Buy Now . On our last morning on the Isle of Skye, we drove out to and hiked the Kintail Saddle, spent the night in Dornie, and the next day drove through Glencoe to Glasgow. The Five Sisters of Kintail is (or are, it depends...) one of the most famous massifs in Scotland. Do you have any recommendations on hiking gear/clothing or any brands you found worked better for the potential rainy weather? Hiking with kids. Even so, we love them and I am now on my fourth pair. Thinking we were unstoppable, we decided to give the Forcan Ridge a try. Who has travelled "Over the sea to Skye"? This was our first time here and we had no idea what we were looking at. We stayed in Dornie, which is near Eilean Donan Castle. If you have reached here by the drystone dyke, avoiding the Forcan Ridge, use the descent route just described to reach the summit of the Saddle. With two tired kids, the last thing we wanted to do at this point was to walk farther than necessary. Skye is often portrayed as very busy, but when you have a closer look, you’ll find that it is only busy in certain spots, and the mountains are very quiet and Photo Walker Search: "forcan" 61 photos matching '"forcan"' (showing 25-48): average rating 3.8 votes 647Click on the thumbnails to view the full size images. I had also made the assumption that we would be able to use Google Maps to help identify landmarks. Check the top places to visit in the region and plan your next adventure today. Glencoe, Scotland, an ancient land of drama and beauty. Once at the col, turn left and begin the climb up Meallan Odhar. Bealach Coire Mhalagain is another col. Nov 20, 2016 - Hiking the Kintail Saddle in Scotland: The Saddle, Forcan Ridge, and Sgurr na Sgine. Plus, it is just 15 minutes away from Eilean Donan Castle. Got something to say? I wear the Halle pant and Tim wears the Stretch Zion pants. Planning a trip to Scotland? My brother Paul and I set off from beside the A87 in Glen Shiel and enjoyed a good climb but avoided the … Did you do this hike while based on Portree? Wester Ross and North Coast 500. Sure, I am a wee bit disappointed, but we were about to be rewarded with some phenomenal views. Before flying to Scotland, I did a lot of research looking for that perfect Scottish hike. Information is provided free of charge; it is each walker's responsibility to check it and navigate The first climb during a week staying in Shiel Bridge. Hiking with Kids: Tyler was 13 and Kara was 11 when we did this hike. The far north west of Scotland and the … This pub serves excellent Scottish food and ale. The thought of climbing even higher sounded like torture to her. Closer inspection reveals that - although unremittingly steep - there is a rough, often wet path that aids the tiring descent the whole way down to the glen, with views of the great wall of the Five Sisters opposite. We love lots of changes in scenery, some rock scrambling, and sections just challenging enough to keep things interesting. Park at the lay-by (narrow car park) on the side of A87 (GPS coordinates: 57.175749, -5.363888). Republishing this article and/or any of its contents (text, photography, etc. Hide Map. Hiking the Kintail Saddle. Does your firm want to sponsor this route. Sunday, August 30, 2020 at 8:00 AM – 5:00 PM UTC+01. Meanwhile, we were pestered by those very annoying midges!! ), in whole or in part, is strictly prohibited. Basically, just head straight up the hill the safest way possible. By continuing to browse this website you are agreeing to our use of cookies. Maybe the most difficult part of the day (unless you did the Forcan Ridge). Most people hike up the Kintail Saddle (Munro #1 for the day) then cross over to Sgurr na Sgine (Munro #2 for the day) before descending back down to Glen Shiel. Written by: Caitlin. Click for details, Hear pronunciation Press to hear pronunciation. We were in no danger. Cross the road and enter the trailhead. The trail to the right leads up the Ridge and the trail to the left follows the contour of the slope. When the path begins to climb steeply towards the first rocky steps, a choice must be made as regards whether to tackle the Forcan ridge or avoid it. The Harvey British Mountain Map for Knoydart, Kintail and Glen Affric shows a hillwalkers paradise with 43 Munros, 21 Corbetts and the 113m high Falls of Glomach on one sheet. about 4 months ago. Even during the peak summer month of August, we had this trail almost to ourselves. If you have prior hiking experience, you can do it on your own. Terrain: A tough mountain walk with steep and rugged terrain. Just before the Forcan Ridge the path splits. The sky was overcast with a threat of rain, but conditions actually improved during our hike. Length: 8.25 miles, 1350 meters of climbing. There are rusted metal poles sticking up from the ground here. The Saddle is described as one of the most magnificent mountains in the Highlands of Scotland. Cheers, Julie, Your email address will not be published. Views into the vast remoteness of Knoydart give you a real feeling of adventure. Layby on A87 (T). All rights reserved © Earth Trekkers. We wear Merrell hiking shoes and love them. Climb the hillside on the faint, hard to follow path. 14 mai 2020 - Louez auprès d'habitants à Kintail, Royaume-Uni à partir de 18€ par nuit. This excellent path winds two and fro up the hillside before making a long traverse to reach the col. From the col, turn left. Truly an area for the Munro Bagger if ever there was one. Hiking with kids. Do not attempt the Forcan Ridge in the rain, snow, or even when it is very cloudy. Soyez chez vous, ailleurs, avec Airbnb. Please let us know by clicking here. There are 282 Munros in Scotland. How to take an alternate route. The Saddle is the finest of the Kintail peaks and one of the most magnificent mountains in the Highlands. How to take an alternate route. What we thought was Sgurr na Sgine was really Faochag. Of course, this is Scotland. Its ascent via the Forcan Ridge is a difficult but classic scramble; the scrambling can be avoided if needed and the walk still has fantastic views. What is a Munro? At 1012m, the Saddle is one of Kintail’s highest mountains. Print out this post as a PDF so you can reference it while hiking. A tough mountain walk with steep and rugged terrain. I was thinking of doing this on my own in May 2018,. If you are in doubt, climb a short distance up and if it seems too challenging, turn around and take the alternate path along the hillside. Even though we had a hard time following the trail, we always knew that we could back track and follow the trail to our car. Please consider setting up a direct debit donation to help support the continued maintenance and updates to Walkhighlands. We took a break here to enjoy the views, have a snack, and fly our drone. This was a tough one but one we will not soon forget. It’s a gradual climb and not very strenuous. Sgurr Nan Gillean by Mark Greenwood. Even with Kara’s rock climbing experience we did not think it was safe for her to attempt the Forcan Ridge. The descent is difficult. The hike starts just south of Shiel Bridge. In this photo, the darker green ridge in the background is Faochag, the final ridge you will walk before descending back down to A87: A steady climb winds its way up the hillside, taking you to the col (a ridge or saddle between two peaks, acting as a bridge between the peaks) between Biod an Fhithich and Meallan Odhar. Walks in Skye and Kintail Skye is famous for its natural beauty and is highly popular with people travelling there from all over the world. Have fun in Scotland! We turned around, deciding to continue on with the safer option. A Munro is any mountain in Scotland over 3,000 ft. Turn south along the ridge, easily reaching the northwest top of Sgurr na Sgine. Whether you love hiking or cycling, Kintail is a region where 17 hidden gems are waiting to be explored and visited. This one connects The Saddle with Sgurr na Sgine. So far, over 5,000 people have bagged all of the Munros. Thank you so much for the great information. On the Walk Highlands website there are various maps you can print or use for the hike. Mark Greenwood . It is a stiff climb, but you should reach the ridge without too much difficulty. The ascent up Forcan Ridge is challenging! Kintail 1012m 5-6 hrs. Dec 3, 2018 - Hiking the Kintail Saddle in Scotland: The Saddle, Forcan Ridge, and Sgurr na Sgine. Fortunately, mother nature cooperated today. Its fine … A few years from now…sure, they’d be able to handle it. Once at the bottom, the last step is to cross the stream (Allt Mhalagain). Your email address will not be published. Cheers, Julie. We loved it here!! They do offer a little water resistance, although, our older pairs have lost this “super power” through age and multiple washes. Looking back at the Forcan Ridge and the alternate path lower down on the mountain. A knot … voir plus Avis par Trouvez des hébergements uniques auprès d'hôtes locaux dans 191 pays. But the most memorable hike, the one that had our legs trembling with fatigue and our eyes wide open with amazement, was the Kintail Saddle. Mark Greenwood. Open start point in Google Maps for directions. Hosted by Wayymark Outdoor. However, if it has recently rained, which it had in our case, the stream becomes a river. Leave a comment. Our website uses cookies. It was beginning to sound like this would be one of the most challenging hikes we have ever attempted! The north side of the glen is formed by the famous Five Sisters range and its easterly continuation; a true classic amongst ridgewalks. Boat trips. The Saddle is described as one of the most magnificent mountains in the Highlands of Scotland. It took us 10 minutes of hiking upstream to find a narrower, safer place to cross. This area offers varied walking with villages such as Plockton as well as the region's main … … Some sections are a real knife-edge, but there is a worn scrambling path which avoids the rocks by keeping just to the right at several points. It’s one thing planning to do the hike. However, the cloud cover obscuring the knifelike ridge was changing our minds. Earth Trekkers is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for us to earn advertising fees by advertising & linking to Amazon.com. Any quality rain jacket will work well, we wear North Face. Rain is almost ever-present, especially during the summer months. Soyez chez vous, ailleurs, avec Airbnb. Location: The Saddle/an diollaid, Kintail. The Five Sisters of Kintail is a mountain chain on the north of Glen Shiel, and Sgurr Fhuaran sits in the centre as the highest and most impressive. Add to this the stunning scenery on the drive into the area on the Road to the Isles and you have a recipe for a spectacular weekend in a magical area. The scrambling is simple at first, but the ridge becomes progressively more exposed. There are plenty of places to see and visit in Kintail. Buy Now . There are no signs or markers on the trail. We were using printed directions from the Walk Highlands website. Print out a copy of the map on the Walk Highlands website for reference. Name (required) Email (required) Comments (required) Submit Comment. Closer to Skye is the Lochalsh peninsula between the shores of Loch Duich and Loch Carron. The water is much too high for the bridge of stones to be sufficient. We saw just two other hikers during the entire hike. Do not underestimate the danger of this ridge. A climb over the fence and a short walk to our car and our journey was over. The Saddle is the finest of the Kintail peaks and one of the most magnificent mountains in the Highlands. Continue along Faochag. The exposure is however considerable. The Five Sisters and the South Glen Shiel Ridge are particular favourites of Munro baggers, whilst The Saddle is one of the most magnificent mountains in all Scotland. So, to climb Sgurr na Sgine, turn right on the ridge (walking away from A87) and head up the summit. The view of these five prism-shaped pyramids overlooking the bay of Loch Duich is one of the most common objects Scottish postcards. Mais avec 10 au choix, il peut être difficile de savoir par où commencer. It’s a slippery, rocky, muddy drop back down to the valley. Cross the road (carefully) and walk east along it until reaching the foot of the stalkers path leading up to the col between Biod an Fhithich and Meallan Odhar. The Saddle, Glen Shiel, Scotland by Mark Greenwood. The path down from the summit of The Saddle and the alternate, safer path both connect here. Kintail itself is famed for its classic mountain ridge walks. Keen scramblers can reach it via its rugged steep Forcan Ridge, however, we will take the easier route that doesn’t require ropes and a head for heights. If you follow them, they climb up the next slope. More Information for Your Trip to Scotland: Planning a trip to Scotland? This is a challenging hike. For us, the three days prior to the Kintail Saddle hike was spent in the rain on the Isle of Skye. As well as reading our description of each walking route, you can read about the experiences of others users on this walk and others.There are 47 user reports for this walk - click to read them. 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