A “Don’t believe the forecast” week; 11-16 July
Last Friday had most forecasts predicting a gruesome week of weather ahead for the whole UK. It’s a good rule of thumb that Skye gets the opposite weather to the rest of the country and, sure enough, the clouds were lifting off the tops by Sunday afternoon.
I started the week with a couple of excellent long days with a D of E group from Tiffin School in Kingston walking through Strath Beag to Torrin and over a shoulder of Blaven down to Camasunary on the first day and then through Glen Sligachan before crossing Bealach a Mhaim into Glen Brittle.
Looking in awe at the view of Camasunary bay after descending from Blaven
Camasunary Bay
On Thursday I went to Ruabh Huinish at the very top of Skye with a Carpe Diem group from Norway. I also discovered a brand new path has been built that makes the approach wonderfully easy under foot.
Carpe Diem set off with the Quiraing in the background.
Lena looks down the huge cliffs below the ruins of Duntulm Castle; how did they build it?
On my way back I joined the triumphant team of Bill and Iain who had just finished a successful Ridge Traverse with Matt as guide. Following on from very fast times in the Glamaig hill race on Saturday and climbing the In Pinn themselves on the Monday I think it’s fair to say the guys had made the most of the first week of their holiday; fine effort!
On Friday and Saturday it was back to the Cuillin with Ben Thurnhill on his first visit. He has good climbing genes however with a grandfather who was the photographer at 28,000ft taking the photo of Hilary and Tensing setting off for the summit of Everest in 1953!! We”stole” Sgurr nan Gillean before the first big front drew in.
Ben on Gillean; he is wearing the old-style helmet as the only one we have that is large enough!
Very heavy overnight rain dictated a relaxed start. We waited until it cleared up about midday and then scrambled on dry rock right around Coire a’ Ghreadaidh.
Impressive waterfalls in Coire a’ Ghreadaidha after the heavy overnight rain.
Ben concentrating over the narrow crest on Ghreadaidh as the mist clears behind him.
I even found time to tackle a new scrambling line I spied many moons ago; it takes the Coruisk side of the hill to Banachdaich from a ramp-line in Bealach Thormaid and finishing up the false gully near the summit that some Ridge parties start to descend by mistake in the mist. To simply describe the line as a 200m Grade 2 scramble doesn’t really tell the whole story. Heaps of untouched rubble & scree perched above the void and not knowing if I was going to have to reverse back down them gave the most realistic insight into how the pioneers first found the Cuillin that I have ever had; peverse but very exciting!
My experimental line onto Banachdaich viewed from Sgurr Thormaid.
