Beinn Sgulaird when you're scared of heights

[emilynordmann]

I am. 5 foot 2 on a good day and have a reasonably bad fear of heights - in case there are any other scared hobbits out there, I thought it would be useful to write walk reports with a specific focus on on things that were difficult/scared me as I don't often see my experience in the walk reports!

Thankfully this will be a fairly short report! If you're like me then the fear hits whenever walkhighlands route description mentions mild scrambling because the reality of the experience can be anything from a calming walk in the park to a panic attack, depending upon the exposure and the exact terrain.

I'm just here to tell you that the scrambling is so mild that even I think it's on the edge of what you'd describe as scrambling. It is what I thought scrambling was before I started doing the munros

Additionally the final ascent to Beinn Sgulaird looks worse than it is. The left flank is quite dramatic and from the bottom it's not clear how narrow the ridge will be (this wasn't helped by the top being in cloud but I suspect would be similar in perfect conditions) - it's not narrow or exposed at all, so go for your phobic life.

[Anne C]

I think that’s a great approach as I’m dodgy with exposure (actually I hate it with a vengeance) and feel quite challenged by extreme steepness these days.
That said, what’s ok to one person can be somehow an issue for another and vice versa..sometimes, it’s a difficult thing to be logical about!

[tdm900]

One of the best hills i have done, i did it on a very clear day and the views are excellent.
Met a local at the top and he gave me a great history lesson on the area
, well done you

[emilynordmann]

I think that’s a great approach as I’m dodgy with exposure (actually I hate it with a vengeance) and feel quite challenged by extreme steepness these days.
That said, what’s ok to one person can be somehow an issue for another and vice versa..sometimes, it’s a difficult thing to be logical about!

Oh Anne absolutely, I hate it when anyone tried to tell what my irrational fear will or will not consider possible! I think what makes this one much more achievable is that there's no exposure, there's no awkward steps, and there's only one or two moves of scrambling before it's all over. We just did the Beinn Dearg round today and that has a lot more scrambling type movement required than Sgulaird but is described as rocky boulders rather than scrambling (which I think was correct).