[Trip Index] [Munro Index] [Home] 21st May 2004   Sgurr na Banachdich Sgurr a Ghreadaidh Sgurr a Mhadaidh Map Two days after my disastrous attempt on this trio the weather forecast was more promising and in fact it turned out to be the start of a fine period which was to last for a week. Partly to keep Trisha happy but also partly because my own confidence had been shaken, I contacted a guide for the trip. I couldn't find any group doing these hills so it ended up just me and the guide, Rob Lawson. A bit pricey at £100 but it seemed worth it at the time. I met him at the Sligachan Inn at 8.30 and we drove down to the Glen Brittle Youth Hostel. On the way I could see the Cuillin ridge before me - this was the first time I'd ever actually seen the tops clear of cloud. It augured well and cheered me up a bit. We set off from the hostel at 9.00 with the weather looking ok, just some light cloud above the tops. This time we were going south to north rather than the north-south route I had tried on the earlier trip - Rob thought it was better this way. Fair enough. Looking down at Glen Brittle Youth Hostel from the slopes of Sgurr na Banachdich. We walked up the grassy path by the Allt a Choire Ghreadaidh, then along the Allt Coiran Eich towards Sgurr na Banachdich, the last stretch being over the usual steep scree slope with a steep clamber onto the the ridge and thence to the South Top where we had a break. Although the weather was mild and had started well rather bizarrely we had snow falling just before gaining the ridge. Not just small flakes either, and yet five minutes later it was all gone and the day was fine again. Because of my still shaky confidence I was quite glad of Rob's presence when it started snowing, immediately imagining white-outs and worse - but all was ok. Rather cravenly I accepted the offer of a rope on the scramble up to the ridge, but after that I pulled myself together and declined subsequent offers, despite the very exposed nature of some parts of the climb. Was it stupid to accept the risks rather than appear like an old woman? Maybe, but going up into the mountains will never be totally safe and yet we still do it - because we want to. Or in Mallory's famous phrase: 'because it's there'. After the short break on the South Top we scrambled over a narrow ridge to reach the summit of Sgurr na Banachdich at 11.20. We paused there for a photo or two as visibility was better now and all the Cuillin Ridge was on view - an impressive sight, that jumble of jagged spires and intimidating rock faces. Rob, me and Bruno While we were taking in the view a bloke appeared accompanied by 2 dogs. One, a sheepdog type called Cally, had been trained as a sniffer dog, while the other was a small dog with a limp and one eye called Bruno (no, I don't know what his other eye was called..). It must have been a struggle for old Bruno getting up there, I thought, but well done to him. A couple of groups passed us there, some doing a traverse of the whole ridge. Looking over to the Inaccessible Pinnacle we could see a constant trickle of folk making their way up to the top - they'd have seen a lot more than when I did it, but whether that's a good thing depends on your head for heights. You need a good head for heights on most bits of the Cuillin though, I think. Atop Sgurr na Banachdich with the southern Cuillin peaks behind From the summit of Sgurr na Banachdich we scrambled down a bit then up Sgurr Thormaid, over the three teeth, up to the South Top of Sgurr a Ghreadaidh and from there to the summit (2.10). Rob had followed the very crest of the ridge which was extremely narrow and exposed, with steep drops in places. I'd declined the rope for this bit and was feeling the odd nervous twinge when rather to my surprise I spotted what looked like a path about 15 feet below us on safer ground. 'Isn't that a path down there, Rob?' I asked, hopefully. 'Oh... er, yeah. But this is the interesting way!' 'Oh, righto,' I replied, with my usual hearty, devil-may-care panache… whilst deep inside me a little voice was yelling: 'Interesting!! Why you mad bastard….!' When we got to the top of Sgurr a Ghreadaidh I recognised the summit as the same one I'd reached on Tuesday. Instead of Sgurr a Mhadaidh I had actually reached the top of SaG having ascended via Coire a Ghreadaidh. The top of Sgurr a Ghreadaidh ...and the same 3 days earlier From the top of Sgurr a Ghreadaidh we now descended fairly easily past the Wart, a great dark buttress of rock jutting out from the north side of Sgurr a Ghreadaidh, and climbed carefully down the awkward final 15 feet into the An Dorus gap. From there it was an easy scramble up to the top of Sgurr a Mhadaidh (3.20). Once again great views of the entire ridge, the skies clear and bright now. Loch Coruisk Sgurr a Ghreadaidh Rob said once I got home I'd be back in 3 weeks to do it all again. At the time I thought privately that once I'd finished the Cuillin I'd be quite happy never to set foot on them again - but time softens the terror, eh, so who knows... maybe one day? When they've installed the escalators.. The descent was straightforward, back to An Dorus and then down the same route I'd passed through with the rescue squad, over scree and boulder field to the path along by the river and back to the Youth Hostel (5.15) Had a couple of pints with Rob in the Sligachan. He was a good bloke - English, did a bit of joinery when the season finished. Certainly enjoyed what he was doing.