This was a local hill that seemed straightforward and not too much of a challenge for tired legs (I had completed the 26 mile Allendale Challenge in Northumbria 2 days before).
The weather was dry but pretty windy when my friend and I met up at Broadford in the morning. We drove up the Kylerhea road to the 'forestry' track and turned off over the wooden bridge. There isn't really much space to park at the start of the track so we drove a short distance along it until we found a pull-in that we could park in. Don't be misled by the OS maps showing forestation when you are looking for the forestry track: there are a few tiny trees dotted about but not a forest by any stretch of the imagination!
- Loch Alsh and Loch long, Kylerhea and Glenelg, Beinn Sgritheall, the Sound of Sleat and the entrance to loch Hourn
We walked up the track until it petered out (took us about 40 minutes), and from there we struck off across the heather to head up the hill. The summit is clearly visible and easy to aim for. We ascended and skirted around in a northward direction, avoiding the craggy section that faces you from the end of the 'forestry' track. We then struck up the least stony section to our right to reach a section of broad ridge (ridge might be egging the pudding a little), and then made for the cairn on the summit. There are two cairns up there, with a lochan that looks like an infinity pool, in between them.
- Broadford Bay and Scalpay
The views were outstanding: the Cuillin range, the Sound of Sleat to Eigg, Loch Alsh and Loch Long, Glenelg and the Kylerhea ferry, the entrance to Loch Hourn, Broadford Bay, Scalpay, Pabay and Raasay. Beinn na Caillich and Sgurr na Coinnich were the only things that prevented us from seeing over the Lochalsh area.
Because it was so windy we sat down by the lochan, which is in a sheltered dip in the summit, to have our lunch, enjoying the view over Broadford Bay and beyond.
- Nature's own infinity pool
We headed back down the hill after a thorough exploration of the summit(s) and lots of photo-taking. We took a slightly different route down but the top end of track we were aiming for was in plain sight all the way down.
- Cuillin Range, broadford Bay with Scalpay and Pabay. Beinne na Greine, Sgurr na Coinnich and beinn na caillich. Loch Alsh, Loch Long and Kylerhea.
We saw one male and two female Black Grouse while we were out.
