Sgurr a Mhadaidh & Sgurr a Ghreadaidh

Our second day on Skye saw us enjoy a relaxed breakfast at the lodge, with a nice drive round into Glen Brittle to meet Iain Mackay, our guide for the ridge. While in theory three Munros were planned today, I would be happy to do the two and I figured that would also suit Ayman. The weather was fine and without the midge, we waited for Iain to arrive at the car park. It was a fine place to rest and take in the Cuillins. Once Iain arrived, we had a chat about the theory and the practicality of what lay ahead. As we walked up the path, he pointed out An Dorus (the door) and discussed what the climb would entail. I could sense that Ayman was a bit apprehensive but Iain also was good at distraction by pointing out the fauna on the ground - blaeberries, bog myrtle, and some plant known to give off certain qualities for men who could not be turned on by the views before them. 

The cascading waterfalls were lovely and it was such a pleasure to be out walking in this environment. We eventually stopped on a grassy ledge to the side of the scree coming down from An Dorus and it was here, we adorned harness and helmet. Now, having walked upwards on scree many times, I was comfortable but as we climbed, I could see Ayman was struggling a little and breathing hard. I knew he was fit so suspected he was a bit stressed by the environment. Sgurr Thuilm sweeped away to our left and with the cliffs of Mhadaidh and Ghreadaidh immediately looming above us, it was understandable. As we made our way on to the final climb to Mhadaidh, Ayman was concerned at what was above us. We sat down and relaxed (well I did) before deciding to push on. About 15 minutes after some decent paths and climbs, we arrived at the summit cairn of Sgurr a Mhadaidh - what a place!

The view across the Sgurr a Ghreadaigh was stunning and Sgurr Mhic Choinnich and Sgurr Alasdair added a nice touch to the view behind. The Wart was impressive, just sitting off the main ridge to our 2nd objective.

Once we descended back to a safe place, Ayman had decided he was happy with his lot and would stay wrapped up just down and to the North of An Dorus. We came across a young lady and her guide who had been on the ridge since 0200 - she was going for the full traverse and still had a smile on her face. One could not fail to be impressed by her endeavour and energy. A superb effort. We left Ayman and said we'd be about 45 minutes so to rest up. Iain and I climbed to An Dorus and it was an enjoyable wee climb out of that and on Ghreadaidh. From here, it was relatively easy ground especially as it was dry and walking on the gabbro was a joy. The Eag Dubh was a fine slash in the rock with a super view. As we climbed past the Wart, we strode on to what i thought was the summit in the distance - Iain said I'd walked past the cairn! I was looking at the South Summit. Conscious of Ayman back at his resting spot, we returned quickly down the ridge and re-joined him for the walk out. He had enjoyed his time at the spot, relaxing and enjoying the moment. And I was elated at grabbing these two fantastic peaks with only Banachdich left to do on Skye.

The walk back to the car was very relaxing once off the scree and we had a fine chat discussing all things Skye and Scotland. It had been a great couple of days on this island - there really is nowhere like Skye. What it takes from you in skin and bruises, it more than gives back in memories.

Bla Bheinn

For a long time, I had truly believed that Bla Bheinn would be my last Munro. However, once I had booked Sconser Lodge hotel for a couple of days with my good friend, Ayman, I had other ideas. The intention of the two days was to finish the 4 Munros I had on Skye but this would necessitate great weather, and an appreciation that Ayman had never set foot on Skye, never mind the gabbro. The forecast was good but one has to be sensible (to a degree) on Skye and so my plan was to introduce Ayman to the Cuillins by taking on Bla Bheinn after our long drive North. as we drove down the wee road to Torrin, the clag was low down so I wasn't sure we should do it, especially if it was raining. We sat and had a coffee in the wee cafe in Torrin and assessed the mountain - I swear I could see the clag lifting. We agreed that a wee walk up to the waterfall was the least we should do, and then see how things go.

We drove round and parked up in the car park. It was mild but still claggy and while I really wanted to add to the Munro count today, I also wanted to ensure it was a memorable experience for the right reasons. We needn't have worried. We headed up the excellent path alongside the allt, and while the clag didn't lift entirely, we had snippets of what loomed above. 

We eventually passed the waterfall and after a couple of kilometres, we crossed the allt to start the climb proper. The path was generally good but on occasions would peter out, or we had come off it. This wasn't a problem until at around 550m, we encountered a funnel of rock that seemed to take us into quite steep ground. We took our time and then continued the climb up until we reached a cairn and the path was visible. 

From here, it was an entertaining walk up past the Great Prow and exploring some of the chasms that yawned away North of the hill. Dramatic stuff. After a couple of hours, we then began the final rise to the summit trig point and topped out somewhat disappointingly without a view. That all said, we had a great time just focusing on the rock and path, distracting us from work pressures and tasks. 

Munro 275 was in the bag and we began the descent back down the hill, picking the best route down which caused no difficulty. Ayman handled the terrain well (his 2nd Munro!) and i was confident, he'd be ok on the ridge from a technical perspective. But could he handle the open and vast space below him if it was a clear day???? Our plan was the ridge from Sgurr a Mhadaidh to Sgurr Banachdich so it would really be a different challenge. Tune in for that installment!