Skye - 2010

The In Pinn Bristling With Climbers.

Another spell on Skye has just finished with some rewarding, but long and hard days on the Cuillin Ridge. The weather has been mixed, but never poor enough to curtail a day’s activity. The company has been second to none as first Mark and Peter, and then Callum, Doreen (from Peebles), Pete, Mark, Irene, Peter and Simon accompanied the good Doctor and myself up the length and breadth of the Misty Isle’s highest peaks.

Bla Bheinn on a Better day!

This mountain marathon started with a damp ascent of Bla Bheinn with Mark where all the views were virtual and the mountain quiet until four wonderful search and rescue border collies accompanied by local guide Tony Hanly arrived on the summit. Bla Bheinn offers a short day (and there aren’t many of those to be had around here) and is a good choice if the weather is not so good. But do try and climb it at least once on a good day as its isolated position away from the main ridge makes it a superlative viewpoint.

The second day gave us warm sunshine and we toiled up the Great Stone Shoot in Coire Lagan and up on to the spectacular summit cone of Skye’s highest point: Sgurr Alasdair. The visibility was not quite good enough to give us a view of St Kilda but we weren’t complaining and were just content that the rock was dry for our airy traverse of Sgurr Thearlich and Collie’s Ledge to our second Munro of the day: Sgurr Mhic Choinnich. This all went smoothly and Mark even agreed to pose at the end of a tight rope for a photo with the depths of Coire Lagan far below him (as he knew only too well)!

Mark, (Very) High Above Coire Lagan!

The third day, with Peter joining us, was a much less successful day in Coir a’Ghrunnda with low cloud, burns in spate and Mark’s troublesome knee all combining to give us a view-less and Munro-less day!

Sgurr a'Mhadaidh With Sgurr a'Ghreadaidh Behind.

Meeting up with the Doctor and our ever-growing band of budding alpinists saw an unusually long straggle of 9 ascending An Dorus (the door) for a stunning day on 2 ropes of the central peaks of Sgurr a'Mhadaidh, Sgurr a'Ghreadaidh and Sgurr na Banachdich. Pete declared he didn’t know such concentration existed as we snaked our cautious but exhilarating way along the sharpest arête in Britain around those familiar Cuillin landmarks that punctuate progress along the ridge: the black gash, the wart and the three teeth. We cuddled many a Cuillin that day!

Not Now Keith; I'm Concentrating!

From the final summit a long and tortuous descent down the scree and shale of Coire an Eich led us back to the Glen Brittle Youth Hostel and the sight of a large golden eagle (possibly a sea eagle) soaring above us in search of an evening meal. Thankfully, there was still sufficient life in our party (just) to suggest we had nothing to offer!

Poser on the Ridge - You Get a Lot of These!

Tuesday saw a return to Coire Lagan but not, thankfully, the Great Stone Shoot (an horrendous ascent route now). A reasonable climb up the edge of the An Stac screes placed us on the ridge for a there-and-back ascent of Sgurr Mhic Choinnich and then, in gathering gloom and a bitter crosswind, a quick shin up the Inaccessible Pinnacle.

Cold? It's Just a State of Mind!

Everyone did really well and seemed to take this precariously perched flake of rock in their stride (and occasionally, straddle). Even the abseils went smoothly so well done everyone – firstly for climbing the Pinn and secondly for not catching hypothermia! A slow and complicated descent down Coire na Banachdich ensured another 10-hour day – you don’t get much time to write postcards or watch the footie when you’re climbing the Cuillin!

Doreen (from Peebles) Struts Her Stuff on the In Pinn!

And now for something different…. Oh no I forgot, and now for another 10-hour day in the cloud! This time it was the long, long trudge from the Glen Brittle campsite (the toilets are no longer public by the way!) and around into Coir a’Ghrunnda. The views were as non-existent as before but at least the water levels in the burns had receded and posed no problems. Shaley paths and seaside scrambling in the murk gave us Sgurr nan Eag and Sgurr Dubh Mor and a chance encounter with a lone walker who required rescuing that night by the Skye Mountain Rescue Team! Navigation in poor visibility remains the Cuillin’s greatest challenge (other than falling off them of course) and should not be underestimated. For such a sharp, well-defined ridge, finding your way about in thick cloud is surprisingly difficult. The last part of the day was spent traversing beneath the Thearlich-Dubh (T-D) Gap and up onto a very tricky and greasy Sgurr Alasdair. Skilful cricket skills enabled Peter to catch Irene at second slip at a delicate moment of the climb in a particularly greasy gulley and it was a relief all round to reach the summit! No view at all this time, let alone of St Kilda. It was not a place to linger today so it was down the Great Stone Shoot (in 30 mins; well done team!) and back down Coire Lagan in another 10-hr plus Cuillin Fest! No postcards; no footie – again!

Another Misty Summit!

We finished the week with ascents of the 3 northern peaks seen to such advantage from the Sligachan Hotel: Sgurr nan Gillean, Am Basteir and Bruach na Frithe (yes I know you can’t actually see the last one from Sligachan but you can use your imagination)! The ascent into Coire a’ Bhasteir provided a welcome change from Glen Brittle but the tops were mostly enshrouded in cloud as we hauled our weary selves below Am Basteir and it’s sinister Tooth up onto Bruach na Frithe. Regrettably, Irene’s knee was causing just too much pain to continue so I gallantly forsook an ascent of the last 2 peaks and accompanied her off the mountain whilst the remainder of the group followed the Doctor up and down Am Basteir’s east ridge and up and down Sgurr nan Gillean’s west ridge. This day proved to be the longest yet – 11 hrs!

The Doctor Leading From the Rear(s)!

Throughout the week the team’s spirits remained high despite many new experiences and unusual positions that many were probably not expecting. The humour flowed in line with the adrenalin and Doreen (from Peebles) was good enough to let me know what she thought of the life-cycle of the Common Lousewort…… Callum has very few Munros left to do, Pete has discovered new depths of concentration and I will be forever indebted to Simon for his invaluable insight into the formation of baked and chilled margins, isostatic rebound and sliken lines!

And now to Knoydart...

All Scrubbed Up at the Slig!

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