Sunshine on Skye!

Cuillin Ridge

Last week I again helped out Darren with a party of Scotland’s finest youngsters on a couple of days climbing two of the easier peaks on the Cuillin Ridge of Skye. Perfect weather provided a magical backdrop to the climbs and afforded great views all along the ridge as well as to distant Ben Nevis in the south-east and the Outer Hebrides out to sea.

Day 1 saw us departing from the Glen Brittle youth hostel and wandering up past deep pools and waterfalls into Coire a’ Ghreadaidh. Half-way up, the grass gives way to good old Cuillin gabbro rock and the last part of the route is up a scree-filled gulley to An Dorus (the door) – a distinct notch on the main ridge which provides relatively easy access on to the skyline. The highlight for us today was the sight of a golden eagle right above us; for some of the party, it was their first such sighting! A left turn at the top up a tricky (for some) rock step opens the way to a short scramble along the ridge to the summit of Sgurr a’ Mhadaidh (918m). The return route was modified slightly to avoid the rock step. We intercepted the scree gulley a little way below An Dorus and returned to a Glen Brittle bathed in hot sunshine under cloudless skies – Skye as you must experience it at least once in your life (although you may have to try quite a few times before succeeding)!

Am Basteir

Day 2 started from the Sligachan Hotel and we took the well-worn, but good quality path up towards the base of Sgurr nan Gillean’s Pinnacle Ridge before threading our way across Coire Bhasteir right below the imposing chisel-shaped rock peak of Am Basteir and its detached offspring, the Basteir Tooth. Once again, what should we see soaring above us but one of those golden eagles - and for some of the party it was their second such sighting! It was then just a short traverse across the odd soft snow patch to our summit of the day, the Cuillin’s easiest Munro: Bruach na Frithe (958m). From here we could again see along the length and breadth of the main ridge whilst that newly-familiar golden sun just kept on shining! Our descent took us down into Fionn Choire before following the bubbling waters of the Allt Dearg Mor back to ‘the Slig’.

Sgurr nan Gillean and Am Basteir From Bruach na Frithe

If you want to try your hand at the UK’s premier mountain chain and you have little experience of climbing and scrambling, treat the adventure (because that is what it will be) will a deal of respect. Research the Cuillin fully and gain as much understanding as you can of the complexities, difficulties and technical problems involved in traversing these enigmatic rock pinnacles. Unless you are very experienced, employ a local guide and get yourself very fit . You should be entirely comfortable with exposed ridges and rock ledges (not to mention route-finding prowess) to tackle the peaks separately and you will need rock climbing skills and experience in order to conquer Sgurr Dearg’s Inaccessable Pinnacle and some of the intervening steps along the Ridge.

Check out my future plans for similar walks on: http://www.hillways.co.uk/summer/summer.htm