the personal cuillin

Mon, 26 Mar 2012 00:00:00 +0000

With the apparent arrival of spring and a superb forecast of sun and light winds I jumped in the car and headed for the Cuillin on pre-season empty roads on Saturday. I hadn’t been up Sgurr na Banachdich in ages so I pulled up at the BMC hut, pulled on the shoes and headed straight up the hill. I knew there was a path somewhere that leads up into Coire na Banachdich and scuttles round the base of the Sgurr Dearg wall before secretly threading a way up the side of the cliffs that form the coire headwall but I wanted a new route and so, with the words of Nan Shepherd whispering from that wonderful book The Living Mountain, I ignored the path and just headed straight up towards the apex of the cone of grass that abuts the foot of Sgurr nan Gobhar.

“The mountain gives itself most completely when I have no destination, when I reach nowhere in particular, but have gone out merely to be with the mountain as one visits a friend with no intention but to be with him.”

a bookish bimble on the cuillin ridge

Mon, 02 Jun 2008 00:00:00 +0000

Last weekend Corncircles was up and while his friends were guided up the Inn Pinn and various other spiky peaks by Skye Guides, I joined up with him to “guide” him along the ridge between Sgurr na Banachdich and Sgurr a’Ghreadaidh, as he was researching this route for his upcoming book on classic walks in the highlands. Instead of the usual winding path up Coire na Banachdich, we headed up from the youth hostel in Glen Brittle, making for Coir ‘an Eich and the ridge of An Diallaid, a superb viewpoint set among the rocky spires of the central Cuillin.

Sgurr Na Banachdich on eBothy Blog

the personal cuillin

a bookish bimble on the cuillin ridge