Sgurr a' Ghreadaidh and Sgurr a' Mhadaidh Route Information

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Sgurr a' Ghreadaidh & Sgurr a' Mhadaidh

Quick Facts

This is the summed total of all the climbing within a route and is a good indicator of the strenuousness of a route.

Total Ascent

1050 m

An estimate of the time taken based on a derivation of Naismiths rules. Our calculation is based on the horizontal and ascent components of a climb, we do not make a reduction for descent.

Registered users can customise these walking times by specifying their own walking and ascending speeds. They can also add a fixed time period for stoppages.

Route Time

4 hrs

The horizontal distance of the route.

Route Distance

9.18 km

The UK is covered by 204 Ordnance Survey Landranger 1:50,000 scale maps. Maps numbered 1 to 86 cover Scotland but for the highest mountains (Munros) only 23 maps are required. The name given roughly describes the area covered by the map.

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A brief summary of this route.

Our summary will always contain one of easy, moderate or hard to indicate the severity of the route.

Notes

This is one of the easier routes on the Cuillin Ridge, with its "sticky" Gabro rock. However, the Cuillin as a whole should not be attempted unless you have scrambling skills and are comfortable with exposure (see image gallery for further details).

Here we provide the nearest town to the start of the route where you will find basic services.

We then give directions from that location to the route start. Your approach route may differ.

Travel Information

Head to: Carbost

From Carbost (B8009) travel SE to junction at (NG390310), then SE through Glen Brittle to Glen Brittle Youth Hostel.

Route Waypoint Map

The total ascent is 1,050 metres. Allow 4 hours to complete this 9.18 km route.

In winter months please check the local snow conditions at sais.gov.uk.

The hillphones service can inform you of stalking activities in the area.

Usually the shortest way to climb the mountain, making best use of tracks and paths to gain altitude. Route navigation requires map reading skills and an ability to navigate with a compass.

The information given here will enable you to annotate your map and plan your route. We do not give anecdotal descriptions on where to find the paths, worn by the feet of previous mountaineers.

Where the access routes are few or the ridge is narrow, paths are generally obvious. On open ground, following paths without using your compass may get you lost in poor visibility.

Route Information

Waypoint Detail

	Start from Glen Brittle Youth Hostel
		NG40982248	Distance	Altitude 19 m

1	Follow path ENE through Coire a' Ghreadaidh and ascend into Coire An Dorus
		NG44042359	Distance 3.50 km	Altitude 560 m

2	Ascend ESE to col, An Dorus (= the door), between the two peaks
		NG44642343	Distance 0.69 km	Altitude 845 m

3	Scramble NNE to Sgurr a' Mhadaidh
		NG44692353	Distance 0.13 km	Altitude 918 m

4	Return to An Dorus
		NG44642343	Distance 0.13 km	Altitude 845 m

5	Scramble SSE to Sgurr a' Ghreadaidh
		NG44522325	Distance 0.28 km	Altitude 973 m

6	Return to An Dorus and descend as for ascent
		NG40982248	Distance 4.45 km	Altitude 19 m

A selection of weather forecasts local to this route.

Weather

North West Highlands
by MWIS (PDF format)

West Highlands
by Met Office

Sgurr na Banachdich
by Metcheck

Images of Sgurr a' Ghreadaidh & Sgurr a' Mhadaidh

Looking up towards the short but steep scree scramble to An Dorus, the Mhadaidh/Ghreadaidh col.

Image by David S Brown

Looking up the North ridge of Sgurr a' Ghreadaidh towards 'The Wart' (like a facial profile looking up and left) from just above the climb out of An Dorus. The North cliff is easily passed to the right on boulders and scree.

Image by David S Brown

The four tops of Sgurr a' Mhadaidh, with Sgurr a' Ghreadaidh to the left, seen from the summit of Sgurr Alasdair.

Image by David S Brown

Sgurr a' Ghreadaidh from the summit of Sgurr na Banachdich

Image by Peter Burgess

Route Area Map

Legend

Munro

Corbett

Graham

English/Welsh Top

Accommodation

A selection of local accommodation options who advertise with Munromagic.com.

Where to Stay

We currently have no
sponsored accommodation listings for this area.

Rating & Reviews

Rating & Reviews

Rated:

from 5 votes

Click Stars to Vote
Your Rating

Written by Martin Joyce on 27 May 2008:

For a truly awesome day I think you're better combining Ghreadaidh with Banachdich rather than Mhadaidh. Use An Dorus for ascent and the Munromagic Banchdich route for descent. The linking ridge gives a long, high grade scramble (though the final pull onto Banachdich is unpleasantly loose)and you've the satisfaction of covering a circular route. Choose a dry, calm day though as there's lots of "delicious" exposure

Written by DONALD FORREST on 04 Oct 2004:

These hills test all your mountain skills in one go. Thoroughly enjoyed day.

Written by Mark Blackwell on 20 Dec 2003:

The traverse of these two peaks is one of the easier sections of the Cuillin ridge, yet it contains some of the narrowest parts. The arete of Sgurr a Gredaidh is a true knife edge and the scrambling is hard (grade 3ish) with some spectacularly exposed moves having to be made on the slabs on the Coruisk side. However if you can stand the exposure this is ridge scrambling at it's very best, as it is high and commiting in a stunning situation. The rock can be slippy when wet and wind makes this route a much more serious proposition, a combination of the two makes for a terrifying excursion.

Written by Malcolm Grey on 05 Aug 2003:

As it stands this route is a good introduction to scrambling on the Cuillin. For those with good scrambling experience an even better route is to do the circuit of Corrie a' Ghreadaidh over both peaks & off the WNW ridge of Mhadaidh. Technically not desperate, but very exposed in places & care needed on final descent to spur. Well deserving of 5 stars, but so is virtually anything on the Ridge!

Disclaimer. The details provided above are an aid to planning an expedition, but all distances, altitudes and bearings must be considered approximate. You must navigate with the appropriate map, a compass, your navigation skills and common sense, MunroMagic.com accept no responsibility for your interpretation of our route information.

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