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.