UKH

I'm planning my summer holiday.
Having managed to convince my better half that Skye with a 2 month old baby will be a good idea, she has then agreed to let my best (non-climbing mate) come too as he is desperate to get dragged up the In Pinn (while his missus, mine, daughter, and lurcher wait somewhere eating ice cream).

I'm looking to extend a day from just slogging up the An Stac screes to the Pinn and try and do some kind of Coire Lagan round.

I have done the ridge, and been up the Pinn a couple of times, so I'm fairly familiar with the terrain.
Got the Skye Scrambles guide for inspiration, and been trawling the logbooks for ideas but nothing is jumping out at me.

So, please can someone recommend me a really good route that involves a scramble/easily soloable (up to Diff) climb up onto the ridge on the south/west side of the coire. Either onto Sron na Ciche, Sgurr Sgumain, or other that would be suitable for a total beginner and myself.

Many Thanks

In reply to MusicalMountaineer:

amphitheatre arête 270m moderate, lots exposure, a rope adviseable

In reply to MusicalMountaineer:


Don't just slog up the An Stac screes! Go up An Stac...


The Cioch by Collie's Route, then on up the easy upper section of Eastern Gully.

In reply to MusicalMountaineer:

The grade 3 chimney from Coire a Ghrunnda to Sgurr Alsadair is pretty easy and an amazing view once out of the chimney. loads of options from there, descending the Great Stone Chute is fun, if you like that kind of thing....

Lots of coffee and ice cream available at the Glenbrittle campsite!

In reply to petestack:

Agree with collies route to the cioch and then the top of eastern gully with the squeeze behind the chockstone. You might well want to take a rope though, both for the exposed bit of collies route along the bottom of the cioch slab, and for the descent from sgurr mhic coinnich which I find rather terrifying!

In reply to petestack:

Great, thanks.
I think Collie's Route or Amphitheatre Arete might be goers.
I wasn't just going to slog up the screes to the Pinn, An Stac is probably my favourite scramble ever!

Thanks for all the input!
Hope the weather and the midges hold out!

In reply to hymac:
I'd second that. Start is a bit non-description up slabs and rubble but develops into a really nice ridge of juggy basalt.

In reply to MusicalMountaineer:

Walk up to Coire Lagan then take the right hand side of the lochan maybe a hundred feet above the water. Up ahead across the scree (looking toward Mhic Choinneach) you'll see a notch in the rocky arm extending down from Sgurr Sgumain, attained by a small gully only slightly higher than you are now. Breach the barrier by this weakness and then turn up the ridge soon negotiating slabs (moderate, but a rope advised for beginners) and then some lovely easy scrambling all the way to the summit of Sgumain. Great views of the Sron na Ciche face. From there follow the ridge all the way.

This outing is in Skye Scrambles and I'm only describing as I remember it from about 3 years ago. Sadly my copy is eleswhere so I can't look up to verify. I strongly urge you to double check, firstly 'cos it's a great way on to the ridge from Lagan, and secondly 'cos i might have missed out a critical detail and be catapaulting you into an epic.

We finished on the Pinn via An Stac and it was an utterly captivating experience from start to finish, despite having done all the individual sections before (and many times in some cases).

Enjoy

In reply to MusicalMountaineer:

Have got to add to the praise for An Stac. Turns what is otherwise a slog into an 'utterly captivating experience' (well put BnB) . It's one of the parts of the ridge traverse I look forward to most, as the scrambling is exposed, interesting and just goes up and up.....

In reply to kwoods:

Completely agree, it was the highlight of the traverse I did. Went up again to do the Dubh slabs and carried onto the Pinn, possibly the best day I've had on the hill.
Thanks

In reply to petestack:
Point of note to all:

there is some very scary fresh rock perched on Collies Route near to where it eventually joins EG, removal not straightforward.

Additionally:

perhaps mentioned before, a suitcase sized block block balancing on the Pinn, shortly before stepping right on the first pitch. Again removal not straightforward - requiring a team due to the liklihood of debris going a long way.

In reply to MusicalMountaineer:

We did Window Buttress first which was fun;

Window Buttress Original Route (VD)

In reply to Rich W Parker:

Sounds bad. I'll heed your warning.
Thanks