr cliffs. Created by NVA, a Scottish environmental arts company directed by Angus Farquhar (formerly of Test Dept) and designed by a team including "<slight>" and David Bryant, the work contained music by Geir Jenssen, Paul Mounsey, live performance by Gaelic singer Anne Martin and recordings of the works of Gaelic poet Somhairle MacGill-Eain (Sorley MacLean).

In October 2009, a photograph taken of the pinnacles looking towards Raasay and South Rona won the "Take a view: Landscape photo of the year 2009".

In January 2012, production of the science-fiction film Prometheus moved to the Isle of Skye, with filming taking place at the Old Man of Storr.

British composer Matthew Taylor composed the orchestral piece Storr, which takes its name and inspiration from the rock formation, which the composer found awe-inspiring on a visit there. Storr was commissioned and premièred by the Essex Symphony Orchestra conducted by Tom Hammond, and given its London première by the Kensington Symphony Orchestra and Russell Keable on 24 June 2013.

Gallery

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  The Old Man of Storr, Skye

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  The Old Man of Storr, Skye

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  Old Man of Storr 2008, Skye

References

• The Corbetts and Other Scottish Hills. Scottish Mountaineering Club and Trust. ISBN 0-907521-71-1

External links

• The 2005 art installation - from The Guardian
• Images of illumination of landscape
• Isle of Skye Walks