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You may think the first thing I see on crossing the Eilean Ban to Skye is the Cuilinn range , yet it is not ,its the small sentinel of Dun Caan on the Island of Rasaay to the North West that always catches my attention .
Next it is Glamaig and then Marsco , they are all connected and celebrated in Gaelic song and poetry ,have been for generations .
I pulled the car up beside a moonlight Marsco on Thursday night with a mind to undertake Bruach na Frithe and Am Baister on Friday morning given a "good" forecast.
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- An Gealach Marsco - Nighfall on Marsco
A fine sleep in the vehicle and away sharp at 5.30am on the "tourist path" to Coir Fionn and it did indeed look promising
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- An Cuilithionn
Tis a decent slige all the way to the bowl coire and would not be difficult to follow even in misty or cloudy conditions which I could see arriving as I approached !
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- Ceo is Sgoth
Should have gone at 2am, which I have to confess I did consider to catch sunrise as the range as clear all night
Once in the Coire the mist was not to bad , still a confusing place and although I had a bead on the direction there are many trails to choose from ,so I sampled quite a few in all directions to get my bearings . I wandered up a few gullies and out onto Sgurr Am Baister which was clear ! ...then back in and onto Bruach na Frithe ...which wasn't !
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- Bruach na Frithe
A bit disappointing , so I hung about a wee bit in case she cleared as the cloud was thin showing occasional glimpse or more like shadows of rocks ,buttresses and the like......
I wandered down a slighe which I thought was on the Coire Basteir side of the fiacal (tooth) and then caught a glimpse of the rock which was to my left ...ooops ,quick scramble back up and things started to improve.
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- Fiacal Am Basteir
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- A ribhist
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- Sgurr am Basteir
A clear route down under the tooth was visible , I kept well clear of the base as I could hear folk clattering about up in the mist and was wary for falling stones , its a mossach side down the loose rocks and scree ...sleamhnaich gu dearbh .
The clamber up the ridge was steep but fine god holds andin the mist you are aware there is a fair fall either side negotiated the step without difficulty and onto the summit , she wasn't showing much sealltainn !!!
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- Am Basteir
Again we hung around , she cleared intermittently then came in thick again so I clocked the time it was early enough so I reckoned Sgurr nan Gillian was on the cards but what route ?
We gained the Bealach again and had a look at the connecting druim (North) it looked fierce but the fleeting glimpses to the summit made it appear hard but possible , I also looked West to a drop into the West coire under Sgurr Beag which also looked possible gaining the West ridge somewhere mid point .
What to do ?
Ach I dropped into Coire Bhasteir and traversed round losing a lot of height to catch the route up the West ridge a good way round and adding some time onto the journey. I had no knowledge of the North ridge and decided to play safe rather than spend ages picking up and perhaps being turned back on a random route ,getting sensible in my old age ! .
The druim onto Gillian is hard going but care and it presents no issues in fact it is very good scrambling and the weather was clearing .. sgionneil
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- Sgurr Beag
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- Glamaig
I scrambled to the left of the ridge to keep out the wind which was picking up and a steep exposed scramble to the wee drop was great cráic , all good olds and dry rock , be mighty different in the wet I guess ....soon enough the summit was visible ....
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- Sgurr nan Gillian
A quick shift onto the mullach and the weather cleared so an hour on the summit exploring and taking pictures
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- Am Basteir , Sgurr nan Gillian
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- Bla Bheinn
I had a bite to eat then clambered down the druim that connects to Bastier , went a fair way down and it looked fairly moderate most of the way and I was tempted to use this as a route out
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- Clach an Uinneag
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- Seallaidh Coire Ghlas
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- Shios
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- An Uinneag
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- Bealach nan Basteir agus Druim Iar
In the end the sensible head kicked in and I decided to scramble down the route I had taken up except this time over the slabs which were great fun the whole of An Cuilithionn was now in view and a splendid vista all around me with that unusual yellow thing beating down for a change .
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- Sgurr Mhic Connich
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- Sgurr Alasdair agus MhicCoinnich
The drop down was but I was fairly pleased with my day which leaves me only four to do in the range ,Sgurr MhicCoinnich /Alasdair also Sgurr a Mhadaidh / Greadhaidh ,although I reckon there is plenty exploring to do in these fine mountains.
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- Gun Ainm
I mentioned Dun Caan at the beginning here she is on the Eilean Ratharsair with perhaps unrivalled views to An Cuilithionn .......
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- Dun Caan
An Cuilithionn is more than a grouping of hills , it an inspiration to the greatest Poet ever to grace the land of the Scots their finest Bard , bar none , Somhairle MacGill-Eeain or Sorley MacLean .... a'rugadh ann Eilean Ratharsair ann 1911 aig Osgaig.
It is unfortunate that colonisation and marginalisation has watered down our rights , culture , language and side lined his great poem "An Cuilithionn" to the few .
An Eilean uachdrach
a' Chuilithinn ghruamaich,
nan loch suaineach
mo luaidh's mo ghaol
He is way better than Burns who after all was just a Scots speaking fermer
Go find him ,you won't regret it ...........
http://www.sorleymaclean.org/english/chronology.htm