The Skye Munros have long been on our to-do list, and we are all conscious of the challenge involved and the amount of effort to even get there. We have long toyed with the guide/no-guide decision - and I do remember a night in the Clachaig where we "got into it" a bit. That was a long time ago though and we've all gained a lot of skills since then, so after a planning evening in August, we set some dates and made the decision to go ahead ourselves and pick off what we could.
Toezi picked me up at 10am on the Friday morning with Steg in tow. We had a bit of a repack and his boot was full, as well as some kit strapped to the roof. We headed out of a misty Glasgow and then up the A82, where, at Crianlarich, the sun was splitting the sky. We had a beautiful drive up, with a lunch stop at Spean Bridge and we arrived at the Glen Brittle campsite about 1630.
After getting told off for driving too fast on the campsite, we set up Toezi's circus tent and set about unpacking. I headed for a run round the headland and enjoyed the views as the sun started to dip. By the time I got back to the site, Toezi and Steg had the dinner on and the light on the Cuillin was just perfect.
 |
| Sunset light on the Cuillin |
 |
| Tea's oot |
We ate, and sat outside with the sun dropping behind the small hills to our West. We watched the stars come out, and the moon rise from behind the Cuillin.
The next morning, we'd agreed to take it easy time-wise and not leave till about 1000. We ended up leaving the campsite at 0930 bang on. It was a bit misty but still. There were a few midge around, but really just the hardcore ones that had survived the cool temperatures over the previous nights. We followed the track from the campsite, passing a loch in the mist that we couldn't really get a grasp of the scale of in the mist.
Eventually, the mist cleared and it was starting to get quite hot. We headed round Sròn na Cìche and into Coir' a' Ghrunnda. It got steep quickly. We kept thinking we would see the loch soon, but then we realised it was behind the headwall of the corrie and it took quite a bit of effort to reach. The views out to Eigg and Rùm were lovely.
 |
| Mist cleared, and a view into the corries |
 |
| Eigg and the unmistakeable Sgurr |
Once we got to the Loch, everything flattened out and we had some great views of this amphitheatre of mountains.
 |
| Toezi admiring Sgùrr Dubh an Da Bheinn and Caisteal a' Garbh-choire |
We had a plan to head up the gully on the right of Caisteal a' Garbh-choire - but it did look pretty steep. However, it was helmets on and just take our time. We made the top of the ridge there at 1250, and finally got some amazing views from the top of the ridge over to the rest of the Cuillin.
 |
| The Cuillin |
 |
| Sgùrr nan Eag (with people on the summit) |
 |
Loch Coir' A Ghrunnda
|
 |
| Sgùrr Alasdair (with someone on the summit) |
We pressed on to the summit of Sgùrr nan Eag and met some people on the top. We made the summit some time around 1330 - I didn't take any pics to avoid getting the camera out the rucksack.
The next step was complex. We had the topo guide book, so we headed back down to the Caisteal and then reassessed in the shade. Steg was suffering from a chest infection and was slowing a lot. We discussed it as a team and decided to press on. "Look for the yellow scar and climb above that, but below the cliff further on, then round the gully". It didn't mention the precipitous drops if you put a foot wrong! There was a lot of going ahead and checking but eventually we made it to the little bealach between Sgùrr Dubh an Da Bheinn and Sgùrr Dubh Mor. It was very tricky from there too. We were all on edge and knew we were near the summit when out of the silence someone shouted "PARASCENDER" and a body flew across the sky above us. What a fright! He looked like he was having a great time though.
The summit ridge came and we realised we needed to edge along it for another 100m or so to get to the top. Code Brown, but we made it, at about 1530. Coming down was even more challenging, but the grippy gabbro gave us some confidence. We rounded Sgùrr Dubh an Da Bheinn and came down an easier slope to the bealach between it and Sgùrr Alasdair. We all agreed that would have to wait for another day, and headed down easier contours back to Loch Coir' a' Ghrunnda.
 |
| In Descent |
From there it was the same track out, though it had been very hot and we were all quite tired by this point. Eventually we came out of Coir' a' Ghrunnda and the sun was starting to dip.
 |
| Rùm |
 |
| Almost back at the campsite |
On the way out, Toezi went over on his ankle and it sounded like a sore one. I noticed everyone slowed a bit. We really wanted to get back to the campsite before the shop shut at 7, but unfortunately we were too late.
We got back, got a wash and Toezi made us a magnificent curry as we sat in the tent with proper ruddy faces from being out in the sun all day. The log burner was on too and it was a wonderful end to one of the most fantastic days I've ever had on the hill.
Distance: 21.04km (though this is rubbish - the GPS track is a mess, so lots of extra added on)
Time: 9h 40m
Ascent: 1,328m
Munros Completed: 213
Comments