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Was on Skye for a few days as my step-father has only a handful of Munros to do before he completes the set and I hadn't been since I conquered Bla Bheinn in the mist when I was 14. Luckily this time the weather was a little better....
We started at the Youth Hostel and followed the same route as described on
this very site.
We followed the path all the way up past many impressive waterfalls to the large water slide.
After crossing the stream we headed on up into the Coire and got our first proper sight of An Dorus, where we were headed.
We kept following a fairly obvious path that stayed on the north bank of the stream before the path crossed it again and headed straight for An Dorus. In the full size version of this photo you can see another group approaching the scree below an dorus, to the left of the highest green patch.
The scramble up to Sgurr a' Mhadaidh was fairly simple and we were soon at the top, 2.5hrs after leaving the Youth Hostel. While we were having lunch another (larger and guided) group joined us at the summit making the whole place seem a bit crowded!
This next pic is taken from the summit of Mhadaidh and shows the stream which the path follows all the way back to the youth hostel - by the small patch of trees on the left.
And a couple of other shots from the summit, Bla Bheinn...
and the northern end of the ridge...
We scrambled back down to An Dorus
Before heading up the other side of An Dorus to Ghreadaidh. This was a more difficult scramble to get out of An Dorus, but after the first few metres it was fine. Later on getting back down this short bit to an dorus was probably the hardest part of the day and required some guiding for most of the group "left foot down a bit".
The view of Mhadaidh (complete with people on the summit) from the top of Greadaidh.
(second) Lunch at the top of Greadaidh.
Loch Coruisk from the summit.
Looking along the ridge to the south top of Greadaidh - I read somewhere that this is the narrowest arrete in Britain, but it seemed pretty wide when I got there - these things always look more dramatic from a distance.
From the top we went back down to An Dorus then followed the path back to the youth hostel.
When we got back, what had started out as a (still amazing) patchy blue sky was now almost completely blue.
A fantastic day on the Black Cuillin Ridge.
Larger photos of the day and the rest of my time on Skye can be seen
here. I may write up the trip up Sgurr na Stri later on.