The Cuillin Ridge Traverse

The Cuillin Ridge Traverse

Is the most famous mountaineering expedition in Britain. With over 3000m ascent over 12km on the ridge itself and some of the most spectacular mountain scenery anywhere in the UK, the Cuillin Ridge Traverse truly is an awesome achievement for climbers, mountaineers and adventurous hill walkers. 

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highlights

• Longest Mountaineering Challenge in the UK

• Huge amounts of scrambling and Rock climbing

• Beautiful Location, on remote Skye, Scotland

• Wild Bivvi's high in the mountains

• 4000 meters of ascent and descent!

• 12km of Ridge 

• One of the most sought-after mountaineering expedition in the British Isles

• Magnificent views of the main Black Cuillin ridge and the sea of the Inner Hebrides

• 11 Munro's!

• A serious Mountaineering Challenge 

 

Location

The Isle of Skye is located on the West Coast of Scotland. It takes around 3hrs from fort William, 5.5hrs from Edinburgh, and about 13hrs drive from London. 

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Pre-requisites

You must be very physically fit. 

You must have lots of previous experience of hillwalking and Scrambling. 
You must be ready for a serious & difficult challenge.
You must have a good mental as well as physical resilience.

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Itinerary

3 days is the minimum number of days, and 4 or 5 are recommended. This "extra" time allows for better chances of success, allowing time for a weather window, and training scrambles, stashing/ retrieving bivvy supplies. 
The actual traverse is normally completed over the best two-day weather window, with one bivvy. 

 

price

Please see our pricing table for our basic packages. 

Contact Us for a quote for more people or more days.

Booking as an individual? maybe we can pair you with another person, to share the cost. 

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What's Included

• Guiding, Coaching, and Instruction

• A British Qualified mountaineering and Climbing instructor

• High definition photographs, and video

• All Technical climbing equipment, including shoes, helmet, harness, ropes, etc. 

 

Dates

We only take bespoke private bookings, so please get in touch for a suitable date. 

 

Getting to Skye

Many who choose to drive to Skye from southern England will require an entire day either side to allow for the long journey. Some prefer to fly to Edinburgh or Glasgow then hire a car. Public transport to Skye is currently not a feasible or quick option!

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tips for success

The Cuillin Ridge is no walk in the park; a coveted route described by the BMC as 'the holy grail of British Scrambling', this requires meticulous planning and preparation. 

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Overall less than 10% of parties attempting the Cuillin ridge succeed! 

 

Tips for success:

Fitness: physical - having a good baseline cardiovascular fitness level will improve the chance of a successful traverse, but even better is a good level of scrambling and climbing fitness. Try to get out scrambling longer routes with a medium-sized pack for best preparation of your fitness. 

Psychological - you'll need to be 100% focused at all times while moving on the ridge, being well-rested before will definitely help

 

Be slick - pack your kit efficiently, keep items like food and water easy to access on the move. Avoid time-wasting as much as possible, transition between scrambling/walking/climbing as quickly as possible. 

 

Kit - make sure you have all the appropriate kit and it is in good serviceable order and packed effectively. Don't bring too much or too little! Share toothpaste/insect repellent/sun creams etc. Make sure footwear is worn-in properly. Invest in lightweight kit.

 

Research - read up and watch videos to appreciate the challenge and get psyched. 

 

Bivi comfortably to rest well.

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Be aware of midge. 

 

Reasons for failure: weather, fitness, poor team coherence. 

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Food is Fuel: Carbo-load before setting off and eat lots and often during the entire traverse. 

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Stay hydrated! Drink lots; little sips and often. Use Iso-tonic mix.

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Be prepared for early starts and long days with late finishes. 

Arrive well-rested, well-fed, and well slept! 

 

 

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Kit List

Clothing

- Synthetic (Man made fibres), not cotton!.
- Trousers not shorts or leggings
- Base layer, light fleece  

- Spare Socks
- Well broken-in, light to medium weight walking boots

- An Example of a good footwear choice: La Sportiva Tx4 GTX Mid's 
- Good Walking socks

- 35-50-liter rucksack 

All technical equipment can be provided/included
Sunglasses 

3L water capacity 

Rucksack 20 - 40 liters 
Head Torch (Good quality with fresh batteries). 
Personal Climbing Equipment (harness, helmet, rock shoes, chalk bag, belay device etc). -all of which can be borrowed at no extra cost
Waterproof Jacket and Trousers

Mobile Phone
Sleeping Bag 2-3 season

Bivvi Bag (Gore-tex)
Sleeping pad (e.g. Thermarest uber-lite). 

Water storage (1L bottle and 1L collapsible bottle).

Collapsible plastic bowel, Mug & Spoon (life venture recommended) 

Shared Items: Sun Cream, Toothpaste, 

Provided: Rack/ Rope, Stove/Pans. Dinner & Breakfast provided when Bivving on the ridge. 
Lunches: Bring allot of high energy food and snacks for lunches. Bring things you'll enjoy eating and are used to. Have a mix of sweet and savory. Be weight conscious. 

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Weather

A full ridge traverse attempt will only be possible in reasonable weather. If the forecast is poor, we will need to find other more suitable objectives. Which could mean traveling to other areas of highlands with better weather conditions. Or completing some of Skye's other famous scrambles. 

 

Meeting Location

Glen Brittle Campsite the evening before our first day.