Cuillin Ridge course
Cuillin Ridge Course – four & Five day Courses
A guided four-day Cuillin ridge course aimed at people who want to get onto the Black Cuillins. Enabling them to tick off all of the 11 Munros along the ridge.
Cuillin Ridge Course – Munros:
There are 11 Munros scattered across its jagged skyline ridge. We break the Munros down into more manageable, and achievable days.
That said you’ll still need to have a good level of fitness – hopefully around our Silver level – Click here to find out more. The days are still long and will involve lots of Scrambling on mountainous terrain. Usually the ridge will be narrow and a good head for exposure and heights really does help.
Our Guides of course will rope you up on the more technical parts so you’ve nothing to fear if you accidentally slip or trip.
We have put a suggested itinerary for our four day Ridge Munro course. Although we will stick to it, depending on the weather, and the group’s wants, needs and abilities, we will adjust accordingly. So day 1 may become day 3 for example. Cuillin Ridge Course
Cuillin Ridge Course – Day 1:
1. Sgur nan Eag 2. Sgurr Dubh Mor 3. Sgurr Alasdair
This is a good intro to the ridge. The southern end of the Black Cuillin Ridge is every bit as impressive as its northern counterpart. Making our way for Coire Ghrunnda, this is a good place to stop and admire the awesome scenery! After we are on the ridge proper, we head onto Sgurr Eag. We then backtrack and head up to Dubh Mor, before finishing on Alasdair. We head out via Coire Laggan.
Day 2:
4. Sgurr Mhic Choinnich 5. The ‘Inn Pinn’ 6. Sgurr na Banachdich
After the previous days descent via Coire Laggan, we venture back into it and ascend by the An Stac screes. This then leads us to the col between the Inaccessible Pinnacle, and Mhic Choinnich. The ascent of this peak is quite tricky especially in the wet! So we break the rope out here to safeguard any possible errors. Once up and down, we make our way to the Inn Pinn and get ourselves into position. A full briefing and final check will be given before we ascend. Our Guides will put you at ease and offer expert tips, hints, and advice on the best way to tackle it. That’s the major difficulties out of the way for today, and we’ll pop over to Banachdich to bag this one before heading out through Coire a’Ghreadaidh.
Day 3:
7. Sgurr a’Ghreadaidh 8. Sgurr a’Mhadaidh
A slightly shorter day is day three. Although with two big days previously it’s still a tough one. Once up and into An Dorus gap, our Munros are left and right of the gap. Sgurr a’Mhadaidh is more technical than its neighbour, but pretty straight forward. Once we have summited on both we return via the same way.
Day 4:
9. Sgurr nan Gillean 10. Am Basteir 11. Bruach na Frithe
The last day on your Cuillin ridge course. Our start point for the northern part of the Cuillin Ridge is the Sligachan. Making our way into Coire a’Bhasteir and then the summit of Gillean, via its west ridge. We can then have a rest at the col, before heading up the easy ramp onto Am Basteir, before tackling the infamous ‘Bad Step’. It’s then an easy walk up to Bruach na Frithe, after which we head back down. Mission accomplished.
5 Day Course:
In addition to our 4 day Cuillin Munro course, we have started to offer the same package but over five days. Because the Cuillins are a physically demanding place we found this to be helpful to people who are trying to ‘bag’ they’re Munros. It has the identical itinerary but we have a days flexibility in the program.
Therefore the five days are great for giving people a break on day three say. As this is when people’s legs often feel the strain! Likewise if the weather is horrendous (often can be) then a days grace is gratefully received! Our price for the five day course is only charged at a low rate for the ‘day off’ day. Therefore it isn’t charged at a full days rate. Above all the choice is yours which course you prefer.
Experience needed:
A good level of fitness is definitely needed, as the days are long and everyday we have to ascend and descend from valley level, onto the Cuillin Ridge and back down again. You don’t have to have done any roped climbing, but some scrambling experience would not go a miss. We can help with this and offer training days throughout the UK at a venue to suit you. Click here for Training days and fitness levels. The Munros are big mountains that rise up from sea level and therefore require a good base fitness. Strong knees and a positive attitude are needed to conquer these giants!
Weather:
The Cuillins has its own unique weather. In fact it has the most unpredictable weather in the UK for sure! above all no two days are rarely the same! I have known it to have definitely four seasons in the same day. Therefore the longer you can stay up on Skye the better the chances are of you succeeding. Therefore if you are staying on Skye or in the nearby are for a week say, you’d have a greater success rate of bagging all 11 Munros! More often than not its the wind that will stop play on the Ridge, and so we will maybe aim for a solitary ‘easier’ Munro peak on the ridge like Banachdich say rather than getting 2/3 in as the itinerary suggests.
Prices and dates:
Our 4 day package price is £625 per person based on 2 persons. 1-1 price is £1,025. This includes all equipment, guide and insurance.
The 5 day package price is £675 per person based on 2 persons. 1-1 price is £1,250. This includes all equipment, guide and insurance.
This doesn’t include accommodation or food. We are happy to recommend on both these subjects.
A £50 deposit is required to book a place. See our Contact and Pricing page for more details.
For larger groups please get in touch for pricing.
**As from 2022 we now operate a 1:2 policy on the ridge. As instructors working the ridge over the years we have found that some sections of the ridge just aren’t safe for a 1:3 ratio. Most other reputable operators now adhere to this ratio. The Inn Pinn can be usually run with a ratio of 1:3 as the day involves just the ‘Pinn’. What we do ask is that you have had some scrambling or Rock Climbing experience beforehand. Therefore if you are unsure you meet the criteria please feel free to get in touch with us and we would be happy to advise.**
* Max persons per instructor is 1-2. Anymore an additional instructor will be needed.
Dates – Again we will fit in with you’re preferred dates. Get in touch with you’re request and we’ll take it from there.
In addition to our four day Guided Cuillin Munro Course. We also run other Cuillin Ridge courses. For example see our Guided Cuillin Ridge Traverse – or our Guided ascent of the Inaccessible Pinnacle for more information.
Accommodation:
Lots of options here – some of the most popular below.