Introduction
Glen Kingie is surrounded by the easternmost summits of the Knoydart wilderness. The hills here have less of the knobbly character of Knoydart but do vary in character themselves. The southernmost hills stand out in proud isolation, and all are less than 3000ft tall. The northernmost summits form a high ridge from the west end of the Glen to Sgurr an Fhuarain. There is then one further isolated munro further east along the north side.

Looking west from Sgurr an Fhuarain to Sgurr Mor with Sgurr na Ciche behind

The Glen can be reached from Loch Arkaig in the south as well as from the end of Loch Quoich. Access from Loch Arkaig follows a boggy path from the bottom of Glen Dessary to Kinbreak Bothy in Glen Kingie. From the Loch Quoich Dam, a path can be followed into Glen Kingie. The path going up Glen Kingie is a landrover track, but not marked as such on the 1:50000 maps. It should thus be possible at least to cycle up from the Kingie Estate.

Fraoch Bheinn seen from the south

Fraoch Bheinn seen from the north

The southern tops of Kingie
The eastern most of these southern tops, Sgurr Mhurlagain, is the gentlest with broad grassy ridges easing access from most directions. There are no steep parts to any ridge - indeed the eastern slopes broaden out to the vast moors before the Loch Lochy Summits. Next lies Fraoch Bheinn. It's a sharper summit with a steep north eastern ridge. The north western and southern ridges are quite easy though. Finally there's the westernmost summit. It's another nice one but again there are no sharp ridges here.

The northern tops of Kingie
The northern horizon to Glen Kingie is occupied by two summits over 3000 feet and numerous subsidiary peaks.

Gairich
This is the easternmost peak of the range. It can be reached from the road at Loch Quioch but it is often approached from the west as part of a backpacking trip including other Knoydart summits. The western slope has a very nice stalkers track rising up from A' Mhaingir. This eases the ascent to a broad bump at 730m where the final ascent can be seen up the sharper upper section of the ridge. Apart from some small broken rocks, the ascent is easy up grassy slopes to the summit. There are good views throughout overlooking Gairich's northern corrie.

Gairich seen from Gleouraich across Loch Quoich

Gairich seen from the west

Further west lies a great long ridge starting with Sgurr an Fhuarain and ending with Sgurr na Ciche. It's the only ridge that exists in Knoydart and it makes a wonderful transition from the smooth mountains in the east to the rough mountains of Knoydart. Sgurr Mor is the only munro on this ridge facing Glen Kingie.

Looking west from Gairich's summit across Loch Quoich to Druim Chosaidh

Looking east from Gairich's summit down Glen Garry

Sgurr an Fhuarain & Sgurr Mor
From the east, Sgurr an Fhuarain's eastern ridge provides an easy ascent to its summit. The route is broad and grassy, with numerous peat hags bisecting the ridge lower down. The summit is marked by a cylindrical trig point, and provides the first viewpoint of what lies ahead. The whole ridge can be seen as far as An Eag, with Sgurr na Ciche revealing itself further away still. Those attempting a traverse of the entire ridge in a day will come to realise at this point that they have a long day ahead of them.

Sgurr Mor and the North Kingie ridge seen from the south

Looking east from Sgurr Mor to Sgurr an Fhuarain and Gairich beyond

The traverse to Sgurr Mor is uncomplicated, following a well defined but gently curving grass ridge to Sgurr Mor. The final ascent of Sgurr Mor is rockier, but easy. It is here that all the Knoydart peaks show themselves. The centrepiece that draws your eye more than any other summit is rather suprisingly Ben Aden, for this summit does not belong to the munro lists. After surveying all the Knoydart peaks to view, you can probably conclude that this is the finest view in all of Scotland. Not only that, but it is a priviledged viewpoint to enjoy, as it takes a great deal of effort to reach Sgurr Mor.

Sgurr Beag & An Eag
Sgurr Mor's southwest ridge is steeper and craggier, however the stalkers path guides an easy route through the numerous outcrops. From Sgurr Beag, this ridge looks more ominous than it is. Once you reach the saddle, the two minor summits of Sgurr Beag and An Eag provide hefty obstacles towards the next munro of Sgurr nan Coireachan. Sgurr Beag demands 140m ascent, while An Eag demands 190m ascent. The route however is uncomplicated, although the stalkers path does tend to zig-zig down the southwest ridge of Sgurr Beag.

An Eag - the turning point of the ridge

Sgurr Beag seen from Sgurr Mor

An Eag is the turning point on the ridge, and is the summit at the head of Glen Kingie. From here, you can continue west towards Sgurr nan Coireachan and ultimately Sgurr na Ciche or south down into Glen Dessary.