The Cuillin Ridge, Isle of Skye, Scotland
Not just your standard hiking route....For the average Munro Bagger this definitely is a different league. The Cuillin Ridge offers the most challenging mountaineering environment available in the British Isles. It is like a maze of twists and turns, climbs and descents that amaze and bewilder. The exposure is incredible, vast yawning expanses of emptiness either side of you.
So why bother? Because the views from the Cuillins are incredible, the scrambling and climbing is exhilarating and the ridge will push your mountaineering skill to their limit, even the rock climbers amongst us will feel satisfied spending time on these dizzy heights. There really is nothing else like it to compare in the UK.
The story includes valuable guidance for other walkers considering this traverse of the ridge. Some other lessons:
- A successful traverse depends on being able to follow in the steps you have trodden on previous day trips
- The exposure is incredible
- Hang onto your rucksack!
- Take care interpreting the details in the guidebook
- Latch onto others if they seem to know the route!
- Psychologically the dramatic beauty of the ridge is implanted forever.
See also Colin's earlier story of Sgurr Dearg, the Inaccessible Pinnacle, which lies on the route >
Key Facts
| Location | Isle of Skye |
| Date walked | 16 July 2006 |
| Walk type | High hills and mountain hikes |
| Difficulty | Severe - requires mountaineering skills and climbing equipment |
| Distance | 7 miles / 11 km |
| Height climbed | 13,500 ft / 4115 m |
| Time taken | 0 hrs 0 mins |
| Map used | Ordnance Survey Landranger 1:50,000 sheet no 32 |
| Walk source info | Andy Hyslop's mini-guide available from Rockfax.com |
| Getting there | A road bridge connects the island to the mainland at Kyle of Lochalsh, which can be reached by train or road from Inverness |
| Places to stay | Youth hostel in Glen Brittle, wide range of accommodation on the Island |
| Other features | 31 hours walk! climbing 68 tops in all! |
| Disabled access | No |
