Anniversary on the Cuillin Traverse.

Fifty years ago this month Nigel traversed the Cuillin Ridge on Skye as a teenager. Over the last to days we enjoyed a brilliant traverse to mark the anniversary of his first time on the ridge.

We walked in from Glen Brittle in warm sunshine and got to Sgurr nan Eag in quick time. A cool breeze kept us from over heating and we had no hold-ups at TD Gap, King's Chimney or Inaccessible Pinnacle so we got to An Dorus in very good time. We even found a snow patch on Sgurr a'Greadaidh to fill up with water just before we set up for the night. 

The weather was not perfect though. We had a windy and wet night which kept us guessing what it would be like today on the second day of the traverse. We woke to mist and wet rick but there were breaks in the cloud which showed some promise of a good day so we packed up and got going, hoping for the best.

It did not take long for the sun to warm weary legs and dry off the rock. The cloud also burned away to make it a hot and sunny day on the west coast with nearly no wind at all. Not far inland we could see thick cloud and rain so we were lucky to get such a good day.

Nigel has a lifetime of experience of climbing mountains and this really showed. His fluidity of movement in the most exposed positions and technical ability on the climbs made it a super smooth traverse and we got to Sgurr nan Gillean not much after 11am.

We still have a brilliant forecast on the west coast of Scotland while the south east of England gets cold and wet weather. I must admit, it's quite a nice break from the normal pattern of weather across the country. Come on up to The Outdoor Capital of the UK for a bit of sunshine and a big adventure!