North Glen Shiel Ridge

Sunday 7th June 2009

The day after my walk over the Five Sisters of Kintail I went for a walk along the ridge just to the east of the sisters. This ridge is grassier than that along the Five Sisters, but is still delightfully narrow with outcrops of rock near the tops of the Munros. I started at the top of Glen Shiel near the isolated Cluanie Inn where I immediately headed off up the steep slopes of a hill opposite. This was a long climb up a tedious grassy slope during which the weather went through various shades of rain and snow, but I was compensated for my effort with increasingly good views over Loch Cluanie and down Glen Shiel. Eventually I reached the top of the nameless 854m hill at the start of the ridge that terminates on the Five Sisters and walked along the wonderfully narrow ridge to the top of Sgùrr an Fhurarail. The ridge beyond the top continued to rise steeply up to the Munro, Aonach Meadhoin.
Beyond the Munro, I continued along the ridge down to a bealach and steeply up to a second Munro, Sgùrr a' Bhealaich Dheirg. In order to get to the actual summit of the Munro I needed to scramble along a fantastically narrow rocky ridge to a wonderful looking cairn perched high above the corries with very steep drops on either side. After clambering back to the main bulk of the hill I walked to the end of the summit ridge where it overlooks the western continuation of the ridge and there I stopped to have my lunch while it snowed around me. The views from my vantage point through the snow were sensational with mountains 360° around me and as far as my eye could see. This is a great area for walking in.

Descending once again along a narrow ridge I made my way to the third Munro of the day, Sàileag, which is the least appealing of the three Munros that I was walking over this day as it has a grassy summit. I sat for some time at the summit gazing towards the Five Sisters (all six of them!) on the ridge beyond while listening to the Turkish Grand Prix on the radio. The mixed weather of earlier in the day had cleared to reveal some good sunny weather and excellent views. I was not in a hurry to leave the ridge as I just relaxed in the sunshine until the grand prix had finished when I finally returned to Sgùrr a' Bhealaich Dheirg along the ridge. This time I was really able to appreciate the narrow ridge which was dull on the descent from Sàileag but on the ascent to Sgùrr a' Bhealaich Dheirg side was great, gloriously rocky and even a little scrambly, which I attempted but eventually I chickened out of it. I love a bit of scrambling but I have a healthy fear of heights that puts a stop to me doing any scrambling that isn’t easy, and at least keeps me out of mischief!

On the other side of the Munro I took a grassy ridge south slowly descending off the mountain-side via Meall a' Charra. Near the end of the ridge I veered to the left and dropped down to cross the burn, Allt Coire Tholl Bhruach, and walk across the hillside around the bottom of the hill I’d climbed at the beginning of the walk. Staying above the road I returned to the Cluanie Inn where I waited for a bus. I had anticipated a fifty minute wait for the bus but only after the bus was ten minutes late did I realise that that bus only ran in July and August. Ultimately I had a two hour wait for the bus at Cluanie Inn, so it was at this point that I thought it might be a good idea to take my car to Scotland next year! This was a good walk with some fantastic weather, but if I could make any criticism it is that it was too short for the amount of time I had between buses. The ridge may not be up to Five Sisters standard as it was predominately grass, but it was still brilliant walking. The whole of Glen Shiel is a sensational place to walk and I know I’ll be back again.