Once our Peak District bank holiday weekend was over, Con, John and I left Bretton hostel and headed north to Manchester to meet Geoff. Now with a full car we continued north, stopping in Fort William for an evening meal before finally arriving at our mainland accommodation that night, Ratagan hostel, where we met Kate and Chaya.
Tuesday morning we again loaded the car and headed for the Isle of Skye, stopping briefly in the Kyle of Lochalsh for some supplies. Once on the island we settled into our hostel and met our guide. There was a great sunset that first night on Skye, unfortunately the weather would not be as kind the following day.
Sunset on Skye - Photo by Con O'Neill
Wednesday morning Kate and Chaya seemed to be up earliest, starting porridge and making packed lunches. Eventually we had all eaten, showered and packed our rucksacks. The weather looked miserable and the forecast for the rest of the day walk equally bleak. The plan was to knock off the two most southerly Munros of the Cuillin Ridge.
With the cars parked we began the walk in. Richard our guide had some concerns that the rain might have flooded part of our route making it impassable. Thankfully this was not the case and we soon began the steep hike towards our first Munro, Sgurr Dubh Mor. The wind and the rain were unrelenting, Chaya in particular not enjoying this very British weather.
It was already clear to me that Skye was like no place I'd hiked in before. Not only is the place quite demanding physically, the exposure of the narrow ridges meant you were focusing and concentrating all the time, very exhausting. Soon we had reached our second Munro, Sgurr nan Eag and we could now begin our descent to the cars. It had been a demanding day, made more difficult by the weather but Richard our guide was pleased with our progress.
After a hearty meal back at the hostel we chatted about the plans for the following day which would see us head for the Munros on the northern side of the island. We were all in bed before midnight, everyone seemed to be taking this adventure very seriously!
We awoke Thursday morning to better weather and it wasn't long before we were driving along twisting roads to our start point. As we gained height we met the snow, in places quite deep. Kate or Richard often led the way, kicking the snow to make footholds for those following. Our first Munro of the day was Am Basteir. This was a fun but challenging day. It would see us climbing and abseiling and it was at these times you were particularly glad you had the services of an expert guide.
The rock continued to be rough on the hands and some of the positions we found ourselves in were the most hair raising I'd experienced. I especially remember us wriggling through a cave-like area and having to drop onto snow that sloped away down the side of the mountain. Skye was like nothing I'd faced before, the level of concentration meant I often had no idea how far we'd travelled! The second Munro of the day Sgurr nan Gillean was achieved before we headed for what many consider to be the easiest Munro of the ridge, Bruach na Frithe. Despite it being one of the easiest, I was tiring and slipped, losing my footing briefly before grabbing the sharp rocks to save myself from a very long fall. It was with great relief that we headed down back to the car, another successful day completed. Just like the evening before, we discussed the plan for day 3. There was to be no let up in the pace, indeed it was to the hardest day so far with another three Munros planned including Sgurr Dearg, otherwise known as the Inaccessible Pinnacle. The day would also feature a particularly hard route in.........up the Great Stone Shoot! Once fed and watered we relaxed, giving our bodies the chance to prepare for the next day.
Friday arrived all too soon for me, given the choice I'd have liked the opportunity for a day off. When you are paying for a guide's time it makes sense to make the most of it, so once again we all found ourselves making our way from a car park into the wilderness. The Great Stone Shoot was in view and just looking at it made your thighs ache! Not only was it extremely steep, the loose stones were energy sapping. With the stone shoot behind us we then faced a steep section of very deep snow before finally reaching the ridge. Getting to the ridge had been a slog and we took a break to get our breath back. The climb had especially taken its toll on John who had been carrying a slight leg injury picked up earlier in the week. With regret, he decided it best not to continue and risk further damage. After a brief discussion it was decided that one of our guides, Naomi, would descend with John. This would mean Richard, our other guide, would have more work in getting the rest of us through the day but it was still possible none the less. John realised this and insisted that Naomi stay with us, he would make his own way down from the ridge in his own time.
We all said farewell to John and continued on to the first Munro of the day, Sgurr Mhic Choinnich. The terrain was demanding and the ridge very narrow in places. The weather however was kind, I certainly would not entertain the idea of being on this ridge in high winds and rain!
Isle of Skye - Day 3 - Photo by Con O'Neill
Slowly I made my way over the ridge, cursing as I went. Naomi was often at the back with me, encouraging me on. The second Munro of the day was Sgurr Alasdair and with this completed we picked our way over the ridge to probably the most famous Munro on the island, the Inn Pinn.
Chaya, Geoff and I were roped together as we began the climb up the spine of the Munro. The spine was narrow and the rock loose in places. I found it difficult to find handholds or footholds large enough to give me confidence. Climbing in a group was also difficult, keeping the rope tight often meant waiting for the person ahead of you to make their next move or the person below to make theirs. I was not enjoying this and it was with huge relief that I finally made it to Naomi who was waiting to help us abseil down the other side. At the time I had no idea that we were even on Inn Pinn, it was not until you abseiled down and looked back that you saw that familiar fin of rock that you'd seen in magazines.
Abseiling off the Inn Pinn - Photo by Gary Box
It was now time to head back, stopping to collect our rucksacks which we had hidden on the mountain to free ourselves for the climbing. We were still faced with a steep descent on loose scree which was painful on the soles of the feet. Once this was behind us we decided to run back to the car for some unknown reason. My feet were throbbing, the impact of the descent had taken its toll. We met John back at the cars and everyone agreed that we did not feel like cooking and so ate in the cafe that was attached to the hostel.
Saturday morning arrived and my feet were still throbbing. Even putting my own weight on them was painful, I decided I could not hike today. I was not alone, John was still having pains and Chaya had decided she too needed a rest day. The others left to tackle the final three Munros on the ridge whilst we decided to explore the island. We covered much of the island, including the Old Man of Storr, the waterfall at Kilt Rock and a fish and chip shop stop in Portree.
Old Man of Storr (Background) - Photo by Gary Box
With the sun beginning to sink in the sky we headed back to meet the others. Over our evening meal the options for the final day were discussed. Geoff decided he would join John and have a rest day. Kate, Con and Chaya would join the guides who were to climb the Cioch Buttress, made famous by the sword fighting scene in Highlander. After my rest day my feet had healed and I wanted to bag the only Munro on the island that did not form part of the Cuillin ridge, Bla Bheinn. John kindly dropped me at the start and I set off alone with stormy looking skies above me. The route was easy to follow on the map and it wasn't until I gained height that I had to check my position. The summit was shrouded in mist, I could hear a few voices close by at what I suspected to be the summit but could not be sure if my position and theirs was joined by a ridge or not. I waited in the hope the mist would lift briefly and sure enough it did long enough for me to see that there was a snow covered ridge to the summit. I ran across, bagged the summit and quickly headed back down before the mist rolled back in. John was kind enough to meet me again once I was down and we enjoyed the rest of the day together before joining everyone back at the hostel.
This was to be our last night on Skye. It had been a tough trip, our guide Richard had pushed us quite hard. Whilst the island is without doubt a beautiful place, that ridge can be brutal. Personally I was not sad to be leaving the island, the pace had been hectic and some of us still faced the Three Peak Challenge on the way home!
The following morning we packed the cars and crossed the bridge to the mainland. We were all headed for Fort William, Chaya to catch her train back to London, Kate to do some climbing with Naomi and the rest of us checked into Glen Nevis hostel before beginning our challenge.
Article submitted by Gary Box
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