Beinn Dearg Bheag – I’ve climbed the Broadford Grahams, Beinn an Caillich and Beinn Dearg Mhor, on a couple of occasions but never managed to include the Hump, Beinn Dearg Bheag, so I decided to tackle it on its own from the B8083 Broadford to Elgol Road on the Isle of Skye.
I left my car beside the derelict weigh bridge at the Skye Marble Centre, located between Kilbride and Torrin, crossed the road, and commenced the ascent of Beinn Dearg Bheag. The area was unfenced with sheep and lambs having free range. I walked over the rough pasture initially on a gentle gradient.
As height was gained there were rocks and heather to contend with as the ground steepened. I kept to the left of a gully and un-named stream before heading through some scree onto the East Ridge where I joined a walker’s path which led to the summit of Beinn Dearg Bheag. The highest point was marked by a boulder and here it was rather chilly in a light breeze.
The return was by the ascent route.
Beinn an Dubhaich – I parked at the end of the unclassified and pot holed public road that ran south-west from Kilbride to a parking area beside Loch Slapin on the Isle of Skye. I walked across the road onto some rough vegetation which consisted of heather, grasses and rocks then a short steep section before heading for the West Top. From there it was a short descent to the north side of Loch nan Learg before climbing to the summit of Beinn an Dubhaich, a Tump.
The descent was round the south side of the loch and the West Top before returning to the start by the outward route.
Bheinn Shuardail – I left my car at the side of the B8083 Broadford to Torrin Road, on the Isle of Skye, just east of the path leading to Coire-chat-achan and climbed steadily through heather and grasses onto the north-east ridge of the Hump, Bheinn Shuardail and to its summit cairn.
The return was by the upward route.
- Total time – 5.25 hours.
- Total distance – 13.75 kilometres.
- Total height climbed – 1005 metres.