Start: lay by on the A87 south of Skye’s golf club/the Moll road.
Ascent: 2713 feet (827m) Distance: 4 miles total there and back(6.5km)
Time taken: 5.5hrs including breaks
Star rating: 5 for views but it’s a relentlessly steep ascent.
For some time, I had wanted to climb Eilean a Cheo’s only Corbett(mountains over 2,500 -2,999 feet) but the weather was never up to it when we were on Skye or family commitments ruled it out. This July we headed up to The Misty Isle for a quite momentous occasion – my Mum in Law’s 100th birthday. It was a joyful event held in her excellent Care Home and since she is related to what seems half the island, there were a stream of people coming and going all afternoon. She didn’t flag once!
I can’t say that was the case for Chris and myself as we tackled Glamaig the next morning on one of the island’s perfect, if not always frequent, blue sky days. Flag we most certainly did – often! – as I’d forgotten how brutally steep the hill is.Not that looking at the mountain suggests that steepeness…it is very deceptive and photos rarely capture steepness either.Most hills don’t feel as bad once you are on them as they look from a distance but with Glamaig , the opposite was the case!
We set off at 10am from the lay by on the A87, just south of the Golf Club at Sconser. Not in a million years would I make an attempt on Glamaig via the Hill Race route at Sligachan which as far as I’m concerned is for the certifiably insane.That said, there’s a very famous hill race up these unappealing slopes every year. The record stands at just over 44mins (total up and down from a start at the Sligachan Hotel.)
A short walk south along the roadside, passing Highland cows being admired by tourists and we found the access gate, making our way onto the moorland beside rusty fence poles which usefully track the way, at least for the initial sections. We chose the left hand side of these poles which thankfully developed into a more obvious path as – very quickly – the ground steepened.
Walkhighlands route description mentions three ‘steepenings’ on Glamaig but to be honest, it felt pretty relentless all the way! Mind you, we are not particularly hill fit this year plus in our mid/late 60s the old legs do feel it a bit more too.
There had been a chap in the car park just as we were leaving and sure enough, when we decided to stop for a breather around the 1,000 foot mark, he caught us up.He looked a little bit younger than us and certainly fitter.
‘Tough going,’ he puffed as he halted briefly beside us to say hello. Readily agreeing, we waved him off as he powered on up.I was actually thinking ‘yer darn tootin’ it’s tough. Hence we’re perched here, after only a half hour of walking!’
A bit embarrassing to be stopped already but Chris had said we’d do the hill only on the basis that
a) we’d take our time and
b) we’d have little rests instead of powering (well…hardly that these days) our way to the first summit, An Coileach at 2,200 feet.
Even this low, the views were excellent and for the first of many times today we saw the little Raasay ferry ploughing its way over to the island.
For some months now, as well as spending a lot of time with a new grandson, we seem to have been out of the country quite a bit.Seeing the west coast and Skye as it was today made me wonder why! Of course, there were good reasons to be abroad, but I increasingly believe that there are few landscapes (if any – certainly none I’ve seen so far) on Earth which can match Scotland’s west coast. It was all looking so gorgeous already.
Onwards and upwards we headed and at times, I was grabbing onto the heather for short sections, hauling myself up.It must be people with VERY long legs that create these paths, even the peaty, rough ones.
We’d now reached the eroded scree gully which marked the end of the 1st ‘steepening’ (that word was going round and round in my mind) and the beginning of the 2nd.
I was determined to avoid this horrible section which I’d scrambled up 30 years ago on a solo hike.Clearly the better way was on either side of it and sure enough, the path skirted briefly onto the scree then headed decidedly left and away from it, contouring below a crag.In fact, we could see Fit Guy crossing the heathery hillside high above us, away from the nasty bit.
For some bizarre reason I thought things might ease and that the section to come, while steep, wouldn’t be as bad but of course I was completely wrong.In fact, if anything, it was steeper again!
It seemed to take forever to skirt the crag before the path headed straight up alongside it.Huffing and puffing and going super slow, I noticed some scree runs coming in on the left which the path avoided, taking us more easily up heather and grass slopes.
Finally, things levelled out at a cluster of rocks below a short band of scree.
So…steepening Number 2 was over! One to go!
I should say that all through this uphill slog we were both stopping often to admire the views opening up all around which really were more glorious by the minute!
Time for another rest in a beautiful situation…
There were now really grand views down Loch Alsh towards Kintail and across the Sound of Raasay to Torridon and Applecross. Beinn Sgritheall looked impressive further south in the wilds of Knoydart.
As we sat making our way through some juicy plums, I felt minor dread when I noticed Chris checking the OS map he’d downloaded on his phone.He was ready, I knew, to give me the bad news about how low we still were and how much ascent was left.
’No don’t tell me!’ I said just as he blurted out(always with some relish) that, knackered as we felt, we hadn’t even done half a Munro as we were only at the 450m mark.
That usually does depress me but as our mountain today was much lower than a Munro(which is over 3,000 feet) we were doing ok, I thought.
Up until this year we had a target of doing 20 – 25 Munros annually, some new but mostly ones we just really love.But that plan has really gone for a Burton in 2023.I used to be a bit dismissive about ‘bagging’ but having a clear focus really does get you out and about far more often and of course, that keeps up hill fitness.
The northerly breeze had picked up, keeping the temperature very pleasant despite the July sun now beating down quite fiercely.
As we left this lovely spot, I turned round to have a good look at it, just to remember it for our descent.I made a mental note that our route would lie to the right of these distinctive rocks.The ground was steep so it wasn’t immediately obvious where the path was from here and from now on above us, there wasn’t really a path at all.I don’t like coming down a hill and suddenly being confused about what path we’d used to ascend, especially when there is craggy ground about.
We looked up at the third and final steepening which seemed the worst yet!
The terrain was now a bit rockier but with an obvious wide, grassy rake that wound its way up to An Coileach and Glamaig’s first summit. Mr Fitter Than Us was already zig zagging his way up this section though clearly quite slowly.
A couple were also descending at a good rate of knots – no poles, moving very much like fell runners but picking their way carefully nonetheless.They must have started pretty early! The woman stopped for a chat.We must have looked exhausted because she began telling us enthusiastically that since we’d made it this far we should make the top ok!
Actually that final 200m section, though relentless , seemed easier because there were little grassy terraces which were really good for placing your feet, giving good purchase for the next step up. It wasn’t difficult terrain at all, though given that I make such a meal of steep descents these days, I tried not to think how it would all feel in reverse.
Craning my neck upwards( a regular occurrence on this mountain), I noticed that the top half of an iron fence pole had come tantalisingly into view and I hoped it signalled us reaching the first summit but as we topped that wee section of course there there was, inevitably, more to go.There always is!
However a few minutes later, An Coileach ‘s summit cairn appeared straight ahead.What a sense of achievement there always is in reaching a summit!
And the view was magnificent…
From this angle, Beinn Dearg Mor was a great sharp pyramid, rising from the emerald green, scoop- shaped saddle which linked it to Glamaig.
Garbh Beinn looked superb, lying in front of mighty Blaven which was in shadow.
To the south, lay more of the Red Cuillin, Loch Alsh and Loch Slapin…
The Trotternish coast looked fantastic too…
Away through a gap in the mountains, the Isles of Eigg and Rum rose out of a sapphire Hebridean sea.
The hike to this point had taken us 2 hours but we still had another half mile/ 1km along a lovely grassy ridge and 460ft/140m of ascent to go.
We spent a good 20 min on this summit in perfect conditions with a hint of a breeze and pleasantly warm. I just marvelled at where we were, something I often feel on top of a mountain.This one certainly lived up (in spades) to the mantra of no pain, no gain…but extra special gain in this case.
An Coileach translates as The Cockerel – perhaps because of its outcrop of bristly summit rocks looking like a rooster’s comb when seen from afar.
The ridge ahead looked lovely – on my first venture up here in the 1990s the mist had descended long before I’d reached this point and I never saw a thing the rest of the day.I know all hills deserve a decent weather day but perhaps mountains with huge 360 degree panoramas, surrounded by the sea, merit that especially and given that the Black Cuillin – The British Alps- are thrown spectacularly into the mix too.
But we hadn’t conquered the mountain yet- Sgurr Mhairi, the main summit, beckoned so on we headed.
We ended up leaving the top a little too far right which was the wrong way, giving us a minor if easy scramble across rocks. We should have gone left where the path dips down quite steeply but we soon picked it up again.
Impressively steep slopes lie on either side of the ridge but it’s broad enough to be a delight to walk on.
After a slight descent of 40m, the slopes up to Mhairi’s Peak rose ahead of us, giving a mildly cruel little slog of 460ft /140 m.
Our pain however was forgotten once we reached the roomy summit where the views were just superb…
The Black Cuillin was a bristling line of blue – grey rocky peaks. Sorley Maclean, the Gaelic poet described the Cuillin as ‘antlered’ and ‘horned’, rising above ‘brindled’ moorland and it was certainly all these things today.The Isle of Mist was thankfully not living up to its name and the result was breath taking.
Sgurr nan Gillean now rose before us, a great shark’s fin, dark, ominous and magnificent.I’ve always felt a fascination for it but could never climb it – too exposed for me.
The photos tell the story far better than I can describe but the sheer beauty and variety of the views, the colours, the sea in all directions and the Black Cuillin rising out of the summer moorland were utterly magical.
Sgurr Nan Gillean is usually translated from the Gaelic as The Peak of the Young Men but Chris was brought up to understand that Gillean had the same meaning as ‘gills’ , a word used in southern Scotland and Cumbria and which refers to deep clefts.These are certainly seen on the mountain most easily from Camasunary.
I was just admiring the shape of Beinn Dearg Mhor again when my eye focused on a very large bird that was gliding effortlessly in our direction – there was no mistaking the fact that it was a was an eagle, though whether a Golden or young Sea Eagle I’m not sure.I think perhaps the former. What was amazing was how it circled over us twice, as if coming in for another look at a pair of unwelcome interlopers in its territory.I’ve only had that experience once before, on South Uist’s Beinn Mhor when an eagle came very close to us on our ascent, almost unnervingly so, as if checking us out.
I also wonder whether both of these involved young eagles that were just youthfully curious and bold!
The Isle of Rum looked very clear…
Away on the western horizon, lay South Uist (or God’s Country as Chris would say) with the shapely outline of Beinn Mor and Hecla.Harris was just visible through sea haze.
Ben More on Mull was clear and Ben Resipol and Ben Hiant (a big favourite).What a coastline.
And what a beautiful summit Glamaig is too, a huge contrast to the unappealing screes above Sligachan.
It had taken us 2hr 40 to reach Sgurr Mhairi, longer than I’d thought it might but who cared? It just felt like paradise up here.
The summit also gave a fine view of Beinn Dearg Mhor’s eastern ridge, a pretty awful rocky nose that Chris took me up years ago in a snow storm (and which nearly led to divorce) but when it had cleared and we reached the top, the skies cleared and we completed a great round that included Marsco.
With my vertigo, I have shed tears many times on the mountains.The ‘easier’ Cuillin I’ve managed over the years though not strictly the correct way – in the early 1990s, with my brother and his friend, we climbed Sgurr Dearg after a fairly horrendous scramble from the Loch Coruisk side.I’ve never seen any route descriptions from this approach and no wonder! It was madness, with rock hopping uphill across enormous boulders in order to reach the ridge(which was in heavy mist.) If we’d fallen down between any of them I doubt we would have got out again! I had only wanted to walk to Coruisk from Sligachan but they had other ideas.That was followed by an awful scramble down beside the Inaccessible Pinnacle (on our hin’ ends, as they say, you could barely stand upright) then making the major mistake of going too far down the screes, ending up completely off route and having to traverse the cliffs above Coire Lagan. A complete nightmare. My brother said afterwards that he was imaging the horror of having to tell our parents that I hadn’t made it!Ignorance was bliss in many ways as I didn’t have a clue and just did what they told me to do.The mist possibly helped as I couldn’t see the drops.
Chris and I climbed Sgurr na Banachdich again slightly the wrong way but not coming to any grief. Then came Blaven and perhaps the most straightforward of all, Bruach na Frithe.
But I must admit, today I was enjoying seeing the ridge in all its glory from here rather than being on any of those intimidating if amazing peaks.
Time to descend and say goodbye to a truly magnificent summit with easy walking down to the ridge then a minor ascent back up to The Cockerel.
A young woman with an East European accent, appeared as we crossed the latter and asked if we could look out for her boyfriend whom she’d left far below. We said of course – she’d told him she would only be an hour or so but realised that it was all taking much longer than that.(He had found the hill too steep and we found him at the 200m mark.)
I was slightly anxious about the descent – thank heavens for walking poles nowadays – but the grassy rake proved to be fine given the little grassy terraces which helped a lot with balance and we were soon down at the rocky outcrop where we’d sat earlier.
A young chap appeared to our left and asked what was the best way down.Chris pointed to the right.
‘That doesn’t look very good,’ the chap said dubiously.
‘Oh it’s fine…it’s the way we came up.’
He explained that his family were part way up the opposite side of the scree gully having come up on ‘moss’ ( not sure what he meant by this but it would be very grassy as I came down that side of the scree years ago ) and were looking for a better descent route. They obviously wanted to retreat rather than go on to the summit.
Again, we said encouragingly that this was the best route but he then about turned and headed off!
That said, I wasn’t hugely looking forward to this section round and below the crag and sure enough I balked a bit at its steepness. The heather was quite short here, so I sat down on it and simply slid down, holding on tight to clumps of it. It worked a treat and I soon dovetailed with Chris who’d picked his way down the path which brought us once more alongside the eroded scree gully.Second steepening bit of the descent over!
Chris said it was fine and it no doubt was but I get things in my head that aren’t easy to shift and I actually enjoyed that heathery slide. My only slight worry was the potential for snakes given the warm weather and also the chance of picking up a lorry load of ticks but I escaped both.
The rest of the descent was just a case of following the steep path down, down, down and in no time it had levelled out and we were striding across the very dry moorland, through the gate and briefly along the busy A87 to the car.
What an amazing day! Tired but buoyed up, Glamaig had been revisited after a 30 year absence and in weather this time which did it full justice.Yes we had flagged a bit at times and we had cursed the hill regularly going up it but it just made reaching the summit feel even more of an achievement, a big boost to confidence after a hillwalking drought.
Not exactly the mountain to ease oneself back into hill walking with but who cares when the views are so outstanding? A trip to Skye is always memorable but this visit was particularly superb and we’re already planning more time there to hike old favourites and explore new ones.There’s a lifetime of exploring and walking to be done on Eilean a’ Cheo, though thankfully there was no mist hiding it’s unforgettable vistas this time.
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