First venture on the Cuillins WOW
Posted: Mon Sep 12, 2016 9:48 pmLet me start anyone hoping to se the usuall stunning pics of the Cuillin should skip this report
the forecast the week previous said sunshine all day
As it turned out it was torrential rain all day and winds gusting to 70mph on the tops
what an initiation to the Cuillin and I loved every minute from start to finish
I stayed at Sligachan campsite the previous night and hardly slept what with the rain
pounding on the Motorhome and the winds fair rocking it
So at 8.30 I set off for Glen Brittle ,the Fairy Pools were just about right for white water rafting
Reaching the parking area the wind was even stronger coming off the loch
and the clag was down to about 700ft,so it was just on with my boots and I was off on the path to Coire Ghrunnda
Some of the path was like a river itself
- looking out towards Rhum
On reaching the entrance to Coire a Ghrunnda the wind seemed to be getting funnelled into it
and the clag was racing uphill at a fair speed making the scene seem very daunting
- The waterfalls just below Loch Coir a Ghrunnda
Reaching the loch I stopped to take a bite to eat and get a helmet on boy was I loving this
the weather was adding to the day bad as it was
I was soon making my way up and over the boulders and scree to the ridge passing a nice bivvy site
when nearing the top ,once on the ridge the real windspeed in the gusts was wild to say the least
so I quickly and carefully picked my way along to my first summit on the Cuillins Sgurr Eag
- Sgurr Eag in the wind and clag
A quick pic and I made my way back along the ridge to the bivvy site where I went through this
to continuie along to the next summit
I had thought I would get a bit my shelter from the wind on the other side of the ridge
was I wrong it now seemed stronger gusts than anything
I was soon passing along under Caisteal a Gharbh-Choire I was great in that although it was so wet
the grip on the Gabbro was like Velcro getting to below the summit where the hard scramble starts
the water was coming down the first slab like a waterfall ,soon passing this it was the some more small
scrambles and onto the summit of Sgurr Dubh Mor it just felt so exhilarating to get here in the conditions
- Summit on Sgurr Dubh Mor
I was then a case of back tracking back down to the path and back along to the bealach
I was soaked through by now but overjoyed with the whole day
I wouldn't have traded this expierience for the world as I know I can and WILL return many more times
to enjoy this in sunny days
Heres a couple of more pics I took on the descent the camera now was getting wet and I had that
in a case in a ziplok bag
Back down at Loch a Coir Ghrunnda I stopped to take a bite to eat and take it what I had been through
I couldn't get the smile from my face
Some people will say it was crazy to venture onto the Cuillin in these conditions
but at no point did I feel intimidated or out of my depth ,if at any point I did I would not have hesitated to turn back
Heading out of the coire the clag was now even lower and now it was just a long wet walk out
I again apologise for no spectacular photos
they will come another time- Almost back to the campsite what a day to remember
