Cuillin Ridge Munro Bagging

Much has been written about the Cuillin on Skye. They are unique, set apart and a step up from everything else in UK mountains. Their rocky nature is daunting and inspiring in equal measures and rising out of the sea with only islands and the open ocean to see out west adds another wonderful dimension to the experience of climbing the peaks.

There are eleven munros in the main ridge of the Cuillin and you can often reach all of these summits in four single days based in the glen. A complete ridge traverse is one of the finest mountaineering objectives in the world but it is incredibly intense and not for everyone. Climbing all eleven munros in single day trips is more achievable for most people and just as rewarding.

​Here is how the four days can work out.

Day 1. Sgurr nan Eag, Sgurr Dubh Mor and Sgurr Alasdair
Day 2. Sgurr Mhic Choinnich, Inaccessible Pinnacle and Sgurr na Banachdich
Day 3. Sgurr a' Mhadaidh and Sgurr a' Ghreadaidh
​Day 4. Sgurr nan Gillean, Am Basteir and Bruach na Frithe

Day 1. Sgurr nan Eag, Sgurr Dubh Mor and Sgurr Alasdair

This is a great way to start out since the scrambling starts in quite a friendly way and builds up little by little over the three peaks. Starting at the campsite in Glenbrittle with a coffee and croissant sets you up for the long walk in to Coir' a' Ghrunnda. The path is good but it still takes two hours to get to the lochan, probably because of the time it takes to admire the slabs in the coire and the lochan itself.

A short climb through boulder scree gets you to the ridge at last and the first view down to Loch Coruisk. The first section of ridge goes south to Sgurr nan Eag and should only involve very simple scrambling (grade 1 at most) if you follow a line that often avoids trickier sections on the right side (the west side). This is the only munro with a big cairn on its top and the view south over the sea is amazing.

Return back along the ridge to where you joined it, go around a lump called Casteal a' Garbh Coire on the right side (east side) and follow fabulous grade 2 scrambling up towards Sgurr Dubh an da Bheinn. The rock here is designed for scrambling! Just before the top, go around on the right side to find a slightly descending ledge towards Sgurr Dubh Mor. This is a tricky munro to climb because the best route follows a devious line along ledges and around steeper sections. 

Return back to the main ridge line and head north towards Sgurr Alasdair. The TD Gap is easily avoided by a traverse under the south facing cliffs of Sgurr Alasdair and following a path at the top of the scree. This gets you to the SW Ridge of Sgurr Alasdair which is climbed by its Bad Step, a chimney to the right of the ridgeline, followed by zigzag ledges and the final little bit of ridge to the top. Descend to the top of The Great Stone Shoot and follow this down to Coire Laggan and the campsite.

Day 2. Sgurr Mhic Choinnich, Inaccessible Pinnacle and Sgurr na Banachdich

​There is no need or desie to go up the An Stac screes to reach Sgurr Mhic Choinnich from Coire Laggan. Just after the lochan in Coire Laggan you can go up grass and fairly solid ground to find a slight path on the left side of the screes. This allows a simple climb on far more pleasant ground to reach the crest of the ridge at the foot of the east ridge of An Stac. The crest is then followed to Sgurr Mhic Choinnich up grade 2 scrambling, normally to the right of the crest but more on th eleft side in the last few sections. Sgurr Mhic Choinnich is a brilliantly exposed wee summit from which you can admire the full drama of Coire Laggan.

Return back along the ridge to climb An Stac directly on the crest (intimidating but surprisingly straightforward despite the not quite solid rock) or follow the brown bypass on the left directly to the foot of The Inaccessible Pinnacle. This is, of course, the hardest of the Cuillin munros and in fact the hardest of them all. Its grade Moderate climbing hides the incredibly exposed position; the experience is far greater than the grade would suggest. 40m of rope is required to abseil off the short side.

From Sgurr Dearg it is a simple walk with only occasional touches with hands to reach Sgurr na Banachdich. It's actually quite nice to be able to move at a faster and more flowing pace over easier ground, compared to the more technical and therefore slower scrambling. From the summit you descend west down easy slopes into the small Coire an Eich to join the path leading to the Youth Hostel.

Day 3. Sgurr a' Mhadaidh and Sgurr a' Ghreadaidh

This is a shorter and easier day so if you get a bit of slightly worse weather go for this one, but stream crossings are a real problem after very wet weather. Start at the Youth Hostel and follow the good path for a long way all the way towards An Dorus. Many waterslides and waterfalls decorate this walk into beautiful corries full of gorges and flowers. Follow the path up scree towards An Dorus but leave this about 100m below the top to find a shelf on the left. This leads to easy slopes past bivi spots to the simple route up Sgurr a' Mhadaidh.

Descend the same way but head directly to An Dorus. There is a tricky step down into An Dorus and another bigger step out of An Dorus on the other side. Simple terrain leads over a slight bump before you pass to the left (east) side of Eag Dubh, a black, deep chimney. Meander up the ridge and to the right of The Wart, a massive lump of gabbro stuck close to the summit. There's a short section of ridge to enjoy before reaching the summit of Sgurr a' Ghreadaidh.

Return the same way to An Dorus which requires you to climb down its awkward step, then follow the gully and path all the way back down to the Youth Hostel.

​Day 4. Sgurr nan Gillean, Am Basteir and Bruach na Frithe

There is a big gap between Sgurr a' Mhadaidh and Bruach na Frithe and when you start walking in from Sligachan to climb the northern three munros it feels like a very different place. The long walk is helped by a very good path to the Basteir Gorge. Avoid this by the devious path through slabs high on the right side of the gorge to reach Loch a' Bhasteir. A path through the scree gets you to the col between Sgurr nan Gillean and Am Basteir where you can leave a bag for the first climb. Beware of greedy ravens though, they are particularly adept at raiding rucksacks.

The West Ridge of Sgurr nan Gillean starts with a nice chimney (grade Moderate, the same as Inaccessible Pinnacle) and some very exposed traversing around the pinnacles. Much easier ground leads to some airy scrambling near the top including threading the eye of the needle, and the brilliant summit of Sgurr nan Gillean. This is a wonderful point to take in the full Cuillin ridge in all its complexity.

Descend the West Ridge, often with a 20m abseil at the bottom, and head for Am Basteir. This is much easier than it looks but it has a couple of short down climbs on the way up to the top. The first is easy enough, just on the left of the crest, but the second is the Bad Step that sits right on the crest of the ridge. Very exposed moves on small footholds get down down this much like doing a dreepie down off a brick wall. The summit is just a short way further.

Now, if you are cool with abseils, there is a great way to reach Bruach na Frithe directly by heading west, abseiling down a gully on the south side to reach the gap next to the Basteir Tooth, then going subterranean to find the top of King's Cave Chimney. An exciting 20m abseil down this is followed by easy walking to reach Bruach na Frithe, the last of the Cuillin munros. If abseiling is not your thing, descend the east ridge of Am Basteir and go around under the cliffs on its north face.

To descend back to Sligachan its best to go back to Coire a Bhasteir but going over Sgurr a' Basteir to the north of Am Basteir is recommended for even more fantastic viewpoints!

So, there you go, eleven munros in four days. Breaking them down into these routes creates four fairly even sized days that are all manageable for most people. In dry weather and if you are moving well you can complete all the munros in three days by joining the 2nd and 3rd days together, or by including Sgurr Mhic Choinnich into the first day via Collies Ledge  and going from The Inaccessible Pinnacle to Sgurr a' Mhadaidh on the second day.

But there is great value in exploring the corries in the sides of the main ridge and enjoying the views and scenery on the walks in and out each day. It's a wonderful place - why rush it?