About the event:
Where are these Munros?
These Munros are hiding in plain sight. But are over shadowed by their more famous neighbours - the Glen Shiel 7, Forcan Ridge and Brothers / Sisters of Kintail.
They are no less spectacular and varied in their own rights! Glen Shiel is about an hour and a half's drive north of Fort William. It is well served by Citylink buses heading to the Kyle of Lochalsh and Portree on Skye. Indeed, the A87 road to the Isles makes this glen entirely accessible.
Glen Shiel is famous for its battles with the Jacobite rising in the 1700s. It is also absolutely stunning with no fewer than 22 Munros on offer. These hidden gems include the cluster of 5 Munros to the eastern end of the north ridge, separated from the Brothers and Sisters by the through pass into Glen Affric. And talking of Glen Affric, the other two lie to the north west of the Sisters ridge forming the western end of Glen Affric, though most easily accessed via Kintail.
About the Trip
This is perfect for Munro baggers wanting to tick off some of the more remote Glen Shiel Munros. You are welcome to join us for one, two or all three days depending on which Munros you need! These Munros are big and each day will be very different from the last given how varied the mountains are! This is a rough outline - The weather will dictate which Munros we do on any particular day so please be prepared to be flexible. However, roughly the plan is:
Day 1: A' Chralaig (1,120m / 3,674ft) & Mullach Fraoch-choire (1,102m / 3,615ft)
A' Chralaig is the highest mountain in Glen Shiel. It also has the longest and steepest ascent! It's straight forward enough but quite relentless. However, once up the effort is well worthwhile. The summit is beautifully placed to see across Glen Shiel and Affric, and also at the ridge ahead toward Mullach Fraoch-choire. This Munro has quite a spicy scrambling section. Straight forward enough, but not for the faint hearted!. The descent off this pair takes us down to the old pass linking the Cluanie Inn in Glen Shiel with Althebeithe SYHA in Glen Affric. It's a muddy track!
(Total distance: 13km, ascent: 1070m)
Day 2: Carn Ghluasaid (957m / 3,140ft), Sgurr nan Conbhairean (1,109m / 3,658ft) & Sail Chaorainn (1,002m / 3,287ft)
These three Munros form the north eastern cluster to Glen Shiel above Loch Cluanie. The ascent is straight forward with no scrambling. Good tracks lead us around these Munros which also provide fabulous views across to the Glen Shiel 7. Despite the highest Munro count of the three days, this is the easiest day of the three!
(Total distance: 16km, ascent: 1070m)
Day 3: A' Ghlas-bheinn (918m / 3,012ft) & Beinn Fhada (1,032m / 3,386ft)
For this pair we travel to the western end of Glen Shiel. These two might technically be caled Glen Affric Munros, but the shortest approach is from Strath Crow near the well appointed campsite at Morvich. These two munros are about as different from each other as they are from the previous days Munros. A' Ghlas-bheinn, despite being the shortest of the week is perhaps the most infuriating with endless false summits before finally getting to the top! A few easy scrambles and steep sections line this highly bumpy ridge for a there and back again. From here, the sharp col between here and Beinn Fhada looks the most obvious route. But it's easier to head back a short way to the junction we'll have passed and take the easier path around the side of the mountain. Bein Fhada, unusually for the west coast, is a huge plateau. It has a number of ridges and steep aspects but provides straight forward hiking and on a clear day, incredible views in all directions along Glen Shiel, Glen Affric, north to Torridon and over to Skye.
If you are up in the area on holiday, or planning a longer bagging visit, we're running other events in Glen Shiel over the week including The Brothers and Sisters of Kintail (Saturday 20th - Sunday 21st) and The Glen Shiel 7 (Saturday 27th).
Meeting Point:
We meet at 0800 on all days.
For day 1, we meet near the Cluanie Inn at a layby on the eastbound carriageway here.
For day 2 we meet here off the westbound carriageway. This is a rough parking area and if needed, there is another onw a few humdred metres further on.
For day 3 we meet at the small parking area near the entrance to Morvich Caravan and Camping site here. If there is a big group of us we may need to meet elsewhere and car share as the parking area isn't huge.
To see the start points in Googlemaps, please click on the links. These will open in a new tab. They may also be useful for you should you want to use your phone as a satnav to get there.
Difficulty:
These are big and challenging hills and will require good fitness and a head for heights for days 1 and 3. There is easy scrambling on all but day 2 There are relatively good tracks throughout the area though some are extremely steep and loose in places.
Prerequisites:
Very good level of hill fitness and experience of repeated ascent and descent.
Cost:
The trip costs £300 per person with discounts for booking other people. You can also come for single days (£110)
Numbers:
We can take a maximum of 8.