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Kintail Bookends
Guided Munro-bagging days in the Western Highlands
At either end of the Kintail Brothers and Sisters there is superb hiking and ridge-walking to be enjoyed.
At the western end, A'Ghlas Bheinn's spurs reach down to the glen below resembling the fingers of a hand and Beinn Fhada is tucked behind, teasing us with glimses of it's narrow ridge on Sgurr a'Coire Ghairbh.
To the east, the Munros north of Loch Cluanie rise above lonely Ceannacroc Forest and are connected by wild spurs. We're on these superb ranges for 2 days of guided hiking to reach the summits and enjoy the fine views.
At a glance
- 2 days of guided hillwalking on high mountains in the Western Highlands
- Walk along fine stalker's paths, wide crests and rugged terrain to discover hidden lochans and remnants of Caledonian Forests
- Reach superb view points from where vast panoramas can be appreciated, over to Skye and north to Torridon and An Teallach
- Bag 5 Munros in the area including Beinn Fhada and Sgurr nan Conbhairean
- Join a small group led by an experienced leader with a good knowledge of the wildlife, flora and geology
Dates and booking
General info
Demanding hillwalking days.
A 2 day event of guided hiking in the Western Highlands with one of our experienced and qualified leaders.
Your guide will know the remote area well and be able to give you insight into the flora, fauna and geology.
Our maximum guide to client ratio on this event is 1:6.
Outline of event »
Day 1 : Above Loch Cluanie
A day's hike over 3 Munros to the north of Loch Cluanie
| Summits : | Carn Ghluasaid, Sgurr nan Conbhairean, Sail Chaorainn |
| Grading : | 'moderate day' |
| Stats : | distance : 13km, ascent : 1250m, time : 5−7 hours |
With some well defined stalkers paths over grassy terrain on the three Munros above Loch Cluanie, this is a fine way to kick of our 2 days of hiking !
Views to Kintail are stunning and glimpses of beautiful Glen Affric are to be had as progress is made along the crests.
We start from the roadside, around halfway along Loch Cluanie and head up the remains of an old military road.
Further on, after leaving the track behind, we'll head up grassy slopes and onto a ridge leading to our first Munro,
Carn Ghluasaid.
To the north of us towers mighty
Sgurr nan Conbhairean with a sweeping crest connecting us to it.
We'll reach its summit from where you'll be captivated by the vast panorama extending in all directions.
Ahead, we'll drop to the wide plateau of
Sail Chaorainn, our final peak of the day and in very remote surroundings, before returning down the military road.
Map of intended route
Day 2 : Strath Croe Munros
At the western end of Kintail, stalker's paths again lead up hillsides, more rugged terrain than yesterday !
| Summits : | A'Ghlas Bheinn, Beinn Fhada |
| Grading : | 'demanding day' |
| Stats : | distance : 19km, ascent : 1750m, time : 8−10 hours |
North of Kintail's Five Sisters, Beinn Fhada is a vast mountain, most of which is hidden from roadside view.
The main summit is perched at the edge of a wide plateau and above a northern coire, in stark contract to its narrow western ridge leading to Sgurr a'Coire Ghairbh.
A'Ghlas Bheinn at 918m scrapes into Munro's tables, but don't let this fool you - it requires a fair bit of effort to bag the summit !
We start our day from Morvich at the southern end of Loch Duich.
On forestry tracks, we'll head up Strath Croe and to Bealach an Sgairne at 500m above sea-level !
North and along a rough crest, we'll reach the summit of
A'Ghlas Bheinn, then return to the bealach.
There are various options (weather dependent) to clamber up mighty
Beinn Fhada, also known as Ben Attow.
We'll then cross
Sgurr a'Choire Ghairbh and its notched ridge for a pleasant grassy descent back down to Morvich.
Map of intended route
Experience & fitness needed »
Demanding hillwalking days.
To join this guided event, we ask that you :
- have a good level of fitness and stamina
- have done several hillwalks
- are comfortable hiking for 8 hours plus
- had exposure to Scottish mountain weather or similar
The routes have good stalkers paths heading up grassy slopes leading to varied terrain higher up.
Our first day's hike is classed as 'moderate', 'demanding' if we encounter winter conditions.
The second day's hike is classed 'demanding'.
Have a look at
how we grade our events or
contact us for more information.
Gear you'll need »
You'll need your general hiking and hill-walking gear appropriate to the conditions and time of year.
More information on this gear along with a checklist to download and Pinterest board for specific suggestions can be found on our
Mountain Gear page.
Your guide »
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John King
MLS, MLW qualified and more, John is passionate about passing on his knowledge and sharing his enthusiasm for the hills !
Leading the event on 12-13 April'20.
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Steven Fallon
MLS, MLW qualified, Steven has been hill-walking for over 20 years in Scotland and elsewhere in the UK and Europe. He loves sharing his enthusiasm for the Scottish Mountains and their stunning scenery.
Leading the event with John King on 12-13 April'20.
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John Hepburn
ML qualified and a member of the Lochaber Mountain Rescue Team, John loves sharing stories about the local geology, plant and wildlife while out on the mountains of Scotland.
Leading the event on 11-12 September'20.
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More information on your guide can be found on our
About Us page.
Location & accommodation »
We'll be based in the Kintail area which has a reliable bus service running through from Glasgow, Fort Willam and Inverness to Skye (see www.citylink.co.uk).
Below is a list of accommodation that previous guests on our trips have recommended.
Other accommodation can be found at
Visit Scotland.
Around a month prior to an event taking place, we hope to set up a 'Whatsapp' chat group for the event. This will hopefully help participants find out where others are staying and organise car-share.
Please note that our expertise lies in offering you great guided days in Scotland's mountains and not providing transport or arranging your accommodation. Please see our
FAQs for more information.
Previous trips »
Below on our Blog or on Flickr are some previous trips similar to this one.
Booking terms »
Our booking terms and conditions are set out
on this page.
These terms and conditions help us deliver great experiences, at the same time keeping costs down to give you value for money.
When booking onto this event or any other event, you will be asked to confirm that you have read and agree with the terms and conditions.
Some often asked questions are outlined and answered in our
FAQs.
