Another bigger ridge. Charred on the Cuillin!

What a top two days! After Tower Ridge on saturday I hopped a bus to Skye to meet Simon. We stayed at the ever popular Old Inn at Carbost but were on the go early(ish) for our 2 day Cuillin Ridge traverse on sunday and monday.
It was obvious from the word go that the biggest problem was going to be the sun! Factor 50 was being burnt through at a great rate of knots and water was consumed equally quickly.
Simon's aim was the 11 munros in one trip so we started up Coir' a Ghrunnda filling our bottles and joining the ridge before an out and back to Sgurr nan Eag. Then we took another detour to Sgurr Dubh Mor before making a tactical drop below the T-D Gap for water at the excellent spring there. That did us over Alasdair, Mhic Connich and the Inaccessible Pinnacle. We stopped for dinner and another water top off down in Coire na Bannachdich and then it was onwards over Sgurr na Bannachdich and Sgurr a' Greadhaidh before a bivvy at An Dorus. We shared the best sunset I've seen in the UK with Jo and her dad.
A lazy start the next day saw us off at 0730 (too much sleep- best night I've had on the Ridge) and we were soon involved in the complexities of Sgurr a' Mhadaidh and its 3 satelites and Bidien Druim nam Ramh. Then its was the long haul in the heat to Bruach na Frithe via the 2 wee jumps over gaps on the Ridge. The water was still lasting out but you could have fried an egg on my neck as we climbed Am Bhasteir and finished the 11 Munros with Sgurr Nan Gillean. A last abseil back to the Coire and a slide down the snow with the Sligachan ahead. We stopped for a quick dip in the burn on the walk out as it would have been rude not to and Simon (a keen birder) was please to spot a Greenshank although he was denied the sound of a Ring Ouzel.
The hottest traverse I've done yet and very midgey at An Dorus but Smidge did the trick keep the the b(l)ighters at bay! Well done Simon on what is never an easy trip.
Watch out for Simon's article on the trip in an upcoming edition of Scotland Outdoors.

 'Over the seas to Skye

 One end of the Ridge

 The pull back up out of Coir' a Ghrunnda

 Sgurr Alasdair

 On The Inaccesible Pinnacle

 The team who kindly let us through

 Sgurr na Bannachdich

 Beautiful sunset from An Dorus

 Breakfast

 Dawn and the way ahead

 The tops of Mhadaidh

 Am Bhasteir, 10 down, 1 to go

 Headind up onto Sgurr nan Gillean

 Through the window

A well earned dip