Glenbrittle Meet. 116-18 September 2022

There was a lot of interest for this meet and the hut booked up very quickly.  Another few people decided to camp at the nearby campsite.  In the event, there were eleven folk in the hut or camping.

On Friday, Fiona and Mike did some climbing near Elgol in glorious sunshine while Margaret went up Glamaig.  And three other members- Wendell, Brian and Stuart climbed Pinnacle Ridge to Sgurr nan Gillean then on to Am Bhasteir and then Bruach na Firthe

Brian writes:

Now, at this point in proceedings, my knowledge of the Cuillin Ridge was practically nil.So, I was oblivious to what lay ahead as we started along the path from the roadside.  We soon gained height and  Pinnacle Ridge and Am Basteir towered above us. Coire a’ Bhasteir opened up, showing off its dramatic cliffs, rockfalls and scree slopes.

Harnesses and helmets were fitted, and climbing gear sorted through.  This was the most serious scrambling I had ever attempted but the rock offered excellent grip, which boosted my confidence.  Soon we were over the first pinnacle, then the second before passing the group from the Ladies Scottish Climbing Club as they made their way up the third pinnacle.  Stuart seemed to be in a hurry to get past the ladies and it was only when we reached the top of the third pinnacle that I realised why – you need to abseil off the third pinnacle to be able to continue on to Sgurr nan Gillean, and Stuart was determined not to get stuck in a queue.

Roped-up, Stuart dropped over the edge, disappearing from view.  Wendell made sure I was safely attached to the rope.  I leaned back slightly then started to descend -  I made it down in one piece.  Wendell was next on the rope and made it look so easy.

After ascending a short exposed ramp below Knight’s Peak, we stopped to consider the route ahead.  The normal route goes up and over Knight’s Peak, but we took a not very well trodden and extremely narrow by-pass path that skirts round Knight’s Peak. There was no room for error as we teetered along the path, trying to ignore the precipitous drop to our right.   Reaching the gap in the ridge between Knight’s Peak and Sgurr nan Gillean, we roped up for the crux wall leading to Sgurr nan Gillean  It was then a shortish scramble up to the summit of Sgurr nan Gillean. 

The weather was beginning to deteriorate.  The drizzle turned to rain as we made our way down  Sgurr nan Gillean’s West Ridge. Stuart, who was leading the way, suddenly stopped – we had reached our second abseil point at the Tooth. We climbed the east ridge of Am Basteir, roping down the bad step and onto the final slippery slopes of Am Basteir.

I am sure Am Basteir is a fantastic viewpoint on a clear day, but today there was a 360 degree wall of whiteness.

We made our way down to the final abseil of the day.  Getting to this abseil involved dropping through a gap between rocks, squeezing through a narrow tunnel and popping out into a cave-like hole in the rock face. This was to be the longest and, for me, the trickiest abseil of the day. 

A short walk and we were on the summit of Bruach na Frithe, but again there was no view.  We didn’t hang about.  Descending the north-west ridge of Bruach na Frithe, we eventually came out from the cloud and the views opened up.  It became warmer as we made our way down the ridge so we stopped to remove some layers of clothing.  It was at this point that Wendell’s rucksack decided it was time to make a bid for freedom. Initially, its pace was leisurely, but the steepening slope helped speed things up. Wendell eyed his bag disbelievingly. Stuart set off in pursuit. The rucksack just kept going. Stuart’s attempt at stopping the bag was ultimately futile.  The bag lost momentum as the slope eased and eventually came to a halt.  Luckily, Wendell had closed his rucksack just before it had set off, so no kit was left strewn over the hillside.

It was a long walk back to the roadside.  For me, it had been a fantastic and memorable day.

( Read Brian’s Blog piece for the full story of his memorable day. You will find it at https://www.invernessmountaineering.club/blog)      

Margaret writes:

 After some discussion on Friday evening, Sgurr Dubh Mor was chosen as our destination for Saturday, not least because Wendell and I still hadn't managed to successfully reach the top, despite previous attempts.  Seven of us set off on a grey morning and by the time we reached the Loch Coir a' Ghrunnda, the mist was well down and the rain had started, albeit lightly.  The scrambling started in earnest then, on the whole not too problematic, and we were making reasonable time. 

As we finally approached Dubh Mor, Wendell spoke with some other walkers who were descending and they mentioned that they came down from the summit on a rope because the terrain was so slippy!  We also met Mike and Fiona who had already done Squrr Nan Eag and were heading towards Sgurr Alasdair before the rain forced them off the ridge and down the stone shoot. 

Undeterred we  continued upwards, aided by Stuart's familiarity with the hill.  There were some exposed and not very comfortable bits for sure, and I tried not to think about how we were going to get down again, but we all managed to get to the top where we sat and had some lunch in the mist!  Before starting down, we decided to put on harnesses  which were needed very quickly to go down one section.  Emma and Calum clambered down like mountain goats, but Stuart set up a rope for the rest of us - even with this the descent was challenging! 

After that, we managed to get down to the loch quite quickly and easily where we stopped for another break before the final descent.  As luck would have it, the day brightened as we went down and we finished in sunshine at the campsite.  To celebrate, we had a very satisfying cuppa in the new campsite cafe before heading back to get showered and eat something more substantial.  A brilliant day with lots of good teamwork despite the weather.

Michael, with his left arm in plaster after his recent operation, managed to walk around Rubha an Dunain 

Brian again:

After an eventful day on Friday, and an excellent day on Saturday, I was looking forward to the trek up to Sgurr Mhic Choinnich on Sunday.  This hill is Wendell’s last unconquered Munro summit on Skye, and he was happy for Nell and I to tag along. Our aim was to get up and down within six hours as Wendell had agreed to give Michael a lift to Broadford early in the afternoon.

A good path leads up from the Glen Brittle Mountain Hut into Coire Lagan. On the way, the path passes by the impressive Eas Mor waterfall.  We stopped for a photo or two at the lochan. The Great Stone Chute below Sgurr Alasdair is impressive, as are the crags that form the ice-scoured bowl of Coire Lagan.

Carrying on round the western side of the lochan, we headed for the stone chute on the opposite side of the corrie from the Great Stone Chute.  This chute would lead us up on to the ridge. But first, we stopped for some refreshments, and to put on harnesses and helmets.

Wendell led the way up the stone chute, with Nell and I following closely behind. Progress was slow – at times it felt like one step forward, two steps back.  We moved out on to some larger boulders to the left of the chute – this helped speed up progress but we soon had to move back onto the smaller scree of the main chute. As you made a step forward, the scree and boulders all around you moved, pulled down the slope by gravity. Our progress was too slow given our time constraint.  Given that it was just before 12pm at this point, we abandoned our attempt on Sgurr Mhic Choinnich and made our way back along the track to the Glen Brittle Mountain Hut at a leisurely pace.

It was then onwards to Broadford where coffee and chips were consumed.

Taking part: Calum, Emma, Michael, Margaret, Wendell, Fiona, Mike, Stuart, Brian, Nell and prospective member Rosie.

Words: Margaret and Brian.

Photos: Margaret and Brian