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Setting off from the car park in Glen Shiel beside the A87 (NH009135)
Views to South Glen Shiel Ridge and Faochag |
A long Easter weekend, based at
Cannich Campsite, a great forecast - what could be better...?
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| Jim - Setting off from the car park in Glen Shiel - distant view to Sgurr na Ciste Duibhe |
It's the best part of an hour to drive from the campsite to the start of the Fire Sisters of Kintail ridge walk in Glen Shiel - so we were up and about early and setting off from the car park and on the Hill Path by 8:30am...
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| Ascent from Glen Shiel - views back to the car park |
It was already warm - although quite hazy (you could even say misty, towards the east) but it looked like it was going to clear out and we set off with high hopes for a great day on a classic hill walk.
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| Jim - ascent from Glen Shiel - the path curves east above a forestry plantation |
The initial route, up to Bealach an Lapain - steep - was the same as our snowy trek along the
Brothers Ridge, a walk we did a few years ago now - there was a good bit less snow on the tops this time, even though we were a few weeks earlier in the year...
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| The small cairn marking the start of the rough path ascending to Bealach an Lapain |
We followed the rough path alongside the tumbling burn, crossing before long and continuing around and above a forestry plantation to the east. We were watching for the even rougher path up the steep side of Leac Dhubh towards Bealach an Lapain - we've been this way before, can't be that hard to find?
It was actually further than we remembered, although not far - the path blended in well with the winter bleached vegetation and was marked by a small cairn - we turned left and up.
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| Jim - ascent towards Bealach an Lapain |
It obviously wasn't that obvious - another couple of walkers, ahead of us, had missed it and had carried on along the path above the forestry plantation - within a couple of minutes they realised their mistake and followed us up the bluff. They were a couple of sprightly young uns - they were passed us quicky, before we even reached the bealach, giving us a friendly wave as they motored on - grumph!
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| Bealach an Lapain - views west to Beinn Odhar |
It's a hard pull up to Bealach an Lapain - but mercifully short - and that's the worst bit of the days ascent behind us already!
The other walkers turned right (east) - heading off towards the first of the Munro's on the
Brothers Ridge (Saileag), not very far above us - We stopped for a snack - and to drink in the views. The haze was clearing in the west, setting us up for an amazing day.
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| Jim - ascent of Beinn Odhar |
Soon on our way, the first hill of the day was Beinn Odhar, a rocky ridge undulating up to the even rockier and undulating ridge of Sgurr nan Spainteach.
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| Ascent of Beinn Odhar - views west to Beinn Odhar with Sgurr nan Spainteach |
We undulated...
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| Jim - ascent to Beinn Odhar |
A fantastic walk, exceptional views, lots of rock, a bit of snow - love an interesting ridge.
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| Beinn Odhar summit (895m) views to Sgurr nan Spainteach and beyond to the Sisters |
There were many minor tops and it took a bit of head scratching and map scrutinising on the early part of the ridge - which were the Munro's and which were the Tops? - but once on the summit of Beinn Odhar it was evident that our initial summation that that pointy one was actually not the first Munro, but it was the Munro Top of Sgurr nan Spainteach - the ridge was longer than it had looked!
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| Jim - ascent of Sgurr nan Spainteach |
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| Views back (E) over Beinn Odhar ridge and two The Brothers Ridge from ascent of Sgurr nan Spainteach |
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| Jim - ascent of Sgurr nan Spainteach |
The views and the ridge walking were tremendous - it just went on and on until we reached Sgurr nan Spainteach (Munro Top 95, 978m). The peak's unusual name derives from the Battle of Glen Shiel which took place on the southern slopes of the mountain in 1719. 300 Spanish troops fought a brave rearguard action in the battle on the side of the defeated Jacobite rebels and the peak was named by locals in their honour.
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| Sgurr nan Spainteach summit (Munro Top 95, 978m) |
And the ridge went on and on again with the enormous bulk of Sgurr na Ciste Duibhe, the first Munro and the first Sister, ahead...
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| Jim - Sgurr nan Spainteach ridge with views to Sgurr na Ciste Duibhe and Sgurr na Carnach |
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| Crags between Sgurr nan Spainteach and Sgurr na Ciste Duibhe |
There were a couple of other groups of walkers on the hill ahead of us, ascending Sgurr na Ciste Duibhe - we hadn't seen them until now. Either they were very slow (and we're not exactly fell runners!) or they had come up another way, directly toward the Munro.
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| Sgurr na Ciste Duibhe from Sgurr nan Spainteach ridge |
So we had the ridge to ourselves - a bit of scrambling, a bit of snow, blue skies and everywhere brimming with mountains.
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| Looking back at scrambly descent from Sgurr nan Spainteach |
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| Jim - ascent of Sgurr na Ciste Duibhe |
It was an interesting ascent of Sgurr na Ciste Duibhe, a bit more scrambling and a couple of fairly substantial snow patches - Rafie would have loved it.
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| Sgurr nan Spainteach from ascent of Sgurr na Ciste Duibhe |
And we were soon on the summit of the first of the three Munro's and the first of the Five Sisters - Sgurr na Ciste Duibhe (Munro 105, 1027m) - glorious...
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Sgurr na Ciste Duibhe summit (Munro 105, 1027m)
The first Sister with views to the next two - Sgurr na Carnach and Sgurr Fhuaran |
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| Sgurr na Carnach and Sgurr Fhuaran from Sgurr na Ciste Duibhe |
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| The Forcan Ridge and the Saddle from Sgurr na Ciste Duibhe |
We had a spot of lunch in Bealach na Craoibhe - we were definitely ready for something to eat - before moving onward to ascend the second Munro and second of the Sisters - Sgurr na Carnach - it almost looked tame.
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Jim - descent from Sgurr na Ciste Duibhe into Bealach na Craoibhe
Views to Sgurr na Carnach and Sgurr Fhuaran |
It wasn't. It was quite hard work boulder hopping and picking the easiest line through the pathless bits. One of our guidebooks had said that the Five Sisters of Kintail was "surprisingly strenuous"! We were starting to see what it meant.
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| Jim - ascent of Sgurr na Carnach |
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Looking back (SE) from ascent of Sgurr na Carnach
Views to Sgurr nan Spainteach and Sgurr na Ciste Duibhe |
But it was only 150m, or so, of ascent and we were soon bagging another Munro, and the second Sister - Sgurr na Carnach (Munro 134, 1002m) - with Sgurr Fhuaran looking ominous ahead (ominously tall and steep!)
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Jim - Sgurr na Carnach summit (Munro 134, 1002m)
The second Sister with views to Sgurr Fhuaran |
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| Views east over Coire Domhain to The Brothers Ridge and Sgurr nan Spainteach from Sgurr na Carnach |
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| Jim - descent from Sgurr na Carnach into Bealach na Carnach with views to Sgurr Fhuaran |
After another photo-fest we dropped down into Bealach na Carnach and then another 200m of up to the highest point of the day. It was actually less arduous that the ascent of Sgurr na Carnach, an obvious path and much less of the bouldery stuff.
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| Views back (S) to Sgurr na Carnach from ascent of Sgurr Fhuaran |
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| Sgurr nan Spainteach, Sgurr na Ciste Duibhe and Sgurr na Carnach from ascent of Sgurr Fhuaran |
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| Sgurr nan Saighead (fourth Sister) from Sgurr Fhuaran (third Sister) |
There was a surprising amount of old snow on the summit - hard and slippery - but again, what a view... Sgurr Fhuaran (Munro 70, 1067m) - third of the Five Sisters
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| Views west from Sgurr Fhuaran - the South Glen Shiel Ridge and beyond |
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| Jim - Sgurr Fhuaran summit (Munro 70, 1067m) - third of the Five Sisters |
We watched the walkers we had seen earlier, all descending into Glen Shiel along Sgurr Fhuaran's north west ridge - obviously just Munro Baggers! What were they going to claim? - "We've completed three of the Five Sisters of Kintail" - unlikely! Frauds!!
Feeling superior, we continued north along the ridge.
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| Jim - views along Loch Duich across Sgurr Fhuaran's north west ridge |
And those early descender's, they missed some of the best bits of the day - the ridge, cliffs and crags of Sgurr nan Saighead were just incredible.
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| Jim - descent from Sgurr Fhuaran into Bealach Buidhe with views over Gleann Lichd to Sgurr a Choire Ghairbh |
Despite being a little footsore and a little tired (the walk is "surprising strenuous" after all) we stuck to the ridge, taking in every little summit, did a bit of easy (and totally unnecessary) scrambling and marvelled at the East Cliffs and North East Face.
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| Sgurr nan Saighead from descent from Sgurr Fhuaran |
If you go to the Five Sisters - definitely don't miss out on the fourth.
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| Jim - ascent of Sgurr nan Saighead |
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| Jim - ascent of Sgurr nan Saighead |
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| Looking back (SE) to Sgurr Fhuaran from ascent of Sgurr nan Saighead |
Sgurr nan Saighead summit (Munro Top 187, 929m) seemed like a pretty good place for another bite to eat - we had the place, and the view to ourselves.
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Sgurr nan Saighead summit (Munro Top 187, 929m) - fourth Sister
Views to Beinn Bhuidhe and Sgurr na Moraich (fifth Sister) |
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Descent from Sgurr nan Saighead
Views to Beinn Bhuidhe and Sgurr na Moraich (fifth Sister) over Coire na h-Uaighe |
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Looking back (SE) from ascent of Beinn Bhuidhe
Views to Sgurr nan Saighead, Sgurr Fhuaran and Sgurr na Carnach beyond |
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| The North East Face of Sgurr nan Saighead and Sgurr Fhuaran from Beinn Bhuidhe |
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| Jim - scrambly bit on the Sgurr nan Saighead ridge |
There were a couple more undulations (including another Beinn Bhuidhe) before we descended reasonably gently into Bealach Coire na Criche, crossing the path that would be our descent route back into the glen - before that, we still had the final Sister to climb - Sgurr na Moraich.
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| Jim - descent from Beinn Bhuidhe into Bealach Coire na Criche, with views towards Sgurr na Moraich |
The scenery changed drastically between Sgurr nan Saighead and Sgurr na Moraich - from sharp, craggy rocks and scree to more rounded, grassy topography - easier going on tired feet!
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| The North East Face of Sgurr nan Saighead from ascent of Sgurr na Moraich |
We wandered up the wide slopes - the path was much more indistinct here - around outcrops and boggy bits. It was further than we expected (and would have liked, this late in the day) but it was our final Sister and we were determined to enjoy it!
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| Sgurr Fhuaran and Sgurr nan Saighead from ascent of Sgurr na Moraich |
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| Jim - ascent of Sgurr na Moraich |
The summit of Sgurr na Moraich is only at 876m - a mere Simm - (A Simm is a hill in Scotland, England or Wales over 600m high with a drop of at least 30 metres all round) - but what an outlook! Fifth of the Five Sisters of Kintail and with a views right back across the ridge, taking in all the pointy bits we'd been over.
Time for another lunch.
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| Sgurr na Moraich summit (876m) - fifth Sisiter |
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| Looking back (SE) to the other four Sisters of Kintail from Sgurr na Moraich |
We mooched back across the muir towards Bealach Coire na Criche, soon deciding to take a slightly more westerly route than on ascent, curving down into the upper reaches of Coire na Criche rather than going back all the way to the bealach - it was pathless, a bit tussocky and a bit steeper - but before we knew it, we were on the coire path.
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| Jim - Sgurr Fhuaran and Sgurr nan Saighead from descent from Sgurr na Moraich back into Bealach Coire na Criche |
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| Descent into Coire na Criche - views to Sgurr an t-Searraich |
It was warm and muggy in the glen and in the late afternoon sunshine - Jim took his coat off.
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| Waterfalls in Coire na Criche |
It was a lovely walk out through the coire alongside the infant Allt a'Chruinn - which soon grew into a fully grown Allt a'Chruinn, with it's very own gorge and waterfalls.
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| Jim - Coire na Criche with views over Loch Duich |
At the edge of the coire, the views opened up across Loch Duich, with a hazy Isle of Skye in the distance.
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| Loch Duich from decent to Allt a'Chruinn |
The descent route went through a couple of gates in deer fences - we could see where we wanted to go, but the gates were not in the most obviously convenient points in the fences - typical - grumph!
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| Deer fences and gates on descent from Coire na Criche |
But it wasn't far out of our way and we were heading down - gravity was on our side.
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| Looking back to Coire na Criche |
The village was ahead, our lift back to Cyril was waiting. We were tired but satisfied that we had completed all five of the Five Sisters of Kintail. The walk had been "surprisingly strenuous" - but we were still feeling distinctly superior.
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| Final descent towards Allt a'Chruinn village and Loch Duich |
Route: Car park on A87 (NH009135), N ascending steeply along rough path initially along W bank of small burn and then crossing to E bank, path curves E above forestry plantation, very soon take faint path steeply N again (marked with a small cairn) to Bealach an Lapain, W along ridge, Beinn Odhar (895m) Sgurr nan Spainteach (Munro Top 95, 978m), continue W to bealach (925m), Sgurr na Ciste Duibhe (Munro 105, 1027m), continue along ridge W then NE over Bealach na Craoibhe to Sgurr na Carnach (Munro 134, 1002m), N to Bealach na Carnach, N to Sgurr Fhuaran (Munro 70 1067m), W from summit along Sgurr Fhuaran West Ridge for 300m, take fainter path NE back onto main ridge and then NW above Sgurr nan Saighead East Cliffs, Sgurr nan Saighead (Munro Top 187, 929m), continue along crest of ride and descend into Bealach Coire na h-Uaighe, N and then NE on faint path to Sgurr na Moraich (876m, Fifth Sister), return along ascent path to NG968189 (approx), and cross pathless slopes to stalkers path in Coire na Criche (NG 967185 approx), continue W then NW along improving path to Allt a'Chruinn village and walkers car park at the finish.
Statistics: Distance: 15km Ascent: 1600m Time: 9 hours
Map: OS Explorer 414 Glen Shiel & Kintail Forest
Sgurr na Ciste Duibhe
Sgurr Fhuaran
Sgurr na Carnach
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