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SUILVEN, on the top of the world

PostPosted: Tue May 14, 2013 11:03 pm
by blueyed
my recent trip to assynt, just last week.
i still live the experience, i hope you will feel the enthusiasm i am about to share :)

as it usually happens in scotland: the sunniest and nicest day comes straight after the dullest and wettest one.
that day did not disappoint us at all, sometimes i actually thought it was too hot and too sunny! well, the entire day we walked against the sun, walked east in the morning and west in the afternoon. lovely ;)

there is so much i could tell about suilven! definitely this is an amazing and special mountain. although it is not a munro ('only' 731m), the day on suilven i would classify as a long and hard one. maybe because the walk starts from the sea level and you actually have to gain every metre of those 731. mind you, often when walking munros you gain less height, as you start from higher level.
suilven is full of character. his mighty silhouette is seen from everywhere in assynt, staying in lochinver we saw him every day, teasing us.

if you, like us, cant stand the idea of not climbing suilven, here are some tips:1. even if you stay in lochinver it is worth to drive to glencanisp lodge (where the track begins). believe me, on your way back you will be happy to save yourselves every possible meter of the walk. walking from lochinver to the lodge is an over 40 mins stroll.

2. if possible, take the approach shoes with you. from glencanisp lodge up to the cairn marking path off towards foot of suilven (2 hrs walk!) there is a very good and pretty dry track. easily walked in approach shoes, which you can then change for boots (and leave shoes at the cairn, collect them on your way back. unless you decide to take alternative route down). proper mountain boots will be required for the walk from the cairn to the very foot of suilven, you will have to spend about an hour trying not to sink in a neverending bog pit, swampy moorland. and then sharp up the gully.

3. there are alternative paths down, 3. you can either come back the same route you came up, take the gully down south (didnt look that bad) or walk down via eastern summit

last tip: if you're ever in assynt, tackle the suilven, IT IS A MUST DO!


beginning of the walk, just before glencanisp lodge. morning inversion in the suilven/canisp area
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next 2 hours we walked along this track. tiresome!
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mister :)
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quanaig
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path off the main track is marked with a small cairn
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path up the gully.
actually there are two paths going up to the ridge. one of them goes straight up the gully, the other just on the side of the gully. we took the steeper path up. it was reasonably steep, but nothing scary. however, if you dont like too much exposure or steepness, this could be difficult already.
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looking down from the gully
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the gully
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summit ridge
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looking south towards stac pollaidh
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eastern ridge of suilven (and canisp)
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shortest route down! (just looks scary)
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canisp
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nice afternoon light
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enjoy! :)

Re: SUILVEN, on the top of the world

PostPosted: Wed May 15, 2013 11:56 am
by riverlodge
great trip, and nice tips - that first pic is just surreal, absolutely stunning.

Re: SUILVEN, on the top of the world

PostPosted: Wed May 15, 2013 1:24 pm
by LeithySuburbs
awesome pics and good read 8) . Myself and basscadet were in Inverie that day and spent the day on the beach and drinking beers - it was hot :D .

Re: SUILVEN, on the top of the world

PostPosted: Wed May 15, 2013 3:35 pm
by dogplodder
That looks awesome - great pics! :clap:

Re: SUILVEN, on the top of the world

PostPosted: Wed May 15, 2013 4:49 pm
by blueyed
i waited 3 days for the weather to be stable enough to walk 20km of the suilven walk. darn, it was sooooo worth it! :)
will post pics from stac pollaidh tonight ;)

Re: SUILVEN, on the top of the world

PostPosted: Wed May 15, 2013 4:59 pm
by Mantog
Nice write-up. Love Suilven, been up about 4 or 5 times now, each time very different from the others but always leaves me knackered :lol:
This mountain has a 'presence', a physical 'pull' when you get near it. It also manages to still exert some kind of (mental) pull even now when I'm sat 470 miles from it!

Re: SUILVEN, on the top of the world

PostPosted: Wed May 15, 2013 7:26 pm
by blueyed
mantog , i agree!
there is something about suilven, the whole area is a little bit mystical... the wilderness, remoteness, those lonely mountains and yeah, the pull...
but the thing about suilven is that there is such choice of beautiful mountains around, but still for some reason I HAD TO walk suilven.. :wtf:

Re: SUILVEN, on the top of the world

PostPosted: Wed May 15, 2013 8:22 pm
by Stuart Angus
Cracking set of pics, crisp as they come :thumbup: ........really looking forward to seeing your Stac Pollaidh ones now :)

Re: SUILVEN, on the top of the world

PostPosted: Wed May 15, 2013 9:05 pm
by blueyed

Re: SUILVEN, on the top of the world

PostPosted: Wed May 15, 2013 10:01 pm
by Premlal
Nice report, now I regret I haven't done it this time! Well next time I come I will try the Inverkirkaig route. I love your pic of the ridge very nice and sharp, what camera do you use?

Re: SUILVEN, on the top of the world

PostPosted: Thu May 16, 2013 6:51 am
by blueyed
i've got nikon d300

Re: SUILVEN, on the top of the world

PostPosted: Thu May 16, 2013 2:36 pm
by dooterbang
My fav area in Scotland....Stunning.

Thanks for sharing.

Re: SUILVEN, on the top of the world

PostPosted: Thu May 16, 2013 8:05 pm
by Fife Flyer
Some cracking photo's :D
Is there a more picturesque mountain, totally unique, every time I have driven past it, it is one of those mountains you can't stop looking in amazement at. Hopefully one day I will stop :wink:

Re: SUILVEN, on the top of the world

PostPosted: Thu Apr 20, 2017 7:38 pm
by peterr41
I've viewed Suilven from afar, and titled a good photo I took 'Cloud bearing Suilven' from a line of MacColl's song 'The Joy of Living'.
A friend from Yorkshire does extremely minimalist canoeing trips via lochs, streams and strenuous portages into areas hard to reach on foot, and a couple of years ago they found themselves at the foot of Suilven. They thought it would be silly not to walk up it, so top and back in under 2 hours!

Re: SUILVEN, on the top of the world

PostPosted: Fri Apr 21, 2017 9:57 am
by Mal Grey
Always nice to see old reports with such great photos.

peterr41 wrote:A friend from Yorkshire does extremely minimalist canoeing trips via lochs, streams and strenuous portages into areas hard to reach on foot, and a couple of years ago they found themselves at the foot of Suilven. They thought it would be silly not to walk up it, so top and back in under 2 hours!


I wonder if I know him, there are that many nutters who take canoes for walks over the mountains and I know a fair few of them...

We did exactly this 2 years ago, with kids, though our approach sure as heck isn't minimalist! Report here: viewtopic.php?f=9&t=59037