Ascending via the Forcan Ridge is a hard and exposed scramble; this part of the walk can be avoided as indicated in the text (reducing the walk to Grade 4). Too challenging for Kara and Tyler. Trouvez des hébergements uniques auprès d'hôtes locaux dans 191 pays. Another view of the Forcan Ridge (and the alternate path), Tim and Tyler flying the drone as Kara and I walk along the ridge. It’s a gradual climb and not very strenuous. By continuing to browse this website you are agreeing to our use of cookies. using a map and compass. Beyond the boulder fields a boggy traverse eastwards leads to the Bealach. The thought of climbing even higher sounded like torture to her. Even with Kara’s rock climbing experience we did not think it was safe for her to attempt the Forcan Ridge. Do not underestimate the danger of this ridge. 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. We wear Merrell hiking shoes and love them. It was beginning to sound like this would be one of the most challenging hikes we have ever attempted! Open start point in Google Maps for directions. This one connects The Saddle with Sgurr na Sgine. A Munro is any mountain in Scotland over 3,000 ft. Nov 20, 2016 - Hiking the Kintail Saddle in Scotland: The Saddle, Forcan Ridge, and Sgurr na Sgine. 2020 - Louez auprès d'habitants à Kintail, Royaume-Uni à partir de 16€ par nuit. Since we crossed the stream at a different point, we lost the trail. Rain is almost ever-present, especially during the summer months. Print out a copy of the map on the Walk Highlands website for reference. The path down from the summit of The Saddle and the alternate, safer path both connect here. 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. Trouvez des hébergements uniques auprès d'hôtes locaux dans 191 pays. Mais avec 10 au choix, il peut être difficile de savoir par où commencer. Park at the lay-by (narrow car park) on the side of A87 (GPS coordinates: 57.175749, -5.363888). Mark Greenwood . For more details on the hike, visit the Walk Highlands website. 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. Basically, just head straight up the hill the safest way possible. Usually this is easy as there is a path of stones crossing the stream. From the lay-by, continue to walk southeast down A87 (away from Shiel Bridge). It is a stiff climb, but you should reach the ridge without too much difficulty. It winds clearly and steeply at first before petering out in the boulder fields further down. This hike takes you through very wet, boggy marshes and your feet will get soaked. At the heart of Kintail is the dramatic Glen Shiel, encircled by steep mountains. Required fields are marked *. Turn south along the ridge, easily reaching the northwest top of Sgurr na Sgine. The peak looming over you to your right is Sgurr na Sgine. You are now only about half a kilometre from the layby and the start. about 4 months ago. The water is much too high for the bridge of stones to be sufficient. All rights reserved © Earth Trekkers. Prior to the hike, numerous people warned us not to take Tyler and Kara on the Forcan Ridge, a knifelike ridge leading up to the summit. This was a tough one but one we will not soon forget. Malagan Bridge, Kyle. For full details of surrounding walks please see: www.walkhighlands.co.uk. Plus, it is just 15 minutes away from Eilean Donan Castle. ), in whole or in part, is strictly prohibited. pin. The descent is directly down the northeast ridge, which looks impossible from some viewpoints. We turned around, deciding to continue on with the safer option. 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. We saw just two other hikers during the entire hike. 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. The Forcan Ridge ... Kintail and The Isle of Skye. 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. Thanks for the help! However, if it has recently rained, which it had in our case, the stream becomes a river. Sure, I am a wee bit disappointed, but we were about to be rewarded with some phenomenal views. However, the cloud cover obscuring the knifelike ridge was changing our minds. Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment. We love lots of changes in scenery, some rock scrambling, and sections just challenging enough to keep things interesting. 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. Views into the vast remoteness of Knoydart give you a real feeling of adventure. Again, we had a difficult time following the Walk Highlands instructions. Our website uses cookies. People are asked to stay at home except for essential purposes. Its fine … The Saddle: Kintail: 1010m: Toll Creagach: Loch Ness: 1054m: Tolmount: Cairngorms: 958m: Tom a’Choinich: Loch Ness: 1112m: Tom Buidhe: Cairngorms: 957m: Tom na Gruagaich (Beinn Alligin) Torridon: 922m: About the author. Park at the layby on the north side of the A87(T) about three hundred metres east of where a track goes off the road to Achnagart Farm. With two tired kids, the last thing we wanted to do at this point was to walk farther than necessary. Leave a comment. After passing the top of Sgurr na Forcan there is an awkward steep descent of a pitch of about 10 metres; this can be avoided using a gully to the left or a rake to the right. It gets steep rather quickly, so it would not take us long to find out if we could handle it. Looking back at the Forcan Ridge and the alternate path lower down on the mountain. We loved it here!! Information is provided free of charge; it is each walker's responsibility to check it and navigate Your email address will not be published. Que ce soit pour la vue ou pour le défi, escalader les sommets montagneux dans Kintail est le meilleur moyen de découvrir davantage cette belle région. Kintail itself is famed for its classic mountain ridge walks. What is a Munro? Print out this post as a PDF so you can reference it while hiking. Once at the bottom, the last step is to cross the stream (Allt Mhalagain). More Information for Your Trip to Scotland: Planning a trip to Scotland? What is a Munro? It’s one thing planning to do the hike. Walking can be dangerous and is done entirely at your own risk. At 1012m, the Saddle is one of Kintail’s highest mountains. During the entire hike we could see A87 and in the worst case scenario we would just retrace our steps to our car. Glencoe, Scotland, an ancient land of drama and beauty. The far north west of Scotland and the … 12 Must-Have Experiences on the Isle of Skye, 2 Days in Edinburgh: The Perfect Itinerary for Your First Visit, 11 Awesome Things to do in Edinburgh with Kids, 10 Day Scotland Itinerary: Edinburgh, Glasgow & the Isle of Skye, Flying Over the Fairy Pools on the Isle of Skye, Walking the Cliffs of Moher: Doolin to Hags Head, Hiking Trolltunga: Everything You Need to Know Before You Go, Journey through the Zion Narrows in Photos, Trekking to Everest Base Camp in 18 Amazing Photos. Do not attempt the Forcan Ridge in the rain, snow, or even when it is very cloudy. Do you have any recommendations on hiking gear/clothing or any brands you found worked better for the potential rainy weather? The Saddle is the finest of the Kintail peaks and one of the most magnificent mountains in the Highlands. Have fun in Scotland! Before flying to Scotland, I did a lot of research looking for that perfect Scottish hike. Truly an area for the Munro Bagger if ever there was one. Wear waterproof hiking shoes. What we thought was Sgurr na Sgine was really Faochag. Who has travelled "Over the sea to Skye"? Their instructions were good, but the landmarks they listed used Gaelic names for the mountains. We had zero cell service here. Truly an area for the Munro Bagger if ever there was one. Buy Now . 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. To continue to Sgurr na Sgine, there is a sketchy path which winds up the rocky slopes beyond. It’s another to get lucky enough to have clear weather. Continue along Faochag. 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 view of these five prism-shaped pyramids overlooking the bay of Loch Duich is one of the most common objects Scottish postcards. Terrain: A tough mountain walk with steep and rugged terrain. Written by: Caitlin. Just before the Forcan Ridge the path splits. Hiking boots may be better because they might keep your feet drier if you end up walking through the boggy ground like we did. Wester Ross and North Coast 500. I was thinking of doing this on my own in May 2018,. The north side of the glen is formed by the famous Five Sisters range and its easterly continuation; a true classic amongst ridgewalks. Where to Stay: We stayed at the Grianan Guest House, located in Inverinate of Kintail, just a 10 minute drive from The Saddle hike. Does your firm want to sponsor this route. Read all of our articles in our. These include the famous Five Sisters of Kintail, the Saddle (the highest point on Glenshiel Estate) and Forkans Ridge which provides challenging ridge line walking/climbing. Climb the hillside on the faint, hard to follow path. How to take an alternate route. The hike starts just south of Shiel Bridge. It is located near Shiel Bridge and Invershiel and is just a short drive from the Isle of Skye. Fortunately, mother nature cooperated today. A few years from now…sure, they’d be able to handle it. Cross the road and enter the trailhead. Mark Greenwood. This is a challenging hike. Buy Now . A tough mountain walk with steep and rugged terrain. The Saddle is the finest of the Kintail peaks and one of the most magnificent mountains in the Highlands. Return over the northwest top and continue along the ridge to its elegant termination at the minor summit of Faochag. Photo : Leehein, CC BY-SA 3.0. This peak has a dramatic outline when seen from higher up Glen Shiel. Thinking we were unstoppable, we decided to give the Forcan Ridge a try. Even so, we love them and I am now on my fourth pair. I noticed you said there aren’t markers or anything as well which worries me a bit. Jun 2, 2020 - Hiking the Kintail Saddle in the Highlands of Scotland #Hiking This small B&B has only four rooms and has a beautiful setting overlooking Loch Duich. Of course, this is Scotland. Have you found an error or is any information wrong or missing? There are rusted metal poles sticking up from the ground here. Or did you break down your northern route return journey to bag this munro? It took us 10 minutes of hiking upstream to find a narrower, safer place to cross. 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. This area offers varied walking with villages such as Plockton as well as the region's main … Kintail 1012m 5-6 hrs. At the top of this hill, you can see down Faochag, the ridge heading towards A87. Show Map. 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. Hosted by Wayymark Outdoor. This pub serves excellent Scottish food and ale. We wanted adventure but we did not want to endanger our kids. 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. Beyond this the ridge leads over a minor top to ridge the summit of the Saddle, at 1010 metres. So nope, we never climbed the official peak of Sgurr na Sgine, which means we never officially bagged a Munro today. The sky was overcast with a threat of rain, but conditions actually improved during our hike. Please let us know by clicking here. During bad weather, for those with limited hiking experience, or for those hiking with kids, there is an alternate, safer path. Closer to Skye is the Lochalsh peninsula between the shores of Loch Duich and Loch Carron. Even during the peak summer month of August, we had this trail almost to ourselves. Le Kintail, en gaélique écossais Cinn Tàile, est un massif montagneux des Highlands en Écosse, dans le Nord du Royaume-Uni. Over 8 miles in length with 1300 meters of climbing, this hike involves summiting two Munros. The Saddle is described as one of the most magnificent mountains in the Highlands of Scotland. And to be honest, at this point, Kara was running out of steam. Check the top places to visit in the region and plan your next adventure today. We took a break here to enjoy the views, have a snack, and fly our drone. Like many other "sisters" around the world, these five are very photogenic and identical. Very soon we had a decision to make. Maybe the most difficult part of the day (unless you did the Forcan Ridge). The Saddle (An Diollaid in Gaelic) is the finest mountain in Kintail. Tim and I were left deciphering written words from a Scottish website that assumed you already knew the names of the mountain peaks towering around you. One of our big hikes (Bla Bheinn) was already disrupted due to the rain. Cheers, Julie, Your email address will not be published. Just make sure you make a reservation in advance. 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. Hiking with Kids: Tyler was 13 and Kara was 11 when we did this hike. Republishing this article and/or any of its contents (text, photography, etc. The Kintail Saddle ticked all of the boxes on our list. In most places, the trail itself is easy to follow. Julie Last updated: December 9, 2020 Scotland 6 Comments. There is a wide, gravel path leading through a gate and up the hillside in front of you. Please consider setting up a direct debit donation to help support the continued maintenance and updates to Walkhighlands. Name (required) Email (required) Comments (required) Submit Comment. Another awesome view awaits. Boat trips. Sunday, August 30, 2020 at 8:00 AM – 5:00 PM UTC+01. This is the most common path to The Saddle. 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. They are placed in the ground every 15 to 20 feet. Citilink buses between Glasgow, Inverness, Portree the A87 (request stop at drivers discretion). 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. S one thing planning to do at this point was to walk southeast down (... A sketchy path which winds up the hillside on the ridge and the alternate, path... 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