Beinn Alligin, Tom na Gruagaich and Sgurr Mor

Climbed by year and month

Climbed by year and month

We started out early. I'd been awake since around 4am and dozed for an hour or so after, finally getting up around 6:30. Sunrise had taken it's time to get going but once the sun peeped above the hills the temperature lifted quickly. It was going to be a warm day. Jumping out the camper around 7:45am I soon found the midges were out and being annoying, there was little breeze in the car park to carry them away.

We took the path on the west side of the river, as before, it was as tedious and knee destroying as before. This time I seemed to find some energy and made reasonable progress up the staircase. Still, a steady stream of people overtook me. Skye was just soo excited, staying ahead and looking down on me from a rock waiting for me to catch up. Oh to be more dog.

As I reached the col below the first munro I contoured around to end up on the path down the ridge, my thinking was to visit it on the way back. Which worked out quite well as a couple from Florida caught me up just as I was contemplating how to get down an 8foot drop. He dropped down okay, spotted for her, and then helped Skye down the drop. And spotted for me. It felt pretty horrible, but okay. That done the rest of the ridge down and then up to Sgurr Mor was rough, interesting, and a lot more pleasurable than 'the staircase' by a country mile.

The deep gully below the summit of Sgurr Mor is called Eag Dhubh na h-Eigheachd or the black cleft of the wailing on account that if you edge closer to the drop you'll be the one wailing as you fall down it! It's often shortened to just Eag Dubh.

When we set out I had no intention of climbing the Horns of Alligin, Na Rathanan. I wouldn't have the energy to safely look after myself or Skye. Looking down on them that view was confirmed, completely. The views all around were absolutely spectacular.