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Second phase of Storr Centre complete

The second phase of Highland Council’s new facility at the Old Man of Storr is open.

The upgrade includes an extension to the shop and a multi-purpose venue which the local authority says can be used for community events and weddings.

The Storr opened in 2024

The project has received £550,000 from the UK Government’s Shared Prosperity Fund.

Ionad an Stòir/The Storr Centre opened in 2024 and now employs seven people, with six full time posts and one part time.

ENVIRONMENT

As well as the extra space, the second phase also includes funding for Rangers to help preserve the environment. The Old Man of Storr is protected as part of the Trotternish Ridge Site of Specific Scientific Interest.

Jordan Young is one of the Rangers. He told Radio Skye:

“I do a range of things. Everything from just talking to people, to path maintenance, to surveys of the environment; everything outside related.

“Having a Ranger on site is a huge advantage because it stops people venturing off.

“I tend to just go and talk to people about the plants they’re walking next to and the environmental impact of the Storr.

“Most people come for the big pointy rock, which is lovely! But the amazing thing about the Trotternish Ridge is it is a Site of Specific Scientific Interest and there’s loads of flora and fauna that you just don’t get anywhere else.

The Old Man of Storr attracted 300,000 visitors in 2025

Asked about the impact of the second phase of the Storr Centre, Jordan said:

“It’s brilliant for me because it makes this fully self sustaining now, which is great. It pays for my job, as well as everyone else’s here, but it also pays for any infrastructure work on the Storr.”

Jordan Young – Ranger

RETAIL

The second phase also includes an upgrade to the shop with more local suppliers able to sell their products. Among them is Raasay Distillery which has helped create The Storr Whisky. Lochcarron Weavers are also making a unique tartan for the shop. Local designer, Iain Angus Design, has supplied The Storr with sweatshirts, hoodies, and tote bags.

John MacLean is Business Development Lead at the centre. He told Radio Skye:

“Our retail space is quite different from everywhere else. That’s what we want. We want it to feel different. They [tourists] might just want a small memento from their walk up the hill but we also find people buying all their gifts here.

“The light, the time of day you go out, the weather, it changes all the time. Everyone who works here doesn’t take it for granted.

On whether the centre is for people who live here as well as visitors, John said:

“We love seeing locals in the Storr Centre and on the hill. We want the locals coming. We’re here for them to come in and have a chat with. We’re hoping to do more things through our winter months where maybe locals have more time. We’ll try to do Christmas fares and things like that.

“This project is looking after tourism sustainably, but it’s also trying to give something back to the local community.

John MacLean – Business Development Lead

PARKING

Parking at the site has long been an issue with spaces at a premium. Double yellow lines have been painted along the road to stop people leaving cars on the verge.

Councillor John Finlayson

Asked whether the council would consider extending the car park, Councillor Finlayson said:

“Obviously, we don’t want to create too big an extension. Clearly, as we can see today, while the car park is full, there’s still overflow on the roads and that’s concerning in terms of a health and safety aspect. At the moment, we’re discussing the possibility of creating an extension to the car park so we can better manage the tourist numbers and all the traffic that goes past the site.”

TOURIST TAX

Council officials are keen to stress the economic benefit of the Storr Centre. It says the revenue generated by the project has exceeded expectations and The Storr could be used as a model for other tourist destinations. The local authority is expected to provide an update on its proposed visitor levy at a meeting later this month.

Over the summer, council officers have been holding “co-design” sessions with tourism and accommodation groups to figure out how the scheme would work in practice.

Councillor Ken Gowans

Councillors will review the progress made so far at a meeting on 25 August, including whether to charge visitors a flat rate or a percentage of their room cost.

A three month public consultation is likely to follow this autumn, though the so called ‘tourist tax’ is not expected to be introduced until 2028 at the earliest.

Councillor Ken Gowans is Chair of the Economy and Infrastructure Committee. He told Radio Skye:

“Rather than put up Council Tax, it’s far better if we have a visitor levy that we can apply to people who come and stay here overnight.

“Skye in particular, it’s a really huge destination for people. We can see today, there are cars parked all over the place, we’ve had to work on the Fairy Pools, and we’d like to continue to do that. We can only do that with funding. By introducing what we think is a fair visitor levy, that tourists themselves are very happy to pay, that will ensure that there’s a fund there that we can tap into.

“Under the Scottish Government legislation, I think it’s quite important to note that any funds that are raised by the Highland Council in terms of visitor levy can only be spent to support tourism. It can’t be used for health and social care, or any other purpose.

“It’s all about making sure that we have an investment fund that we can apply to various projects across Highland.

Councillor Finlayson said:

“The whole issue around the tourist visitor levy tends to divide people. A consultation has taken place across Highland. We have got a special meeting of the council on 25 August to decided what the next steps are.

“Initially, a lot of people were against the whole idea of a percentage charge as part of the tourist levy. The government has changed its legislation around that so we now have the option of introducing a flat rate. I’m sure that’s something that will be discussed on the 25th and certainly from the industry point of view, that seems to be their preferred option.

The point about where does the money raised go if we do introduce a visitor levy, that has to go into infrastructure, it has to go into supporting the tourist industry.

Of course, the question around about should the money raised locally be kept locally, is another debate. Categorically, given how busy Skye is, I’d be pushing certainly for a large percentage raised on Skye to come back to Skye.

“From my conversations with the industry and with people doing AirBnb, if we are going down the route, a flat rate to me is more preferrable than a percentage rate.

A LONGER SEASON

The hike up to the Old Man of Storr is relatively accessible for most walkers. A standard trip takes around 1hr 15mins taking in roughly 2.5miles.

With 300,000 visitors in 2025, it remains one of Skye’s most popular sites.

John MacLean from the centre said September was the busiest month last year, demonstrating how the season in Skye continues to stretch further across the year.

Armadale ferry disruption hits local economy, communities say

Communities in South Skye and on the mainland say ongoing disruption to the Mallaig-Armadale ferry service is causing economic pain for local businesses.

Mallaig Community Council says firms are regularly getting last minute cancellations and visitor numbers are down.

The route is currently being serviced by two charter vessels and vehicle capacity is significantly reduced as a result.

On Tuesday, operator CalMac confirmed a further delay to the MV Coruisk returning to the route.

A spokesperson for Mallaig Community Council said:

“This is not a marginal service. It is a critical economic artery. Treating it as expendable puts the future of our rural communities at risk. We refuse to be invisible in this crisis.”

The ferry operator has apologised for the disruption but says it is prioritising vessels to support routes which have no other alternative.

A CalMac spokeswoman said:

“Due to our services being stretched while several vessels are unavailable, it’s not currently possible to provide the level of service we would like to. This is understandably frustrating for customers and local communities, and we are sorry for the disruption.

“Mallaig-Armadale is a valued service, and we recognise how important it is. We are working hard to ensure that the route is covered in these difficult circumstances, but we must make difficult decisions when it comes to prioritising other routes which don’t have any alternative options to and from the mainland.

“We have chartered replacement vessels for Mallaig-Armadale until MV Coruisk returns but recognise that there has been a significant reduction in their service delivery. The intention had been for MV Loch Bhrusda to operate on this route, but the vessel must remain on the Sound of Harris service while MV Loch Portain is delayed in annual overhaul. MV Coruisk is also required on the Oban-Craignure route to meet booking demand.

“We regularly engage with communities in Mallaig through the Sound of Sleat Ferry Users Group, issuing regular updates about this service.”

The disruption is expected to continue until MV Coruisk returns to service, though no confirmed date has been given.