Sat 5th May - Sun 13th May, 2018
Isle of Skye
The official meet is a week long, but it includes a bank holiday weekend which should make a shorter visit feasible for those who can't spare a week. The meet is based at the Glenbrittle campsite -- no booking required, but do bring a midge net! If you prefer more substantial accommodation, feel free, but please make your own arrangements.
The Isle of Skye offers some of the most spectacular peaks in the UK. The awesome Black Cuillin mountains provide the best scrambling to be found anywhere -- and include the Inaccessible Pinnacle, the only Munro summit requiring the bagger to climb to earn their tick (Mod *** but with harder options too). For those who prefer to walk to their summits, the Red Cuillin hills are your best bet, with thrilling views across to the Black Cuillin.
The massive face of Sron na Ciche is home to the famous Cioch, is within easy reach of the Glenbrittle campsite and covered in top quality, classic multi-pitch trad routes from Moderate upwards. For a longer day out, why not walk around to Loch Coruisk and tackle the Dubh slabs, taking in about 900 vertical metres of Moderate ***? If exposure is your thing, have a go at Naismith's Route on the Bhasteir Tooth (V Diff ***). And if you prefer something harder, your biggest challenge may be deciding what to go for!
Skye has a reputation for bad weather, but when the Cuillins are covered in clag, the coast is the place to go. Plenty of grand walking, and also some superb sea-cliffs to climb on. These are often dry when the higher mountains are dripping, and well worth a visit in their own right. There's also plenty of interesting walking to be done in the less popular northern parts of Skye, notably Trotternish.
Personally, I have three goals for the week: a traverse of the Black Cuillin in a day; a link-up of Cioch West (7 pitches of Severe ***) followed by Arrow Route (2 pitches of VDiff ***) and then Integrity (2 pitches of Hard Severe **** (yes, four stars!)) on Sron na Ciche; King Cobra (E1 4c, 5b, 4b, 5a, 4c ***) on the east face of Sgurr Mhic Coinnich.
Gareth Williams
Gareth Williams