Peak of the Month

6

Red Cuillin, Isle of Skye

We’re making use of a little artistic license with this one, as it’s not so much our peak of the month as peaks. The Red Cuillin hills sit off the eastern side of Glen Sligachan, opposite their darker brethren. From Glamaig in the north – a perfect soft-edged pyramid when seen from the classic Sligachan Bridge viewpoint – to the offset and slightly outlying Marsco in the south, and Beinn na Caillich near Broadford to the east, the Red Cuillin offer a warmer and more rounded counterpoint to the fearsome cold-pointed Black Cuillin peaks which curl around to the west and south.

But make no mistake, the Red Cuillin are still very much proper mountains. There might not be a Munro among them (although there’s a Corbett and a few Grahams), but the near pathless and tricksy scree-covered terrain make these hills to be earned rather than simply acquired. And the rewards are worth it. Incredible views dominate in every direction. From the jagged profiles of Sgurr nan Gillean and Am Basteir on the opposite side of the glen to the sea-soaked, islandflecked scenery of Skye’s Inner Sound, the Red Cuillin pay back your time and effort with interest.

CLIMB THEM THIS MONTH: PAGE 99

JXUXNXEX 202119 Heading south to the summit of Beinn Dearg Mheadhonach on the Red Cuillin, with the triangular Beinn Dearg Mhor behind and the sprawling Glamaig in the distance.