Citilink buses between Glasgow, Inverness, Portree the A87 (request stop at drivers discretion). The four of us trudged through boggy, wet ground to A87. The thought of climbing even higher sounded like torture to her. The sky was overcast with a threat of rain, but conditions actually improved during our hike. Who has travelled "Over the sea to Skye"? It is located near Shiel Bridge and Invershiel and is just a short drive from the Isle of Skye. Continue along Faochag. Print out a copy of the map on the Walk Highlands website for reference. If avoiding the ridge, turn left here and contour the slope, keeping just to the right of a drystone dyke; this leads up to the Bealach Coire Mhalagain. These are joined by the magnificent Saddle, one of the finest mountains in all Scotland. Open start point in Google Maps for directions. However, if it has recently rained, which it had in our case, the stream becomes a river. We were using printed directions from the Walk Highlands website. Too challenging for Kara and Tyler. There is a wide, gravel path leading through a gate and up the hillside in front of you. 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. It’s a half an hour away from Kintail but the food is awesome here. How to take an alternate route. Malagan Bridge, Kyle. Thinking we were unstoppable, we decided to give the Forcan Ridge a try. Keen scramblers can reach it via its rugged steep Forcan Ridge, however, we will take the easier route that doesn’t require ropes and a head for heights. The path traverses to the right hand side of the summit of Meallan Odhar, reaching the ridge once more between that peak and the foot of the Forcan ridge. We had zero cell service here. Our Facebook feedsLike us Facebook It’s another to get lucky enough to have clear weather. In most places, the trail itself is easy to follow. A few years from now…sure, they’d be able to handle it. We took a break here to enjoy the views, have a snack, and fly our drone. This one connects The Saddle with Sgurr na Sgine. This hike takes you through very wet, boggy marshes and your feet will get soaked. The far north west of Scotland and the … When driving southeast from Glen Shiel, the lay-by is about a ¼ mile past the Achnagart Farm. Required fields are marked *. Basically, just head straight up the hill the safest way possible. Read all of our articles in our Scotland Destination Guide. Even so, we love them and I am now on my fourth pair. Their instructions were good, but the landmarks they listed used Gaelic names for the mountains. Layby on A87 (T). The path rapidly descends, and yes, at times, it looks as though you will slide right off the side of the mountain. Kintail est située à 4 milles au nord de The Saddle. With two tired kids, the last thing we wanted to do at this point was to walk farther than necessary. Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment. Written by: Caitlin. During bad weather, for those with limited hiking experience, or for those hiking with kids, there is an alternate, safer path. This excellent path winds two and fro up the hillside before making a long traverse to reach the col. From the col, turn left. 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. Le Kintail, en gaélique écossais Cinn Tàile, est un massif montagneux des Highlands en Écosse, dans le Nord du Royaume-Uni. 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. Add to this the stunning scenery on the drive into the area on the Road to the Isles and you have a recipe for a spectacular weekend in a magical area. Hiking boots may be better because they might keep your feet drier if you end up walking through the boggy ground like we did. Soyez chez vous, ailleurs, avec Airbnb. Mark Greenwood . This was a tough one but one we will not soon forget. 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. Fortunately, mother nature cooperated today. ), in whole or in part, is strictly prohibited. Got something to say? I noticed you said there aren’t markers or anything as well which worries me a bit. The Saddle. There are rusted metal poles sticking up from the ground here. The north side of the glen is formed by the famous Five Sisters range and its easterly continuation; a true classic amongst ridgewalks. Trouvez des hébergements uniques auprès d'hôtes locaux dans 191 pays. Plus, it is just 15 minutes away from Eilean Donan Castle. We had a fabulous day, we were able to see those epic high altitude Scottish views, and we completed another very memorable hike. You are now only about half a kilometre from the layby and the start. Turn south along the ridge, easily reaching the northwest top of Sgurr na Sgine. 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. Wrong. All rights reserved © Earth Trekkers. 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. People are asked to stay at home except for essential purposes. Usually this is easy as there is a path of stones crossing the stream. Sunday, August 30, 2020 at 8:00 AM – 5:00 PM UTC+01. At 1012m, the Saddle is one of Kintail’s highest mountains. Once at the bottom, the last step is to cross the stream (Allt Mhalagain). Just before the Forcan Ridge the path splits. Buy Now . The Saddle, Glen Shiel, Scotland by Mark Greenwood. It is located near Shiel Bridge and Invershiel and is just a short drive from the Isle of Skye. However, the cloud cover obscuring the knifelike ridge was changing our minds. The trig point is slightly further along the ridge. There are no signs or markers on the trail. Our website uses cookies. A Munro is any mountain in Scotland over 3,000 ft. This was our first time here and we had no idea what we were looking at. Park at the lay-by (narrow car park) on the side of A87 (GPS coordinates: 57.175749, -5.363888). Photo Walker Search: "forcan" 61 photos matching '"forcan"' (showing 25-48): average rating 3.8 votes 647Click on the thumbnails to view the full size images. 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. 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. Trouvez des hébergements uniques auprès d'hôtes locaux dans 191 pays. Click for details, Hear pronunciation Press to hear pronunciation. Cheers, Julie, Your email address will not be published. Once at the col, turn left and begin the climb up Meallan Odhar. We love lots of changes in scenery, some rock scrambling, and sections just challenging enough to keep things interesting. We loved it here!! Leave a comment. Any quality rain jacket will work well, we wear North Face. It’s one thing planning to do the hike. The Kintail Saddle ticked all of the boxes on our list. It gets steep rather quickly, so it would not take us long to find out if we could handle it. Julie Last updated: December 9, 2020 Scotland 6 Comments. Cross the road (carefully) and walk east along it until reaching the foot of the stalkers path leading up to the col between Biod an Fhithich and Meallan Odhar. Climb the hillside on the faint, hard to follow path. 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. The Saddle is the finest of the Kintail peaks and one of the most magnificent mountains in the Highlands. Buy Now . Bealach Coire Mhalagain is another col. Rain is almost ever-present, especially during the summer months. The path down from the summit of The Saddle and the alternate, safer path both connect here. 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. 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. Cross the road and enter the trailhead. 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. I was thinking of doing this on my own in May 2018,. Another awesome view awaits. Check the top places to visit in the region and plan your next adventure today. And Tim and I love our Prana hiking pants. Closer to Skye is the Lochalsh peninsula between the shores of Loch Duich and Loch Carron. The exposure is however considerable. On the Walk Highlands website there are various maps you can print or use for the hike. To descend to Bealach Coire Mhalagain, head a short distance south of the trig point to where a path can be seen beginning to make the descent. For us, the three days prior to the Kintail Saddle hike was spent in the rain on the Isle of Skye. The Saddle is described as one of the most magnificent mountains in the Highlands of Scotland. Hey! We walked across a rocky hillside, ending at another col. And this is where staying on the trail got a little tricky. Thank you so much for the great information. We wanted adventure but we did not want to endanger our kids. The peak looming over you to your right is Sgurr na Sgine. We turned around, deciding to continue on with the safer option. Add to this the stunning scenery on the drive into the area on the Road to the Isles and you have a recipe for a spectacular weekend in a magical area. By continuing to browse this website you are agreeing to our use of cookies. Open start point in Google Maps for directions. At the heart of Kintail is the dramatic Glen Shiel, encircled by steep mountains. I wear the Halle pant and Tim wears the Stretch Zion pants. Its fine … The Saddle is the finest of the Kintail peaks and one of the most magnificent mountains in the Highlands. Scotland is under national lockdown. Over 8 miles in length with 1300 meters of climbing, this hike involves summiting two Munros. Do not attempt the Forcan Ridge in the rain, snow, or even when it is very cloudy. I had also made the assumption that we would be able to use Google Maps to help identify landmarks. Does your firm want to sponsor this route. using a map and compass. This is a challenging 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. 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. Do not underestimate the danger of this ridge. If your child is 14 years or older with lots of hiking experience, the Forcan Ridge might be possible. Return over the northwest top and continue along the ridge to its elegant termination at the minor summit of Faochag. Show Map. Glenshiel is also on the challenging Barrisdale to Shiel Bridge leg of the Cape Wrath trail. 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. We stayed in Dornie, which is near Eilean Donan Castle. Glencoe, Scotland, an ancient land of drama and beauty. Safer option beginning to sound like this would be one of Kintail a... Map on the mountain of its contents ( text, photography, etc was running of. 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