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Sgurr nan Eag, southern Cuillin

Sgurr nan Eag, southern Cuillin


Postby martyn » Tue Nov 24, 2009 9:11 pm

Route description: Southern Cuillin and Coire Ghrunnda

Munros included on this walk: Sgùrr nan Eag

Date walked: 12/10/2009

Time taken: 7 hours

Distance: 12 km

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I'm a late 50s, not-so-fit latecomer, doing his first walk report and pretty duff at technology so please bear with me.
That Sgurr nan Eag - it's rather good, isn't it?
Climbed it on 12 October with my locally-acquired accomplice, Pete, who I had first bumped into on the summit of Bruach na Frithe in May this year - we are both, cautiously, ticking off the Cuillins.
The day was calm and a little overcast but the cloudbase was well above the tops. The route we took was pretty well as per the walk description - except, out of respect to my aching knees, we gave the Sgurr Dubh an Da Bheinn/Sgurr Dubh Mor detour a miss. Maybe next time, with the reassurance of a rope.
That said, the views en route to and from the summit of Sgurr nan Eag were reward enough.
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"Let's pause and admire that view"
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"It's up that way, I believe"
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View over Soay to Rum, Eigg and beyond
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The view along the ridge south towards Gars-Bheinn
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Probably of more interest to geologists than botanists....
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....and now for a nice walk home.

Next time, I think I'll choose a summer's day and make time to walk the ridge to Gars-Bheinn or wild-camp first at the lochan....if I could find somewhere for the tent-pegs.
It's days like this in places like this that make life extra good.
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Re: Sgurr nan Eag, southern Cuillin

Postby allansmitchell » Wed Nov 25, 2009 10:50 am

Great pictures, think I see why you would want a rope, think I would join you on that as well, nice report
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Re: Sgurr nan Eag, southern Cuillin

Postby foggieclimber » Wed Nov 25, 2009 3:23 pm

Sgurr nan Eag is a great mountain. I have been up it a few times.
Coire a'Ghrunnda is one of my favourite coires too :D

Few pics from last ascent of Sgurr nan Eag: Clickity
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Re: Sgurr nan Eag, southern Cuillin

Postby Paul Webster » Wed Nov 25, 2009 3:27 pm

Great photos. The boulders of Coire Ghrunnda are so rough they made my fingertips bleed :shock:
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Re: Sgurr nan Eag, southern Cuillin

Postby martyn » Thu Nov 26, 2009 7:55 am

Glad people like the photos - and thanks, Paul, for the reminder about the bloodied fingertips......reassuringly grippy stuff, gabbro.
So far I've climbed Bruach na Frithe and Sgurr nan Banachdich as well as Sgurr nan Eag. Thinking about Sgurr Alasdair via the Stone Chute and Sgurr Dearg (minus the In Pin!) next......other suggestions?
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Re: Sgurr nan Eag, southern Cuillin

Postby Caberfeidh » Thu Nov 26, 2009 11:53 am

martyn wrote:Thinking about Sgurr Alasdair via the Stone Chute and Sgurr Dearg (minus the In Pin!) next......other suggestions?


One suggestion would be to carry a parachute. I climbed Sgurr Alasdair via the Great Stone Chute and the narrow gully above the chute, which was filled with snow (on a sunny week at the start of May). The snow was well stamped down to form steps so I started up, only for the gully to become steeper and narrower until it was like climbing a ladder. Due to the crumbly, crystalline nature of my footholds I didn't fancy trying to turn back, figuring I would slip and slide to a horrible end, cheese-gratered on the rocks all the way down. So I carried on up until I emerged into the sunlight at the top. All Skye lay beneath me like a map, I could see the length of the Western Isles and the West Highlands. I asked some passing rock-climbers where the walkers' way down was, and they indicated that the gully I had just come up was the only way to walk down! I felt myself going pale as I realised I had bitten off more than I could chew. Luckily for me some nice rock climbers from Yorkshire gave me a help to get down, lowering me down the Corrie a'Grunnda side which has a shorter gully leading down to the great boiler-plate slabs which have the waterfall from Lochan na Corrie a'Grunnda washing down them toward the sea. So many thanks to Bob and his mates from Yorkshire. Else I'd still be there, cadging sandwiches from passing climbers and telling my sorry tale to any who would listen.
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