Sail Mhor & Morrison’s Gully
1 NG958568 Start at the Coire Dubh carpark on the Glen Torridon road, 10km west of Kinlochleven. A small cairn, to the right of the car park’s entrance, marks the start of the Coire Dubh Mor path. Head up the well-made path, which curves north-west into the narrow glen between the eastern end of Liathach and the towering south-west flanks of Beinn Eighe. Continue for 4km to where the path forks, just above a small, elongated lochan.
2 NG934594 Follow the right-hand fork in the path as it initially heads north, before gradually curving north-east beneath the steep slopes of Sail Mhor. The path continues to curve rightwards and the great cleft of Morrison’s Gully soon comes into view, splitting the northern prow of Sail Mhor from base to summit. Having passed beneath the gully the path picks a way up through steep ground, towards the entrance of Coire Mhic Fhearchair. The flat sandstone slabs at the lip of the corrie provide a surreal resting spot – spread out before you is the expansive interior of the Torridonian mountains and dominating the view in the opposite direction are the magnificent triple buttresses, Beinn Eighe’s finest feature.
3 NG940610 From the lip of the corrie, contour west across easy slopes to reach the entrance of Morrison’s Gully. Sheer sidewalls bound the deep gully for a distance of over 400m. It is one of the great gullies of the north-west. The initial section is easy-angled and straightforward, until a short but appreciable steepening is reached at approximately half
height. The steepening rarely presents any problems. The top half of the gully is again straightforward until near the top.
The top of the gully opens out into a large, north-facing rocky amphitheatre, whose exit slopes can often be bullet-hard or icy. Unlike the bed of the main gully, which is sheltered and always in the shade, these slopes are constantly wind-scoured and their surfaces briefly exposed to warming sunlight. Although their gradient never exceeds that of Grade 1, don’t be surprised by having to kick in hard on this final stretch.
4 NG938605 The summit of Sail Mhor is a grand spot – a huge pedestal from which to soak up the other-worldly landscape. From here, strike out across the long, sweeping saddle that connects with Coinneach Mhor, the plateau-topped peak above the Triple Buttresses. At the far end of the saddle a rocky buttress blocks the way. Contour around the buttress on the right, before cutting back left and scrambling into a rocky couloir. This steep but easy recess leads onto the crest of the buttress, which is then climbed direct over a few slabby steps to the sanctuary of the summit plateau.
5 NG944600 From Coinneach Mhor’s indistinct summit, head gently downhill in an easterly direction for approximately 800m, to where a subtle reentrant (small valley) bites into the plateau from the right (south). A short distance beyond the re-entrant is a 20m rise, signifying the start of the narrow ridge that connects to Spidean Coire nan Clach. From the most favourable-looking point between these two features, bail obliquely downhill in a south-southeast direction (steep!), a trajectory that will eventually collide with a wide furrowed stream bed. Head downhill, sticking initially to the true right side (west) of the stream. As the gradient eases off, good snow conditions can often provide some exceptionally long bum-slides.
6 NG950587 Cross the floor of the glen to meet with Coire Dubh Mor path, then retrace the approach route back to Glen Torridon.