Everyone's heard of the Five Sisters; you can hardly miss them. But more than just a famously pointy backdrop to Loch Duich, their traverse is a ridge walk of the highest quality, a little bit scrambly and with a whole lot of scenery. This is the western half of the North Glenshiel Ridge, a long classic that most teams will probably want to split over two separate visits - especially at a time of year with limited daylight, or snow on the ground. The eagle-eyed may note that the route described avoids the westernmost and least appealing Sister, and might more correctly be titled Four Sisters. On the other hand the traverse also includes more attractive peaks at the eastern end which are not official siblings. At the time it's always felt to me more logical to miss out Sgurr na Moraich than climb it, a view that the well-used descent path suggests many share; it is easily added if you prefer completeness.
Detailed description
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Difficulty: DifficultDistance: 8.14 miles (13.10 km)
Total ascent: 1,400m
Time: 6:30 – 7:30 hours (Walking)
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Summits
Sgurr na Ciste Duibhe - Sgurr nan Spainteach 938 mSgurr na Ciste Duibhe 1027 m
Sgurr na Carnach 1002 m
Sgurr Fhuaran 1067 m
Sgurr Fhuaran - Sgurr nan Saighead 892 m
Additional Information
Start Car park off the A87 at the bottom edge of a forestry enclosure. As a linear walk you've either got to organise two vehicles, or hitch/bus the road. It may be best to do this before starting the walk so that you finish at your car, NH008135; Finish Old road off the A87 just SW of Allt a' Chruinn, NG941200
Nearest town:
Kyle of Lochalsh
Terrain:
Clear hill paths throughout. Plenty of steep, rocky ground, and occasional light scrambling.
Seasonal variations:
With snow cover the narrow ridges can feel quite dramatic and crag edges may be heavily corniced, requiring a bit of care. The scrambling sections are very short-lived, but also need some competence.
Weather and Hill Conditions: mwis: Northwest Highlands – Met Office: West Highlands
Public transport:
Citylink buses from Portree to Inverness pass through Glen Shiel, and if you can work around the timetable this may be a good way to access the start point of the walk, having first parked at Allt a' Chruin. Failing that, hitching up-glen is a viable option.
Maps:
OS Explorer 413 (1:25,000), OS Explorer 414 (1:25,000), OS Landranger 25 (1:50,000), OS Landranger 33 (1:50,000)
Directory Listings:
Find more Listings near this route
Tourist info:
Cluanie (01320 340 238)
Further Routes
by Dan Bailey UKH
- East Ridge of Beinn a' Chaorainn and Beinn Teallach 21 Jan
- A' Chralaig and Mullach Fraoch-choire 4 Dec, 2023
- Meall na Teanga & Sron a' Choire Ghairbh - The Loch Lochy Munros 6 Nov, 2023
- Bynack More 19 Oct, 2023
- Beinn a' Mhuinidh 4 Oct, 2023
It is a brilliant walk Dan as is its opposite ridge across the valley the South Kintail Ridge. Possibly a tougher challenge. Catching the Isle of Skye bus is a great way to start the walk as you return to your car at the end of the walk.
I've done them (and the "brothers") a couple of times west to east with a cached bike to freewheel back down Glen Shiel and this worked very well. One time we returned over Beinn Fhada but this made a rather arduous day!
The phrase "least appealing Sister" amused me. It sounds like something from a politically correct version of Cinderella.
Thanks Sean, yes it's really the best place for that sort of not-quite-scrambling ridge walking. S.Cluanie ridge equally good, better still if you add The Saddle etc. Another brilliant challenge is the Fhada-Ciste Dubh-Brothers-Sisters round. But I'm not knocking the 5 Sisters alone - it's like the perfect essence of ridge walking distilled into a glorious few km.
Bus times weren't working out for me on Monday so I left the car at the west end and hitched a ride. It nearly didn't pay off as there was very little passing trade and the day was wasting. Thanks to the local walker with a friendly dog who stopped (hope you had a good day on the Lochy hills, if you're reading)
That's a good ruse