Looking into Harta Corrie Scrambling Grades You'll see mentioning of various grades inside this section. These are based on the grades found in the book "Skye Scrambles" published by the SMC. (Not the same book as "Scrambles in Skye"). A brief explanation is found below. Grade 1 Straightforward for experienced walkers. Only occasional use of hands neccessary. Exposure is minimal Grade 2 Hands required for more sustained sections, exposure may be significant Grade 3 Moves on steep rock in very exposed situations. You might prefer rope protection in some places. Occasional Moderate rock climbing may be encountered. Moderate, Difficult, Very Difficult These are the usual rock climbing grades according to difficulty. These grades have pretty much the same explanation for each classification as the scrambling grades that you find for routes in England and Wales. My observation though is that a grade 2 scramble in the Skye book is about the same as a grade 1 scramble in say "Scrambles in Snowdonia/Lake District". Use your own scrambling experience to help you figure out a route you can handle. Accommodation I'm only focussing on accomodation that provides close access to the Cuillins. There are numerous hostels about including three new ones. Skyewalker independent Hostel, Portnalong, £12 per night (2007 prices) Apparently the oldest hostel on Skye. It's nicely furnished inside and it used to be an old school. Comes complete with school desks (they're tiny things)! It's also the post office and a licensed cafeteria Croft Bunkhouse & Bothies, Portnalong, £6.50 - 8.50 per night Waterfront Hostel, Carbost I've been reliably informed that this is a new one. Apparently it's very smart inside and right next to the pub! Glen Brittle Youth Hostel Sligachan Bunkhouse Don't know much else about the place - just saw the sign as I went past on the bus. Travel Scottish Citylink provide three coaches a day from Glasgow and Three a day from Inverness that call at Sligachan. Caledonian McBrayne provide hourly sailings from sconser to Raasay. £4.05 day return on foot. No Sunday service. A twice daily bus service runs down to Glen Brittle from Portree. You can get a book of 20 single tickets for about £25 on the Skye Bridge (a massive saving compared with £5.60 per single journey). If in a club, you can leave the book of tickets in the ticket office which other club members can use - just say something like "I'm with Club XYZ who have left a book with you". This should be O.K.

Introduction
Well, Skye for a long time has struck a chord of fear in my heart. All those guidebooks talking about razor sharp ridges with plummenting drops either side put me off the Island for a long time. Afterwards, I could tackle these ridges with confidence and completely alone. O.K. sweat still comes off my brow even when the air has a chill but that's what the magic of Skye is all about. It raises your senses and the term "spatial awareness" has a completely new meaning. At the time of producing this guide, I tackled the Skye munros in the space of three trips over two months. I was a gibbering wreck on Sgurr nan Gillean the first trip but converted into solo scrambler by the time I finished the round!

Black and Red Cuillin in one Picture

Much of the guide focusses on the Cuillin ridge, I've made a page about the red hills and at some stage later I'll write about the other attractions of Skye like the Trotternish peninsula.

Any seasoned walker from England & Wales is likely to have come across ridges by the name of Striding Edge, Crib Goch, Sharp Edge and Bristly ridge. I've done these ridges as well. The good news for you is that all the munros except In Pinn can be tackled by routes that are no more difficult or exposed than these ridges. The bad news is that lengthy detours have to be made off the ridge if you want to do these munros in succession.

Marsco and Raudh Stac

The chief difference between the Cuillins and the ridges south of the border are two fold. Firstly the scrambles can be quite lengthy and secondly following the entire crest of the Black Cuillins encounters some substantial rock climbing pitches.

Bidein Drum nan Ramh and Coir a' Mhadaidh

Enough of the Cuillins, for those who want the nice mountains but without the fear, then the Red Hills and the Trotternish Risge are for you. These are also known as the Red Cullin and include favourites such as Marsco and Glamaig. These are characteristically smoother and more rounded, covered in scree and with a red tint to the rock. They're quieter than the black cuillin and make good backpacking hills. Some also include the odd bit of scrambling. In contrast, the trotternish ridge offers some of the most spectacular rock scenery.

Looking south along the Trotternish Ridge

So what about remote areas? Well nothing's more than a day away but Loch Coruisk takes about four hours to reach from the road and is one gem of a place - more on that later.

Anyway, read on. There's much to find out!