peaks ascent distance time start finish maps	Sgurr na Ciche (1040m, Munro 92) Garbh Cioch Mor (1013m Munro 116) Sgurr nan Coireachan (953m Munro 213) Sgurr Mor (1003m Munro 132) Sgurr Fhuaran (901m Corbett) Gairich (919m Munro 272) 3000m (9,850ft) 37km (23m) 8-11hr Strathan, Loch Arkaig (NM 988 916) Loch Quioch Dam (NH 067 024) OS landranger 33
main route summary  Rugged Sgurr na Ciche and Garbh Chioch Mor fit well on the edge of The Rough Bounds of Knoydart and fantastic seaward views over Eigg, Rhum, Skye and beyond are to be had from these peaks. Garbh Choich Mor and its minor tops are tamed by a long parish wall which helps when the mist is down. Well defined paths and stalkers tracks flow along the crests of Sgurr nan Coireachan, Sgurr Mor, Sgurr an Fhuarain and Gairich. The route follows around Loch Quioch, which can unveil some of the area's pre-dammed history if the level is low.			Arkaig and Knoydart weblinks  Get the local area weather forecast here See todays conditions on the nearby Kintail Webcam The Kinlochourn website is here Glen Dessary Estate website is here (with bagpipes !) Food and accomodation at the Tomdoun Sporting Lodge (there's nothing really on the Arkaig side) Sourlies, A'Chuil and Kinbreak bothies are in the Mountain Bothies Association website
main route outline Starting from the Quioch dam, this route takes in the main peaks in a clockwise direction, presenting fine views ahead while you continue westwards over the crests. Gairich There's parking for a handful if cars immediately by the dam. Cross the dam then head along a path heading south initially by the loch, then veering away from the shoreline. This path, though well defined and probably a stalker's track in its day, is mucky and wet over much of it's length to the drop down to the forest. At the forest, cross the junction and head up some peat-bog and wet grass to join the fine stalkers path that heads westwards up Gairich's long east arm. Continue for 3km along this path, which becomes fainter, to the base of Gairich's steep 300m climb. The path appears to head around the hill, don't follow it, instead head directly uphill. Higher up the path is met again and followed to the cairn on the summit. Gairich is a fine vantage point, with Sgurr na Ciche appearing very distant. Sgurr an Fhuarain Leave Gairich's summit and head sww over easy ground. An interesting little gap around the coire is discovered (barely distinguisable on the OS 1:50000 map). Head around this and then directly sww to the flat area on Gairich Beag. Cross this and over a slight rise to pick up a good stalker's path that zig-zags down to meet up with a track crossing A'Mhaingir. At this junction, leave both tracks behind and cross wet grassy ground, aiming sw. A faint old stalker's path is met, follow this sws for a bit, then leave it and strike up very steep grassy ground up onto the eastern arm of Sgurr an Fhuarain. Pathless grass covered ground is ascended up the last 200m to the conical trig point on the summit. Though only a few metres lower than Gairich, this peak is a 'mere' corbett, but I'm sure it doesn't loose any sleep over it ! Sgurr Mor Sgurr Mor appears suprisingly close when viewed from Sgurr an Fhuarain's summit, however this is deceiving ! Head w from Sgurr an Fhuarain along a faint path over pleasant grass covered ground, taking in the views ahead. Cross the bealach, then start heading up Sgurr Mor. The path continues, but narrows and zig-zags a bit as the terrain is just that bit tougher than what's been before on the route - an indicator of things to come ! Further up the ground gets a bit rockier, but the path picks the easiest route. A large untidy pile of stones and boulders on the summit makes up the cairn, which provides just enough shelter out of any wind. There are excellent views to be had towards the route's 3 remaining peaks and beyond. Sgurr nan Coireachan From Sgurr Mor head downhill and southwards on a well defined stalker's path. This path continues down to the bealach then up Sgurr Beag, becoming faint as it approaches this summit. Continuing sw down Sgurr Beag, the path becomes obvious again, so follow it to the col before An Eag. A fainter path continues over grass up An Eag, and at this the summit of this minor top, pick up a line of fence posts heading w. There's a drop of only 80m or so before the next col is reached, from where climb up grassy ground and the occasional slab, following the fence-posts to reach the summit crest of Sgurr nan Coireachan. Turn sw and follow a path and the posts to the summit, where there's a small untidy cairn to sit and awe at the view ahead to Garbh Chioch Mor, Sgurr na Ciche, Knoydart and Skye's Black Cuillin. Garbh Chioch Mor Follow fence posts w, downhill on a twisty worn path, dropping around 200m. As the rate of descent easies, the ground starts to become quite sodden. Cross the bealach and follow a path that hugs the wall that takes over from the fence-posts. This wall continues all the way up and along Garbh Chioch Beag to Garbh Chioch Mhor. The ridge can be quite narrow in some parts with some light scrambling required to move over the occasional rock outcrop. There are some good photo oportunities on the way to the summit - get your mate to pose on top of one of the cliffs ! There are two cairns on the top, the summit is the western one. Sgurr na Ciche The path continues to follow the wall along the crest westwards, though occasional scrambling on grippy rock is encountered. The wall turns nwn and heads down to the bealach below Sgurr na Ciche, meeting with a couple of small lochans on the way. At the bealach, leave the wall and head on an obvious path uphill following a small watercourse. Some boulders are reached and in mist it may not be obvious which way to continue - look right (n) and you should be able to pick out a route heading uphill. As the boulders are left behind, the path becomes obvious again, follow this up a small cairn on Sgurr na Ciche's eastern arm. Now on the crest, turn left (w) and follow the path for a couple of minutes to reach the summit. This is a fantastic vantage point looking down Loch Nevis out to Eigg, Rhum and Skye. If you've got the weather, spend some time here taking in the vista. Return Retrace your steps back to the small cairn on Sgurr na Ciche's eastern crest, but instead of returning to bealach, continue east along the crest on pathless ground for 250m. Turn ne and drop 150m. The route is straightforward, but occasional slight detours are need to avoid rock sections. The route then continues ne over a rise, from where drop a further 250m ne, picking a route carefully over grass avoiding rocky outcrops. Follow a burn down to the glen and pick up a stalker's track heading ne. Follow this track ne then n to the western end of Loch Quioch where two dams are crossed. This is a good camping area if you're backpacking into Knoydart, even better if you've kayaked along the loch. From the dams an excellent track continues along the northern shore. This track was built to enable the construction of the dams in the late 1950's, therefore it shouldn't come as a surprise that after 4km, the track heads straight into the loch. Surprise no, but disappointment yes ! Having merrily walked or jogged along the track, being faced with a faint, wet path for the last few km back to the road is slightly disheartening. Back to the road, hopefully you've left a bike for the 10km+ back to the dam, as there's not much chance of hitching a lift around here.			alternatives The main route starts and finishes from Quioch and takes in all the munros, however two other popular routes come in from the south. From Strathan taking in a Corbett or three  Strathan at the western end of Loch Arkaig is a popular starting point, which has the advantage of being able to include a corbett or three. However it leaves a long return journey over tiresome ground from Gairich, so if doing this route it might be better to climb Gairich separately another day. The other disadvantage of coming in via Arkaig is the long drive along the twisty, narrow single track road hugging the northern side of Loch Arkaig. I've damaged the underside of my car on this road more than once ! Having parked at the end of the public road, head along the track for 1km to a junction. Turn right and head into Glendessary. It is possible to cycle as far as Upper Glendessary, though if you're biking it, you'll get further up Glen Dessary on the forestry track on the south side of the river. A sign marks the start of the path from Upper Glendessary. After the initial marshy start on this, the path continues up the glen around the base of Sgurr Cos na Breachd-laoidh to reach the Allt Coire nan Uth. This can be slightly difficult to cross in spate, however if you follow the river down to the forest, there used to be a bridge hidden in the trees - it might still be there ! A bit further on there is another burn to cross, but this should be easy enough. Continue up the path to the end of the forest. 1km further on, look for a path uphill. This path becomes a track in bits and following a burn it reaches c610m before levelling out just below the rocky outcrops on Garbh Chioch Mhor's sw side. Follow the path into the gorge and continue up to the bealach between Sgurr na Ciche and Garbh Chioch Mor. Reach Sgurr na Ciche via the route described on the left and return to the bealach. Continue along the ridge over Garbh Chioch Mhor, Sgurr nan Coireachan to Sgurr Mor. From Sgurr Mor take in Sgurr Fhuarain, then aim directly down into Glen Kingie then head up and over Fraoch Bheinn via its ne and s shoulders to return to Glendessary near Strathan. Ascent : 3050m, distance : 30km There are other route possiblities back to Strathan from Sgurr Mor. The easiest of which is to head to the col below Sgurr an Fhuarain, then strike south downhill on steep grassy ground to Glen Kingie and head back over grass and tussocky ground to Glendessary Lodge then back along the track to Loch Arkaig. Alternatively, to take in a different corbett, return to An Eag from Sgurr Mor and head to Sgurr Cos na Breachd-laoigh following a line of fence-posts and wall. Investigate the strange obolisk halfway along the ridge to Druim a Chuirn - though it's a bit disappointing up close - then head down to Glendessary Lodge and back to Loch Arkaig. Gairich on its own To climb Gairich on its own, see the main route on the left. Then from Gairich's summit either return via the route up, or alternatively after retracing your steps for 1.5km, strike ne and roughly follow the Allt na h-Airigh down to the loch. This latter descent is wet and grassy, but pretty quick and enjoyable - not recommended as an ascent route though ! From the loch, follow the shore line back to the dam. See the Quioch page for more details Ascent : 850m, distance : 14km Starting in Dessary and finishing by Loch Quioch If you can arrange the transport, then this is the best route to take in the 5 munros. Start as in the main route and work your way along the 5 munros as described. From Sgurr na Ciche's summit, return to the bealach before Garbh Chioch Mhor, then head sw and follow the burn and path down into the gorge. There's a bit of wet scrambling to overcome some rocky sections. After dropping 150m from the bealach, the ground starts to level out and the path comes out of the gorge, then turns s, then se. Continue following the path and pick up a track, which has sections mechanically gouged out of the ground. Lower down, follow the wet path eastwards to the forest. Continue along the north side of the forest, crossing two major burns coming down either side of Sgurr na Coireachan's southern arm - the second of these can be difficult in spate, if that's the case, drop to the forest where an old log bridge might still exist ! Follow the path to Upper Glendessary and pick up the track to continue back to Dessary and Strathan. Ascent : 2850m, distance : 32km One other route variation The other main route up these peaks is to come up the western arm of Sgurr na Ciche. This is straightforward enough, however you've got to get to Sourlies Bothy first, which requires either a very long walk in via Glen Dessary or boating in along Glen Nevis.

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