Generally, there are very few reasons for us to set our alarm clocks for before 6 am while on holiday. Flights, for example, or a particularly choice zodiac landing.
Only this time we set our alarms for 5:45 am voluntarily. And for very good reason, I assure you.
But first, there are the logistics to get out of the way. Every moment counts this morning, so we don’t stop for breakfast. I don’t even manage a full cup of coffee.
Which is unfortunate, because this is what I’m dealing with this morning:
That’s right – the lambs have claimed the single-track roadway. And I thought the tourists were baaad.
What could possibly have instigated this rebellious behaviour? Ah, right:
There’s a band of rogue sheep wandering the Isle of Skye that appear to have escaped mid-shearing. Perhaps it’s my imagination, but they always seem to be at the centre of whatever trouble is going on. We noticed a young woman from a neighbouring farm trying to capture one, but without success. Even the sheep dogs don’t seem able to round them up.
I have dubbed these sheep the “unshearables”, which my wife misheard to be the “Ed Sheeran-ables.” Sheep that would only follow Ed Sheeran? I’ll let the reader decide.
We do manage breakfast after a fact. My wife has packed up some toast for the road. No luck with the coffee, unfortunately. I’ll just have to hold out hope for later.
And – despite our lamb-induced travel troubles – we manage to make excellent time, and we are pulling into the parking lot for the Old Man of Storr before 7:30 am.
From IsleOfSkye.com:
“The Old Man (Bodach an Stòr in Gaelic), is a 55-metre-high pinnacle of basalt rock which is all that remains of a 2,800-million-year-old volcanic plug.
The Trotternish Ridge (highest summit being The Storr at 719 m) was created around 60 million years ago by a massive landslip. Hot volcanic lava flowed onto the weaker sedimentary Jurassic rock beneath it causing the latter to collapse and form the undulating cliff faces of the eastern coastline of Trotternish. The magnificent pinnacles and weathered basalt rock formations of
The Storr dominates the Island’s north-eastern landscape and can be seen for miles by travellers heading north as well as from the mainland... The Old Man of Storr on the Trotternish Ridge is probably the most famous walk, and definitely the busiest attraction, on the Isle of Skye.” [Emphasis added]
That last point is why we have voluntarily woken so early in the morning. My wife has heard horror stories of the parking lot filling up by 8 am, and the path being so choked with hikers that it’s impossible to ascend at more than a snail’s pace.
But we’re in luck at 7:20 am – perhaps ten cars are in the parking lot. Time to begin our ascent:
The tower on the right is known as the Old Man of Storr
My wife has pulled up a modified version of the standard hike via AllTrails:
Though have we ever gone on a hike that we didn’t try to modify?
It’s possible to climb the Storr itself, but it’s a lengthy hike and the peak is shrouded in cloud. But even the easier hike clocks in at 365 metres in elevation gain – almost 1,200 feet.
But you don’t have to go far to get some stunning views:
The forecast has called for on-again off-again rain all morning, but so far we’ve been spared.
The sharp rock to the right is known as needle rock
We continue climbing up the wide path.
There aren’t that many people out this early – and we’re pleased to find that we’re passing more often than we’re being passed.
We soon reach needle rock:
And turn our attention to the ascent:
The wide pathway has been replaced by a series of uneven stone stairs. You’d think that would make the hike easier, but it’s actually more difficult – some steps are short, while others require huge effort to ascend. It’s difficult to get into a rhythm.
Technically our hike doesn’t include the viewpoint – but how do you do a hike like this and not go to the viewpoint?
We make the final ascent, and it’s fabulous – except the Old Man of Storr is shrouded in clouds:
Ah, well – it’s a stunning view either way:
The path up to Storr itself is tempting:
But it’s time to return.
Except:
The clouds lift just a bit, and we get some stunning photos of the Old Man of Storr and needle rock:
Our family for scale:
We carry back down the path until we reach the Old Man of Storr once more:
Except the AllTrails route is looking pretty muddy so we decide to go on a little detour:
The path isn’t obvious, but it does give us a different perspective on the area:
As well as a break from those uneven steps!
I never get tired of watching the ever-shifting clouds drift over the lochs:
We then realize that our AllTrails hike is going to send us down to the roadway – so we cross back to the main path, instead, and plan to add in the lower loop as a side trail.
For our flexibility, we’re rewarded with a baby bunny:
Another lucky break – the cloud breaks enough for us to spot the Storr itself:
We really have lucked out with the weather this trip.
We rejoin with the main path, and do another circle around – stretching out the hike and avoiding the crowds.
And what crowds they are:
Our once-deserted parking lot is now full – and I mean full – of would-be hikers. Some cars appear to have circled two or three times before finding a space. Others seem to simply give up.
Full credit to my wife for getting us out of bed early this morning – it was a tough wake-up, but I can’t imagine trying to climb that trail amidst so many people.
Except now we’re starving so we head to a nearby cafe, Untethered Skye:
My wife gets a Snickers cookie:
Truly delicious – one of the best cookies I’ve ever had
And I get an herb and parmesan scone:
…which is okay, but it’s cold. I decide to only eat part of it, and save the rest for later when I can heat it up in the oven.
I also get a caramel bar:
This is much better – almost on par with the Snickers cookie.
We also picked up a cup of “coo food” with which to feed their highland cows, which are the cow equivalent of Fabio:
I never thought I’d be jealous of a cow’s hair, and yet here we are:
I’m not sure how they see but they look fantastic.
Unfortunately, they also appear to be the best-fed cows in all of Scotland. We try to inveigle them with the ‘coo food’ but they just won’t be budged. Looks like that’s 5 GBP down the drain – though we leave the cup out so someone else can try their luck.
(There are little coo food pellets scattered around the cows that hopeful visitors have tossed in, hoping to stir them to action – but without result. So I’m thinking that no one’s getting far with them this morning.)
With that, we head back to the Dark Skye Cottage to stare out that beautiful window – and to pack for tomorrow’s journey to Edinburgh. And to reheat that parmesan scone – which is delicious once toasted.
Fortunately, we don’t have to weigh our bags before this particular leg – but we will in just a few days when we fly to Paris. Shall we overload our checked bag and pay the penalty, or overload our carry-on bags and brazen it out? Decisions, decisions.
We go to bed later than we should – though only after I try one last long exposure to try and capture what it feels like to sit in a darkened, windswept house as the gloaming draws to a close:
We are both fortunate and cursed to have found so many places we never wish to leave.