Every Picture Tells a Story: Skye, The end of the affair

An early start up Bruach na Frith 958m from nr Sligachan

I was never a big fan of Youth Hostels and since I have discovered Mountaineering club huts I avoid them like the plague.

Tonight Glen Brittle is rammed full and horrendous, families with screaming kidz, shouting and bickering in languages other than my own. Luckily there is one scottish lady who is doing a project for the SYHA, we are somewhat thrown together by circumstance, then joined by the SYHA Warden another scot called Pat.

We feel like refugees in our own land.

My next objectives is a brace of hills at the southern end of the Cullin, Sgurr Dubh Mor 944m & Sgurr nan Lap 924m

Modest in height maybe, as with all sea level starts there is a lot of uphill thankfully scrambly bits along the way add interest. I eventually reach the magnificent inner coire of Coire a’Ghrunnda, a complex melange of boilerplate slabs, waterfalls, high crags perched above a glistening lochan.

Dubh Mor is the most tecky Munro I have done for a while, I have to slip into guide mode to assist a struggling father/daughter team who are cragfast on the steep ground. This costs me over an hour in time but I gain a lot of satisfaction knowing I have been able to help someone on his penultimate munro.

Sgurr nan Lap is straight forward so I add interest by taking the main ridge direct then find amazing descent descent down the main boilerplate slabs the size of several football pitches.

Another long day in the Cullin finished off by beers with the hostel warden, Pat the only other english speaker in the hostel tonight.

Despite being tired and jaded after two long hot days, I still have a couple of hills to complete the list of Skye munros.

Both my objectives are in different parts of the island and required a split day tactic..........

The sportsplan involved getting up at 04.30 hrs, then then an early start up Bruach na Frith 958m from nr Sligachan, have a siesta type break through the heat of the day then walk up the final hill Blaven 928m, in the cool of the evening. This also fitted in neatly with the idea of timing a walk so you get arrive at an interesting place for the sunset and the summit of Blaven allegedly has the best view on the Isle of Skye.

Well the plan almost worked I didn’t quite get the timing right for the sunset BUT I did complete my targets and got some nice snaps before descending Blaven in darkness before leaving Skye feeling tired, a little sad but very contented.