walkhighlands

Defeated by the heated Cuillin

Munros: Sgùrr nan Eag

Date walked: 15/06/2023

Time taken: 10.6 hours

Distance: 17.7km

Ascent: 1200m

After the successful ascent of the In Pinn and Sgùrr Mhic Choinnich two days earlier, I couldn't wait to climb more Cuillin summits because the scrambling seemed like fun on the excellent gabbro with so much grip. The first ones I chose were Sgùrr nan Eag and Sgùrr Dubh Mòr, possibly with an extension to Sgùrr Alasdair. I had memorized all that my In Pinn guide, Neil, had told me about these summits, and had read and downloaded various walk descriptions to my phone to make sure everything would go smoothly.

I hadn't taken into account the heat, which would foil my plans entirely.

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Altitude profile. Note how the right part looks like the devil's horns. Those are evil mountains.

It hadn't rained on Skye in three weeks, and it was extraordinarily warm. Quite unusually for Scotland, there even was no wind. I had never seen the sea so calm around the Scottish coast as in the past days. On the positive side, the views were amazing. Clear blue sky greeted the Mrs and me when we arrived outside the Glenbrittle campsite, where we put our car. We hadn't managed to leave the B&B early, so it was 10:45 am when we started, and already quite hot.
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Setting out just outside the campsite

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Perfect weather. Or is it?

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Lamb hiding behind the mother

Mrs Zatapathique had decided to walk to the loch at Coire Lagan, and later possibly a bit along the coast, while I climbed my two or possibly three Munros of the day and then come to the parking at Glenbrittle Memorial Hut. We separated shortly behind the campsite, and I went East around Sròn na Ciche. The path was good, and all was well so far. Having passed Sròn na Ciche, the ascent up towards Coire a' Ghrunnda was quite easily done.
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Looking back. Everything is peaceful.

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I have rarely seen such a calm sea in Scotland

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Going around Sròn na Ciche

But then. I lost the path, as I often do, among the slabs and rocks, and didn't quite know where exactly to go except up. There was a huge rocky barrier across the end of the coire, behind and above which was Coire a' Ghrunnda. But how to go up there? It seemed quite inaccessible from where I stood. Somehow, I remembered "always stay on the left side of the coire" from one of the walk descriptions. What I will never understand is why I didn't simply read the description again! Possibly the heat had deactivated the part of my brain responsible for clear thinking... Instead, I tried climbing up here and there, only to come to dead ends everywhere.
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This is where I was at a loss where to go

In retrospect, going down to the stream (or rather the trickle that was left of it), and then up along it, would have been the right thing to do. But I was so stuck with my "stay left" thinking (I now believe that this was from a totally different walk years ago) that I tried left again and again. It certainly wasn't "easy" like in the description, and there was much trial and error, as I made my way up the rocky hillside. This cost me much time, much effort, and much water. I had carried 3.5 litres with me, and 1.5 were already gone at this point. I had by now realized that I was clearly wrong, as the only way to go still was up, and no Coire a' Ghrunnda Loch was to be seen.
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I shouldn't be here, should I?!

Basically, what I was doing was to climb Sgùrr na Chiche. When I realized this, I went more to the right – difficult going over big boulders – to finally find myself already high above Coire a' Ghrunnda and the loch, and with my first intended destination Sgùrr nan Eag opposite me behind the coire! My spirits sank quite low, as I did not know if there was a safe route down into the Coire from up here. I certainly did not want to go back the same way I had come. I was far too high up by now to go back down again even below the level of Coire a' Ghrunnda. Besides, going down is always harder than going up, and there had been moves over exposed ground that I do not wish to write about here in case the Mrs will read it (she will!) and will not let me go to the Cuillin again. ;-)
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Why is the loch so far below, and Sgùrr nan Eag on the other side?

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Looking back over the edge where I had come up

After some trial and error, I rather quickly found an acceptable way down into the Coire to the loch. It was now already 2:30 pm. I had lost so much time! I had something to eat at the loch, then quickly went on to tackle Sgùrr nan Eag. From my vantage point above the loch, I had seen quite clearly where to begin the ascent of Sgùrr nan Eag, so this was easy to find. However, even if it was clear where to go, it was not easy to do. There was no continuous walking, not even continuous scrambling, but always probing, going there, back again a step, then in a slightly different direction. Physically and mentally straining, and draining energy – and water. Another litre was gone by now, only 1.5 l left. On the positive side, the grip on the rock was fantastic, almost no risk of slipping - unless one stepped on one of the rare basalt blocks between the good gabbro. The heat was great with the sun burning from above even through my hat, and the rocks radiating from below. When I finally arrived at the ridge, the worst was not over. As I had remembered from Neil, the real summit was all the way along the ridge. And boy was it hard to get there! Again, no easy walking, and no real scrambling, just going or hopping from boulder to boulder. There was no exposure, so no worries in that respect, but I had never been more relieved arriving at a Munro summit than on Sgùrr nan Eag. This must have been the hardest-earned Munro summit that I had ever done, and I was quite done, too.

If there was one thing the hot weather was good for, it was the views. They were simply fantastic, see for yourselves. Although, while writing this, I notice that I took only a few photos that day. Normally, I take dozens with both cameras, but not so with my heat-affected brain. I did not take one single photo with the good Pentax, I clearly wasn't myself that day.
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Loch Coruisk from Sgùrr nan Eag

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Gars-bheinn from Sgùrr nan Eag

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Alasdair, Banachdich, Dubh an da Bheinn, Dubh Mòr, Gillean peeking over the ridge

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Sgùrr Alasdair behind Coire a' Ghrunnda

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Panorama from Sgùrr nan Eag. Click to see large

Now, after some rest, followed a succession of bad decisions which I attribute to the heat which made my brain operate slowly, just like Detritus' brain in the Discworld novels, even though I am sure that there's no impure silicon inside my head. I should have called it a day there and then, as it was already 3:30 pm. But Sgùrr Dubh Mòr beckoned from not too far away, and I wasn't happy with the prospect of one Munro only, and having to find the way to Coire a' Ghrunnda once more on another day.
It took me a long time to go along the ridge back again to where it descends to the rocky outcrop called “The castle” (Caisteal a' Garbh-coire). There, it took me even longer to find a way down, and in the end, I ended up on the route I had come up anyway. Another chance to turn back, which I again did not take.
Behind the castle, it was a bit easier to go up Sgùrr Dubh an Da Bheinn, a Munro top. However, "easier" does not mean "easy", and by the time I was up there, my water supply had been reduced to half a litre.
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Sgùrr Dubh an Da Bheinn from behind Caisteal a' Garbh-coire. Looks harder to go up than it is.

I should have turned back from there. I didn't. I had a photograph of Sgùrr Dubh Mòr, which was really close now, with possible ascents on my phone, and tried to figure out where these routes were in reality. I couldn't find out from the summit of Sgùrr Dubh an Da Bheinn, so I proceeded down towards Sgùrr Dubh Mòr, over ever more difficult terrain.
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Sgùrr Dubh Mòr - so close...

When I finally found out where the ascent routes started, I realized that I had gone down far too much, and that is where something clicked in my head. I'd had it. I was so frustrated by then that I strongly felt it was time to go back, especially with the little remaining water. Back up again Sgùrr Dubh an Da Bheinn, with some furtive looks back if there wasn't an easy way to access Sgùrr Dubh Mòr after all. There wasn't.
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Sgùrr Alasdair and the In Pinn from Sgùrr Dubh an Da Bheinn

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Looking over to Bruach na Frithe, Am Basteir, Sgùrr nan Gillean

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Panorama from Sgùrr Dubh an Da Bheinn. Sgùrr Dubh Mòr is so close, and yet so far away, with yours truly's shadow looking at it longingly. Click to see large.

Back on the Munro top, the next bad decision. From here, I should have gone on to Sgùrr Alasdair (up it or around it - in fact, I should have done this right in the beginning when I found myself on Sròn na Ciche by mistake), and then down the Great Stone Chute into Coire Lagan. I knew the path on the other side, and this would have kept my walking and scrambling among the boulders to a minimum.

Instead, I went down to the loch in Coire a' Ghrunnda via the castle, squeezing through a hole in the rock, and again I could always only make a few steps / moves before having to think again where to set the feet, and sometimes the hands, next. Not my day. I met two ladies possibly from Eastern Europe, having on them very little in terms of clothes and equipment, who came from Sgùrr Nan Eag and who still wanted to go up Sgùrr Dubh Mòr and Allister despite the lateness of the day (6 pm by now). They did not like one-way trips, they said. Oh well, they were young and probably much better in shape than me. They possibly and hopefully made it.
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Short-cut across the partly dried-up loch in Coire a' Ghrunnda

As for me, it took me a long time to go down to the loch. From there, at least I would find the way down the coire better from above, is what I thought. Wrong again. I ended up in several cul-de-sacs before finally coming to the place where the misadventure had begun many hours ago. I was definitely not happy and muttering a lot of angry things under my breath.

A lot of people were still coming up the coire, even though it was already late. For example, one guy had put up his tent where the first steep section coming up levelled out, fighting midges. Another came up with his dog and didn't even know where he would lie down to sleep later. Possibly Sgùrr Nan Eag, or Dubh Mòr, or wherever up there. He was a local (and not the youngest I might add) and made it sound like a stroll. He asked me if it had been my first time up here, and, when I confirmed, said how he wished to be able to see these hills again for the first time, as he liked them so much. Obviously, I enthused along with him, because it really is such a beautiful spot – but honestly, my heart was not in it at that moment. Even though it was a really nice chat, I was glad when he said goodbye in the end, and I could continue muttering and blaming myself for all the bad decisions. ;-)

Finally, I was back at the good path, and could speed up a little. I was worried that the Mrs had already been waiting for hours at the Memorial Hut, and that she was already worried (as she has been known to be very rarely ;-)). As always when you're in a hurry, the path was much longer than I remembered it from earlier. The word "neverending" came to my mind. And "eternity". I was extremely glad when the campsite came in sight, most of all because I could refill one of my water bottles, all of which had long been empty. The midges were terrible during that short moment, and I put the midge net over my head (possibly trapping some of them underneath). I had the tiny hope that Mrs Zatapathique had driven down to the parking outside the campsite (in my last text message, I had written that I would end up there, and not at the Hut as initially planned), but she wasn't there.
On I went along the road, and finally came to the hut at 9:30 pm, where my wife was peacefully reading a book in the car. When she came out, I slammed my walking poles down on the ground and told her that from now on, the holiday would be purely sightseeing, no more hillwalking! This also meant that the accommodation one hour’s drive away from the Cuillin was now no problem at all – Trotternish and Dunvegan, here we come!
As I took off my boots, because Mrs Zatapathique did not at all want to drive the single-track road back (which was in really bad shape), the midges covered my arms in a matter of seconds until they were quite black. A fitting end for a black day out (or a black-out day) despite (or because of) the extensive sunshine.

That was that, and this is the reason why this is my last report for this year, and why the 2023 Munro counter will remain at three, 96 in total. I couldn't even get the total number up to 100, which was the minimum goal. Oh well, from that moment on we enjoyed a beautiful holiday on Skye (except for the second flat tire, see my In Pinn report), including a day on Raasay (with Calum's road and a most beautiful loop walk to Fladday and back). More Munros to follow next year.

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Comments: 1



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zatapathique


User avatar
Location: France
Interests: Listening to music, especially the three big R (Rush, Runrig, R.E.M.), but also anything else. ;-)
Activity: Mountain Walker
Mountain: Beinn Dorain
Place: Skye and Assynt
Gear: my famous blue raincoat
Member: John Muir Trust
Camera: Pentax K5-II

Munros: 96
Tops: 26
Corbetts: 4
Wainwrights: 26
Hewitts: 19
Long Distance routes: West Highland Way   



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Statistics

2023

Trips: 2
Distance: 27.7 km
Ascent: 2350m
Munros: 3

2022

Trips: 9
Distance: 158.8 km
Ascent: 11267m
Munros: 21

2019

Trips: 9
Distance: 209.1 km
Ascent: 12079m
Munros: 22

2018

Trips: 8
Distance: 194.4 km
Ascent: 10775m
Munros: 20
Corbetts: 1

2017

Trips: 8
Distance: 197.7 km
Ascent: 7800m
Munros: 21
Corbetts: 1

2016

Trips: 4
Distance: 85.3 km
Ascent: 6166m
Munros: 9
Corbetts: 2

2014

Trips: 1
Distance: 12.8 km
Ascent: 1000m
Munros: 1

2003

Trips: 1
Distance: 157 km
Ascent: 3200m


Joined: Sep 03, 2014
Last visited: Mar 14, 2024
Total posts: 111 | Search posts