The Best Guide for the IV17 Area

Bag 11 Munros on the Beautiful Isle of Skye

Published: 2nd March 2022 14:16

Lockdown’s lifted and, now that we can get out and about, we’re all looking for something different to do in 2022. West Coast Mountain Guides offers you the opportunity to do something truly extraordinary. Bag 11 Munros in just 4 days with a holiday climbing and scrambling on the Isle of Skye.

What are Munros?

A Munro is a Scottish mountain with a height of over 3000 feet (914.4 metres). They are named after Sir Hugh Munro, who was an original member of the Scottish Mountaineering Club. In 1891 Sir Hugh listed all the mountains in Scotland over 3000 ft. There are 282 Munros, with tallest of course being Ben Nevis – the UK’s highest mountain.

What is Munro bagging?

Reaching the top of these lofty peaks is known as Munro bagging and it’s one of the foremost challenges that hikers and climbers can set themselves. The difficulty of Munros ranges from the relatively simple to mountains that require advanced climbing skills, but with the right preparation and sometimes the help of a professional guide, it’s a challenge that can be achieved by most reasonably fit hikers. In fact if you don’t believe us take heart from the story of Margaret Squires, who bagged her 282^nd Munro at the grand old age of 81.

How long does it take to bag all Munros?

While the current record for bagging all Munros stands at 31 days and 23 hours, held by Donnie Campbell, the average rate to complete them is a much more leisurely 23 years. That is the equivalent of just over 12 every year. If you want to kickstart your Munro bagging, or give your ongoing bagging a boost, then the Cuillin Mountains on Skye could be just the place to go. There are 11 Munros on the Black Cuillin Ridge, and with the help of West Coast Mountain Guides, you could complete them all in 4 days.

Climbing the Black Cuillin Munros

The Black Cuillin Ridge on the Isle of Skye is home to 11 Munros including the highest on the mountain - Sgurr Alasdair – and Sgurr Dearg – known as the Inaccessible Pinnacle – a narrow blade of rock with a summit that can be reached via a short moderate climb. As these Munros are concentrated within such a small area it’s possible to climb all of them in less than a week. There’s even a 12^th Munro on Skye - Bla-bheinn – so a holiday to Skye could see you ticking all these off your list within 7 days.

These summits can be reached by any fit hiker with a good head for height, however while some of the peaks in this range seem straightforward the weather and conditions on Skye can be unpredictable and most people are best advised to tackle these with the help of a professional guide.

Hiking in the Cuillin Mountains with West Coast Mountain Guides

West Coast Mountain Guides offers organised trips for the main 11 Skye Cuillin Munros. With a course that is designed to see you bagging the Munros in 4 days. These trips include scrambling and climbing instruction as well as taking advantage of the expert knowledge of a team of guides who know the mountains intimately. Tackling the Munros with the help of professionals is the safest way to approach a challenge which shouldn’t be underestimated.

You’ll benefit from an extremely small guide-to-hiker ratio of no more than 2 participants for every guide, ensuring that you get the attention you need to achieve your personal climbing challenge. The guides can even arrange for an additional day to let you bag the 12^th Munro on the Isle of Skye. If you’re fit, willing to learn and aren’t phased by heights, then bagging Munros on Skye could be your next big challenge.

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