Sgurr an Airgid
KINTAIL: GLEN SHIEL AND DORNIE
| ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
View an OS map of the route
Open this walk in QUO 2
Open this walk in GPX format
Open this walk in Google Earth
1. Park at the National Trust for Scotland Morvich countryside centre, opposite Morvich Caravan Club site. Walk back along the road, turning right at the junction. Cross the bridge over the river which is beautifully wooded. At the next junction, turn right up the next tarmac road (sign states private road, but it is open to the public). After a short distance along this road, this is a kissing-gate on the left. Go through the gate. Head straight up the field from here. There is no path at first, so make towards the large solitary tree. You should be able to see the start of a path sloping up the hillside to the left - it begins from the stream near the gorse bushes just to the left and before you reach the tree. Cross the stream and start up the path.
2. The path, which is well engineered and is an old stalkers route, climbs slowly across the steep slopes, giving wonderful views across the A87 causeway to the head of Loch Duich and the mountains beyond. Shortly after it levels off a little, it bends right and heads more directly up the slope - don't be distracted by vehicle tracks you can see further ahead. The path heads between the remains of old shielings.
3. At the top of this short section directly uphill, the path joins a new bulldozed track; turn right to continue uphill along this track. The track soon becomes a pleasant path once more, and goes through a gate in the deer fence. Above the fence, the path continues zigzagging uphill , coming close to the ravine carved out by the Allt na Ruaraich. When the slope eases once more, Sgurr an Airgid's upper slopes can be seen to the left; resist the tempation to leave the path and instead continue uphill until it reaches the broad, soggy ridge at a cairn.
4. From here head more directly towards Sgurr an Airgid; the path is a little fainter at first, and descends very slightly. There are two ill-defined ridges leading towards the summit, and the path, now clear once more, climbs up the depression between them before finally joining the right hand ridge. Continue past several false summits. The path eventually fades to nothing; at this point the true summit is just up the short, steeper slope to the left.
5. The summit of Sgurr an Airgid, 841 metres, is a Corbett - which is a Scottish mountain summit between 2500 and 3000 feet; it is marked by a cylindrical Ordnance survey trig point. There are great views over the end of Loch Duich and the Skye bridge with the Cuillin beyond. A better view of the head of the loch can be had by walking about a hundred metres south. To return to the start, it is best to retrace your route of ascent.
Have you done this walk?
If so, why not comment on it in our Forum. If you start a new topic in the walking discussion with the name of this walk as the topic, we will link the discussion to the walk so that others can read your comments here.
Have you found an error or is any information wrong or missing?
Please let us know by using the contact form.
Route profile
View Accommodation for this area:
Kintail hotels
Kintail B&B
Kintail and Dornie self catering cottages
Kintail hostels
Kintail campsites
