An Cliseam

Saturday 2nd July 2011 

After a day spent travelling to the ferry port of Uig on the Isle of Skye and then across the Little Minch to Tarbert I was now on the Isle of Harris. A fantastic, but tiring walk brought me over the headland to the tiny hostel in the delightful, little coastal village of Reinigeadal. For this walk up Clisham, the highest hill in the Western Isles, I had to walk four and a half miles to the main road before I could even start the walk. After eventually reaching the road I took a track opposite across the boggy hillside before veering off into the bogs at the highest point. Having thoroughly soaked my feet and legs I then climbed up onto the eastern flanks of Tomnabhal and boulder-hopped across the rocky terrain, skirting to the south of the top as I had a bigger target in mind. From the col I started to climb the steep rock-strewn terrain of the eastern slopes of Clisham. This was tiring work especially near the top where the slope becomes really steep until eventually I reached the summit of Clisham where I had my lunch in a shelter that completely surrounds the trig point. I had excellent views from the top of Clisham to the surrounding, awesome North Harris Hills, down to the sea at Loch a’ Siar and east to Loch Seaforth. After eating I descended the western slopes and climbed the ridge to Mulla bho Dheas along an exposed path that skirts the northern edge of the eastern ridge. With hindsight I wish I’d tried to scramble up the ridge. Ralph Storer, in his book “100 Best Routes on Scottish Mountains” which I use for much of my Scotland walking, says the climb is an easy scramble so I could well have missed a treat there. Before too long I reached the summit of Mulla bho Dheas and from there I followed a wonderful and enjoyably craggy ridge over Mulla bho Thuath to Mullach an Langa. There I dropped steeply down a boulder-strewn hillside to Loch Mhisteam and the boggy valley floor of Gleann Sgaladail. I followed the burn, Abhainn Sgaladail, trying to make my way to the road but eventually I gave up, crossed the river and tried to climb over the headland, struggling through the wet ground to reach my outward path. After more wet feet I joined the boggy path. 

Eventually I returned to the main road and the long walk back to Reinigeadal followed. The prolonged walk at least gave my feet a chance to dry off after the boggy crossing. I really wanted to like this walk. There were many features of note about it: the fantastic weather, the stunning scenery, great rocky hills and more than anything else, that fabulous ridge walk. But there were too many problems for this walk to be considered great. First off there was that long walk at the start and end to the main road that turned a six and a half hour walk into a nine and a half hour walk. And it was very boggy low down so most of this walk was not very good, but once I was on the hills it was fantastic. The hills of Harris are fantastic and incredibly craggy, if only it hadn’t rained there all spring until the day I went for a walk.

Bruach na Frithe

Thursday 30th June 2011 

After my disappointment of the previous day I didn’t want to do a similar walk, like going up the Old Man of Storr, and it occurred to me that I would not be doing a Munro on this holiday since I’d not gone to Glen Brittle, as originally planned. So for my last day on Skye I decided that I would go up Bruach na Frithe, the easiest Munro in the Cuillin, and I got a walk that was just what I needed to lift my spirits. Starting from the Sligachan Hotel again, I walked up the path that had given me so much trouble the previous Sunday and this time I easily managing to get all the way up to the top of the pass. It was astonishing to see the change in the path since the previous time I had been there (like, where’s all the water gone?!), although it did rain whilst I was on that path, just to remind me of what it had felt like! Fortunately that was the only rain I encountered all day and I was easily able to cross the fords that would have barred my passage on Sunday and when I reached the top of the pass I branched left into Fionn Choire. 

Slowly I walked up into the heart of the fair corrie (for the Cuillin) following a faint path through this most grassy of Cuillin corries into fantastic rock scenery. Delving into clouds I climbed onto the awesome Cuillin ridge where I had to be careful with slippery wet rocks and sheer drops (even on the easiest route on the Cuillin it can be treacherous). Gradually I walked along the ridge the short distance up to the summit of Bruach na Frithe, the most welcoming of Cuillin Munros. Unlike almost all other Cuillin Munros this one can be walked all the way to the summit with no scrambling required and is therefore the most popular Cuillin Munro. Fortunately I had the summit to myself due to my early start so I relaxed beside the trig point and had an early lunch. Walking back down from the summit I was astonished to see the clouds open to my right and reveal tremendous views into Harta Corrie and the top of the River Sligachan. I stopped in my tracks and sat on the stony ground while gazing out across the clearing vista all the way to Loch Scavaig and the sea. I could even see the hills that I’d crossed the previous Tuesday, though Loch Coruisk itself was hidden behind the ridge of Druim nan ramh. Most of the Cuillin Ridge was still covered in cloud, as was Fionn Choire, but everything south and below where I was sitting was clear. I was loving every moment of the raw, rugged beauty and took loads of pictures of the landscape. Eventually I tore myself away and moved down to Bealach nan Lice and the top of the corrie path, but instead of going down the path I started exploring the rock pinnacles in this area, including Sgurr a’ Fionn Choire (which I went to the top of in 2007), the jagged (and unclimbable) Bhasteir Tooth, and the Munro of Am Basteir (the executioner). The last two are far beyond my abilities and even walking to the foot of them gave me a tremble of fear and excitement. By walking along the narrow ridge towards Sgurr a’ Bhasteir I was able to get better views of these fearsome looking mountains. It was not difficult to see how Am Basteir got its name. 

Eventually I tore myself away from the awe-inspiring surroundings and started to descend back into the corrie on the route that I had taken for ascent. I had a thoroughly enjoyable and relaxing walk back down to Sligachan, taking my time and simply enjoying every moment of the tremendous mountains that I’d just been up. The weather hadn’t been great for this walk but the awesome splendour of the mountains I’d been walking amongst made up for what the weather lacked. After the disappointments of my week on the Isle of Skye this was a great way to finish, with a reminder of the glorious mountains that can be found on the misty isle. Coming down I was literally thanking myself for choosing to go up Bruach na Frithe; the walker’s Cuillin is a fabulous mountain. I wish I could go up there in better weather when I would get a view of the whole Cuillin ridge, but even in not so good weather it’s still a great walk.

The Quiraing

Wednesday 29th June 2011 

Right up until I was on bus to the Quiraing I was going to visit the Old Man of Storr, a dramatic column of rock just north of Portree, to do a walk that I should have done in 2007. Instead I decided to stay on the bus and visit the Quiraing, equally stunning rock formations further north along the Trotternish range. I eventually got off the bus just before the village of Flodigarry and immediately started to climb towards the vast ancient landslides that make up the Quiraing. Gradually, I climbed past Loch Langaig and Loch Hasco until I reached the first major landslip, that of Leac nan Fionn. Slipping around the back I climbed up the steep embankment to the precipitous top and, after gazing at the views across the bizarre landscape of tall, narrow ridges under a dark, overcast sky, I headed across to the neighbouring ridges, exploring each of them. 

On reaching the foot of the main escarpment I re-joined the footpath, walking below the steep cliff face, past further shattered landslips and round a corner to the Prison, a ridge of pyramidal rock. However my eyes were directed towards the Needle on the other side of the path where a sharp pinnacle is set amongst further landslips below the escarpment. Resolutely I tried to climb the ridiculously steep, slippery, loose gravelly slope up to the foot of the Needle where I slipped around the back for a stunning sight looking past the Needle towards the countryside beyond. Behind the Needle is the Table, which is a flat, grassy area, but as I tried to get up to the Table it started to rain which made the already slippery terrain treacherous. Eventually I gave up and slowly made my way back down to the footpath. 

With the rain pouring down I continued past the Prison and along the wonderfully contoured footpath that clings to a narrow ledge below the towering escarpment. Eventually the rain stopped and I reached the vast grassland that lies behind the Quiraing. On reaching a road I turned around and climbed up to the top of Meall na Suiramach, the hill that the Quiraing has fallen away from. After gazing in awe at the land that had slipped away from the edge of the hill I crossed over to the summit trig point. At this point I looked at the time and realised that I had only forty-five minutes to get down to the road in order to catch a bus. So in a mad rush I dashed down the grassland to the northern edge of the Quiraing where I was able to drop down onto the footpath that runs below the escarpment. Further hurried walking brought me to the top of the outward path which I ran down all the way back to the road with enough time to spare to eat the sandwiches of my lunch before the bus arrived. 

This was a rather lightweight walk, but I think the main problem with the walk was the necessity to get back down to the road for the bus at 2.15, which is ridiculously early, but necessary due to the lack of a bus from Portree after 5.15. Despite this I really enjoyed exploring the various tops, which I was doing partly because I knew I wasn’t doing a particularly challenging walk. I was trying to make up for the lack of a proper walk by going up every top I saw, at least at first, but eventually rain and the time got the better of me. During the bus journey back I passed lots of high mountains and I wished I’d gone up one of them instead of the lower hills north of Portree. As fascinating as the Quiraing, or the Old Man of Storr, are they don’t really compete with mountains like the Cuillin, which is where my heart lies. After the rain of earlier in the day the afternoon proved to be gloriously sunny and made my yearning even greater to be walking atop the mountains that I could see while sitting on a bus going past them.

Loch Coruisk

Tuesday 28th June 2011 

Returning to the scene of my Sunday washout, Sligachan, I walked to a loch where those who know say is the greatest view in Britain. Sadly Loch Coruisk is not as well loved as the view of Wasdale Head in the Lake District because it is really difficult to get to Loch Coruisk as I found out on this walk. You can either take a boat from Elgol or do a long walk in from Sligachan as I did. I set off south from the hotel through Glen Sligachan on an excellent path past Marsco and the stunningly dramatic Sgurr nan Gillean. Wainwright (in his only book on Scotland) describes a walk down Glen Sligachan as being a worthwhile expedition, with average walkers going no further than Lochan Dubha. At this point I was surrounded by mountains of the most awesome proportions with the jagged spikes of Sgurr nan Gillean dominating my view throughout the walk while the steep slopes of Marsco and Ruadh Stac hemmed me in. 

Just after Lochan Dudha I veered right and climbed the low ridge of Druim Hain to near the low hill of Sgurr Hain. Wainwright said that strong walkers would reach a well-built obelisk that ‘commanded a sensational view of Loch Coruisk in a surround of wild mountains’. My Harvey Map describes this obelisk as Capt Maryon’s Monument but I had another target in mind: Loch Coruisk itself. Wainwright recommended continuing beyond the obelisk to the minor peak of Sgurr na Stri saying super walkers would gain a wonderful view of most of the Cuillin skyline. I remember standing at the top of the ridge trying to decide whether to drop down to the lake, or continue south to Sgurr na Stri where the view would have been improved by the higher vantage point. The lure of the lake itself proved too much and I descended the rock covered landscape all the way down to Loch Coruisk, where I beheld possibly the best view in the country, in the heart of the Cuillin Mountains. Boat trips take tourists to Loch Coruisk to take in the view but I was careful to pick a part of the shore some distance from the tourists where I could gaze on the stunning scenery in silence. Unfortunately, despite having possibly the best weather that I would have during my holiday on the Isle of Skye, the tops of the Cuillin were obstinately covered in cloud which gave the scene a grey, dull overtone. Nevertheless the views that I saw were inspiring and only improved the longer I stayed by the loch with the clouds constantly lifting. As I left the loch-side, the clouds lifted briefly from every top on the Cuillin including the slender Inaccessible Pinnacle that balances precariously atop the Cuillin ridge. After lunch I climbed back over the hill and down into Glen Sligachan. 

I crossed the valley and rejoined my outward path but rather than returning to Sligachan I continued south past Loch an Athain and through Strath na Crèitheach below the towering dark cliffs of Bla Bheinn towards the sea at Camasunary. Beside Loch Crèitheach I left the path and with dark clouds ruining the earlier sunshine I climbed steeply to the low col between Bla Bheinn and An t-Sròn. After descending a short, shallow gully I crossed the southern tip of Bla Bheinn and climbed over Am Màm to join the landrover track that comes up from Camasunary. I followed this all the way to the Elgol road where I had a half hour wait in warm sunshine for a bus that would take me back to Broadford. This was a fantastic walk in incredible surroundings. Once again the radical change in my plans caused by the rain on Sunday had worked in my favour. Originally I would have walked over the pass from Glen Brittle to Sligachan before commencing the walk described. If that had been the case I’m sure I would not have had the time to walk over the ridge and down to the shore of Loch Coruisk. I would have missed a highlight of my week on the Isle of Skye.