Skye
18th Jun 2012
I have just had a little holiday to Skye with my parents.
The Cuillin Mountains are one of my most favourite places in the world, every time I go I can’t believe how beautiful it is. We camped literally about 100 yards from the sea and looked out onto the Isle of Eigg and Rhum and beyond that, the Outer Hebrides. Then if you turned 90 degrees and the weather is on your side you could see The Black Cuillins. We had the weather on our side luckily and had three perfect days, full sun and 20+ degrees.
The thing I love most (except how pretty it is in the mountains) is that if you want to do anything it is going to be a mission and involve a lot of walking.
I have always wanted to do a route up the Cioch block so we set off up there via a nice VS. There is a really cool slightly overhanging E2 crack that goes up the left wall of the block.
Mum looking up at the mountains, the Cioch block is circled in red.
I am not so good at crack climbing but it was such a good line it would be rude not to climb it. I struggled my way up and arrived at the top totally covered in lichen with very cut hands and only some micro wires for a belay.
'Overhanging Crack'
Fortunately there were some chaps eating malt loaf on the top and let me borrow a few cams (thaaanks). Mum seconded me up it in a flash – what a beast! Much to the surprise of myself and the malt loaf guys. We then finished up an aaaamazing E1 called Trophy Crack and finally topped out at 7pm.
Sat ontop of the Cioch
We did a scramble the next day called Pinnacle Ridge and then got psyched and took double rest days so we could try and do the whole Cuillin Ridge. The weather had turned a bit dodgy but it said 70% chance of cloud free munros, so we got up at 2.30 in the morning and set off up some very misty mountains. We walked for about 4 hours waiting for the mist to clear but instead it chucked it down so we sacked it, but on the plus side I did see 6 frogs that morning!
Tired, wet and fed up of midges we decided to go home…
Contributed by: Katy Whittaker
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