Myself and Louise had previously arranged a trip to Skye to climb the In Pinn with a guide as neither of us had sufficient rock climbing skills to feel confident in leading this route, or indeed free climbing

I’d previously climbed Blaven which just left the remaining Munros on the main ridge. Appetite thoroughly whetted on the In Pinn, we arranged to return to do the ridge with Mike. Although it is feasible to do the ridge in one day (or a few hours apparently if you’re superhuman – gauntlet thrown Monty!) we decided we’d aim to bivvy roughly half way (at An Dorus). This does mean carrying heavier packs so I guess it’s a toss up between going fast and light or taking things more slowly with the extra weight.
On Mike’s advice, we started the ridge with a boat trip into Gars Bheinn from Elgol. Aesthetically this is a great way to approach the ridge.
On day 1, the weather was dry though clouds rolled in and out to occasionally obscure the tops. I should say at this point that, although I have some rock climbing experience and did the ridge on the back of 4 weeks climbing in Nepal, my friend Louise is one of these fortunate folk who remain insanely fit with apparently very little effort


Most of the tricky bits of the ridge were climbed Alpine style moving together on a rope and the few rock climbs were pitched. I personally found the climb out of the TD gap a real b**ger of a route with a heavy sack; steep and polished with apparently non-existent holds - or at least they were doing a good job of hiding from me!


But I loved Naismiths route on Am Bastier. An exposed start but a beautiful, direct line. The glorious sunshine on day 2 helped of course

An the dramatic finish up Sgurr nan Gillean is a truly fitting climax

To anyone thinking about doing the ridge, I’d say go for it, particularly if you’ve enjoyed the Aonach Eagach ridge and the pinnacles on An Teallach. It is achievable so long as you are fit (naturally or with effort!), have a head for heights and, if you don’t have rope skills, are willing to listen to a more experienced friend/guide who does. The benefit of the latter is all the route finding is sorted – reduces the mental strain! You also need to be prepared to bail out should the weather or conditions dictate. There’s lots of useful info on the Skye Guides website, including a downloadable ‘tips for success’ guide.
The Cuillin Ridge is physically and mentally demanding, and your fingers will feel like sandpaper for days from the rough gabbro rock but it’s a truly joyous route and rightly a classic. It’s on my list to do again someday though I may opt to take the ‘tourist route’ to bypass Mr. TD
