Sisters of Kintail

The A87 travels from the A82 at Invergarry in the Great Glen towards Kintail and eventually on to the Isle of Skye.

As the road climbs westwards from Invergarry then drops northwards through Glen Loyne down to Glen Moriston, it meets with the A887 approaching from Invermoriston on Loch Ness.

To the west of this junction is Loch Cluanie, at the western end of which is Cluanie Inn, a fine place to eat or stay. Around 8km further west of the inn is a large parking area, close by which is the hillwalking route start point.

The route ends by the head of Loch Duich, where just south of the causeway over the loch, is a junction with a sign pointing to Morvich. Close to the junction is a designated car-parking area behind some old sheds with room for around 5 vehicles.

Arranging some form of transport between the two points will avoid a tedious walk back along what can be a rather busy road.

The hillwalking route begins from a layby on the north side of the A87, around 300m west of the large car-park. Above the lay-by is a gate in a fence surrounding recently felled forestry - head through this gate and up a rather overgrown path. The path crosses a track and then climbs around 150m to reach the edge of the forestry land by a rather tired old fence-line

Above the fence, the path turns north-west and climbs the slope ahead at an angle, passing under a few lovely little waterfalls. After around 1km, the path gradually disappears into grass - turn uphill and hike into a wide coire of grass and boulders. There's a climb of around 300m, some of which is rather steep, and the bealach between Sgùrr na Ciste Duibhe and Sgùrr nan Spàinteach is gained.

Sgùrr nan Spàinteach isn't considered to be one of The Five Sisters of Kintail, nor is it a Munro (it is a mere 'Munro Top'), so doesn't see much traffic. However a detour to this summit is most worthwhile, not only for the views along the ridge but also for a bit of fun to be had while scrambling on some rock just above the bealach.

The bealach between Sgùrr na Ciste Duibhe and Sgùrr nan Spàinteach is a slightly confusing place where a grassy hollow sits below two minor shoulders. Along each shoulder is a path - either path will do as they converge further along the crest to form one path. This path then veers right to the north-west, then turns back to zig-zag up some scree onto some boulders, which can hold snow into late spring.

Sgùrr na Ciste Duibhe's summit is reached where a large cairn sits. A fine spot to have a break, though the finest views from Sgùrr na Ciste Duibhe are slightly further west of the summit cairn.

From Sgùrr na Ciste Duibhe's large cairn, head initially west on a faint path. Admiring the view ahead over Loch Duich, though beautiful, may be tricky as an eye needs to be kept on footwork while trying to follow the path as it crosses bouldery terrain. To ease this, after hiking for around 400m beyond Sgùrr na Ciste Duibhe's summit, leave the path and, keeping to the right side of the crest, head down a grassy bank (possibly snow covered in winter).

After crossing a small patch of boulderfield, the path on the crest is rejoined and followed down to Bealach na Craoibhe, the col below Sgùrr na Carnach .

From the bealach, the path heads slightly right (east) of the crest ahead, then follows an easy line, initially on grass, then stone, to zig-zag its way back onto the crest of Sgùrr na Carnach's southern shoulder, then to it's summit .

There's a small cairn on the summit with some divets in the ground to shelter from any winds.

Leaving Sgùrr na Carnach's grass-covered summit, head northwards and suddenly the ground ahead drops steeply. The path is found, well-trodden and obvious, but occasionally there are some short rocky sections in descent. Though the scrambling involved to pass these sections is easy and for the most part quite protected, some care is required.

Having passed Sgùrr na Carnach's steep north-facing ground, the path crosses more level and grass-covered ground to reach Bealach na Carnach , the col below Sgùrr Fhuaran.

Above Bealach na Carnach, the path continues uphill as it tries to find an easy line between boulders and scree. The path begins to branch out in various directions as it progresses uphill - I guess walkers have tried to find the the most suitable line. Take the route that suits you - I've found it slightly easier keeping to the left branches, whereas paths on the right tend to end with an occasional scramble over loose rock or scree.

Higher up boulderfield is unavoidable on the final approach to Sgùrr Fhuaran's summit . The cairn sitting on the highest point is smaller than would be expected for such an awesome summit ! Views are just stunning from up here, particularly over Loch Duich and to Skye.

Head north-west from Sgùrr Fhuaran's summit following the obvious path as it twist and turns to lose around 100m of height. The ground levels a little and reaches a grassy bank where there is a faint path heading off to the left.

The path heading off left follows the south-western shoulder of Sgùrr Fhuaran as it drops 1000m down a continuous slope to grass and bracken of Glen Shiel below. This is a superb hill-runners descent, expect knees and thigh muscles to be well tested, and ends with a wade across the River Shiel to reach the roadside by the house at Torrlaoighseach.

To continue onwards along the Five Sisters of Kintail, from the junction in the path, keep right as the path follows the crest of Sgùrr Fhuaran's northern spur dropping to Bealach Buidhe . Ahead is Sgùrr nan Saighead , a grass-covered pyramid with spectacular cliffs on its east face. This fine peak is worth summiting, but as it is not a Munro (it is a mere 'Munro Top'), a by-pass path has developed on the grassy slopes of its south-western face.

Beyond Sgùrr nan Saighead the path follows the ridge-line of the Five Sisters and heads north-west to cross the minor summit of Beinn Bhuidhe , before turning north-east to drop to the bealach at the head of Coire na Criche .

Ahead is the most northerly of the Five Sisters of Kintail, Sgùrr na Mhoraich. Classed as a 'Corbett Top' this hill has a flat and long broad grassy summit plateau and after the fine ridge-walking enjoyed up to this point, the prospect of climbing over it is rather unappealing !

So from the bealach, instead I've tended to head down a path into Coire na Criche as it traces the northern bank of the Allt a' Chruinn. Lower down this path becomes more maintained as it curves around some woodland surrounding a waterfall, crosses a stile to reach the head of a head of track by a water supply. The track drops to the narrow road by the head of Loch Duich, where all that remains is a short walk to the car-park.