Affiliate disclosure: this page contains affiliate links. Purchases made through them may earn us a commission at no extra cost to you. See our affiliate disclosure.
In plain English
Some famous walks come with a chain of mountain huts, where each night's bed is fixed by the trail. This is not one of them. The Old Man of Storr and the Quiraing are short walks that take a few hours each, so you sleep somewhere convenient and walk out from there each morning. Think of it like visiting a city: you pick a hotel first, then decide what to see.
Your choices are a room in a town, a spot at a campground, or a small tent pitched in the countryside. Scotland has a legal right for people to walk and camp on most land, as long as they behave responsibly. That is often called wild camping, meaning you camp outside a formal campground and there is no toilet, tap or staff on site. The right comes with rules about how many nights, how many tents and how to leave the place.1
Where you sleep also decides what you carry. A room means a light daypack with a rain jacket and snacks. A tent means adding the tent, a sleeping bag, a sleeping pad, a stove and a way to deal with your own waste. Bad weather is the other thing to plan for: cold rain can make you dangerously chilled even when it is not freezing.2
The Old Man of Storr and the Quiraing are the two short walks that define a visit to Skye's Trotternish peninsula — a jagged rock pinnacle on one side, a surreal landslip of towers and plateaus on the other. Neither hike takes a full day, but both are rough, muddy, and exposed to unfenced drops, so where you base yourself and how early you arrive matters more than how far you plan to walk.
Why hike here
The appeal here is contrast packed into a few hours: the Storr's broken rock pillars rising straight out of grazing land, visible from the road long before you reach the path, and then the Quiraing's tilted green plateaus and rock towers a short drive north, cut through by a path that traces the edge of the landslip itself. Both walks put you inside the view rather than looking at it from a distance — scrambling between rock towers, following a narrow trod along a plateau edge, the sea and the mainland hills laid out below. The Trotternish peninsula earned its reputation for a reason: nowhere else on Skye packs this much drama into two short, walkable routes, which is exactly why the car parks fill before most people are awake.
Getting there
Skye is reached by road, over the bridge that links it to the mainland, so most hikers arrive by car or bus rather than by air onto the island itself. The nearest airport with regular flights is Inverness, from which it's a drive of a few hours across the Highlands to Skye and on to the Trotternish peninsula. From Portree, the Storr and the Quiraing are both reached by the same road north along the coast; the car parks at each trailhead are small and fill early, so plan to arrive at first light rather than relying on finding space later in the day.
Where to stay
The realistic options, closest-to-the-trail first. Book through the official links — we don't list prices or availability because they change all the time.
For example: Hotels, B&Bs, hostels and rentals in Portree, Skye’s main town
Most visitors — central for reaching the Trotternish walks.
Rooms across Skye are limited and busy; book well ahead.
Nearby-town lodgingFor example: Guesthouses, rentals and campsites nearer the Quiraing and Storr
Hikers wanting to be first at the popular parking areas.
Small car parks at the Storr and Quiraing fill early — arrive at first light.
Local lodging
Permits & rules
No permit is needed. The Old Man of Storr and Quiraing are short but rough, muddy and exposed; wear proper footwear, keep back from the unfenced drops, and arrive early because the small car parks fill fast.
Gear you'll want for this trip
Matched to the terrain and conditions here. Real products — check current price on Amazon.
Camping here is a right with conditions attached
The Scottish Outdoor Access Code describes lightweight camping as camping in a tent, in small numbers, for no more than two or three nights in one place.1 It asks campers to use small tents, camp well away from buildings and roads, avoid enclosed fields with crops or farm animals, and take away everything they brought. It also says to have a backup plan in case the spot you had in mind is busy.1
Cooking is where the code is firmest. It says not to light an open fire, including in fire bowls or barbecues, during periods of high fire risk or near forests, farmland, peaty ground, buildings or historic sites, and to use a camping stove instead, placed on a level, non-flammable surface away from dry grass and your tent.1 For toilets, it says to carry a trowel, toilet paper, hand sanitizer and sealable bags, to keep at least 30 meters from lochs, rivers and burns, and to bury waste in a shallow hole or carry it out.1
The code adds that byelaws restrict camping in some areas, and gives Loch Lomond and The Trossachs National Park as an example where some places allow camping only at campsites or with a permit.1 That is one national park, not a rule for Trotternish, so the sensible step is to confirm local camping rules, bookings and any closures with the land managers named on this page, Highland Council and the landowners, before you pitch anything.
Parking, not distance, is what your lodging really buys
Both walks are short, so the practical value of a bed near the trailheads is an early start, not fewer miles. The page already notes that the small car parks at each trailhead fill early. The access code adds a legal point that matters here: access rights do not include motor vehicles, and if landowners restrict or regulate parking on their land, you must respect that.1
The code's advice is to use a car park, carry a backup plan if car parks are full, and use public transport, walk or ride to your camping spot where you can.1 In practice that means the lodging question and the parking question are the same question. A bed within reach of the trailhead, or a plan to be on the path at first light, matters more than shaving a few minutes off the drive.
What each kind of night does to your pack
With a room booked, the walking pack stays small: layers, a waterproof shell, food, water and a light for early starts. The National Park Service lists headlamps as the recommended light source because they leave both hands free, which suits an early start on a rough, muddy path with drops beside it.3 Even a waterproof pack can let water in during a long downpour, because moisture can get through zippers and seams, so Deuter suggests dry bags inside the pack.4
A tent night adds a sleep system. Sleeping bag ratings are not all the same kind of number: NEMO explains that the extreme rating marks serious risk of death from hypothermia within hours and is not a target rating, so choose a bag by its comfort and limit figures instead.5 Keep clothing off cotton, which the Weber State outdoor program says keeps you cold by trapping moisture next to your skin.6 The weight difference between a daypack and a camping load is the real cost of choosing the tent, so decide on the bed first and the pack second.
Common questions
Do I need to book a hut or lodge in advance for these hikes?
No — both the Old Man of Storr and the Quiraing are day walks, not multi-day hut routes, so there's no trail accommodation to book. You choose a base instead, typically Portree or one of the smaller villages near Staffin, and complete each walk in a few hours before heading back to your room. Book your night's lodging, not a spot on the trail.
Should I stay in Portree or closer to the trailheads?
Portree is the practical choice — it's Skye's main town, has the widest range of hotels, B&Bs, hostels, and rentals, and sits roughly central to the whole Trotternish peninsula. Staying nearer Staffin puts you closer to the Storr and the Quiraing themselves, in guesthouses, rentals, or campsites, which can shave time off an early start if the car parks are your main concern.
What's the best time of year to do these walks?
Aim for the milder months with longer daylight for exposed, unfenced terrain like this. In winter, Skye's wind, rain, and shorter days make the drops around the Storr and the Quiraing considerably harder to manage safely. Whenever you go, check the forecast the night before and be ready to turn back if conditions turn.
Complete gearsets for this trip
Full curated kits built for exactly this kind of hike — what to bring, why, and links to similar gear.
Lodging details are compiled from official parks, refuge associations and reservation systems and can change without notice. We publish no prices, availability or ratings — always confirm current information on the official site before booking or setting out. Product links and the accommodation map are affiliate links: we may earn a commission at no extra cost to you; product prices and availability are shown on Amazon, and accommodation prices on the booking site. See our affiliate disclosure.