Sgurr Alasdair

Sgùrr Alasdair

Sgùrr Alasdair is Skye’s highest mountain, a 992 m Munro in the Black Cuillin. Its tiny rock summit stands above Coire Lagan and Coir’ a’ Ghrunnda. The standard ascent combines an exhausting loose scree chute with exposed summit scrambling, graded Grade 2 by UKHillwalking and Elite Guides. It needs mountain experience, careful route finding and confidence downclimbing as well as ascending.

Summit features

The surveyed high point is rock at NG 45007 20771, DoBIH 1239. It is a small, exposed summit, not a broad resting platform with a substantial cairn. Sgùrr Thearlaich is a separate 977.1 m top immediately across the saddle; the two share the coarse six-figure grid NG450207. Sgùrr Sgumain, 947.9 m, is a different top to the southwest.

Standard route: Coire Lagan and the Great Stone Chute

Start at the road-end parking above Glen Brittle beach, just before the campsite. Walk through the campsite, passing left of the toilet block, and take the established path into Coire Lagan. A short rocky step leads into the corrie. Pass left of the lochan to the Great Stone Chute and climb its steep, unstable scree to the saddle between Sgùrr Alasdair and Sgùrr Thearlaich.

Turn right onto the short, exposed summit scramble. Return by carefully reversing that scramble, descending the same chute and retracing the Coire Lagan approach to the original parking. Walkhighlands gives 9.5 km, 992 m ascent and 5–6 hours for this complete return. Loose ground and other parties can slow progress considerably. UKHillwalking and Elite Guides grade the summit ridge as Grade 2 scrambling; it must be downclimbed on the way back. Rope protection may be needed according to ability and conditions, with the skills to use it or a qualified guide.

Technical alternative: southern Cuillin circuit

UKHillwalking describes a complete circuit from Glen Brittle through Coir’ a’ Ghrunnda, over Sgùrr nan Eag, Sgùrr Dubh Mòr and Sgùrr Dubh an Da Bheinn, then to Sgùrr Alasdair by the southwest chimney bypass. The Sgùrr Dubh Mòr detour requires reversing exposed scrambling, and Alasdair’s summit ridge must be downclimbed before descending the Great Stone Chute and Coire Lagan to the same parking. The route card gives 13.2 km, 1,234 m ascent and 7–8 hours. A separate UKHillwalking guide gives 9–12 hours for its broader southern-Munro grouping.

This is technical scrambling/climbing for experienced scramblers and mountaineers. UKHillwalking grades the southwest chimney at the upper end of Grade 3 and the summit descent Grade 2. Expect exposed ridges, loose rock and complex route finding. Helmets are essential. Rope protection may be needed, requiring competent ropework and judgment or a qualified guide. It bypasses Caisteal a’ Garbh-Choire and the TD Gap, and does not visit Sgùrr Sgumain or Sgùrr Thearlaich. The direct TD Gap is a Severe rock climb. Continuing around Coire Lagan or undertaking the full Cuillin Ridge traverse introduces further climbing and abseils; neither is an ordinary extension of the standard walk.

Terrain and hazards

The lower approach has a constructed path, followed by rough rock, slabs and the very steep Great Stone Chute. The chute narrows and steepens higher up. Loose stones can strike people below, and the exposed summit ridge demands secure movement. Wear a climbing helmet and take care not to dislodge rocks.

Do not follow apparent paths down the far side of the summit saddle into cliff-bound ground. Wet basalt can be especially slippery, and even rough gabbro needs care. Wind and poor visibility increase the seriousness of the exposed ground. Local magnetic effects can affect compass readings; carry detailed mapping, know how to navigate and check position independently. Choose a clear, dry day, and use a qualified guide if the scrambling is beyond your experience.

Snow and ice turn this into winter mountaineering. Summer grades and timings do not apply. Ice-axe and crampon skills, appropriate equipment and sound weather and avalanche judgment are needed.

Access and parking

The standard start is Glen Brittle beach road-end parking, not Camasunary or Loch Scavaig. Approach from Sligachan on the A863, then the B8009 and the signed single-track Glenbrittle road. Parking can fill; keep passing places, gates, verges and working access clear, and follow current signs. No direct public transport serves this route start, so arrange the onward and return journey in advance.

Follow the Scottish Outdoor Access Code and reasonable local guidance. Access to the hill does not imply permission to park on farmland or use private campsite facilities.

Facilities

Glenbrittle Campsite has a shop, café and WC/shower block during its operating season. The operator advertises 1 April–15 October, with daily hours of 08:00–19:00 and hot food from 12:00–16:00. The published season has ended by 17 October; do not rely on these facilities outside it. Opening and access arrangements can change, and walkers should check with the operator before relying on non-resident use. Bring food, water and mountain equipment. The campsite reports intermittent phone reception and no Wi-Fi.

Geology and views

The Black Cuillin are largely built of gabbro, an intrusive igneous rock formed as magma cooled slowly beneath an ancient volcanic centre around 60 million years ago. Erosion exposed the interior of that complex, and glaciers helped shape the corries and sharp ridges.

In clear weather, views extend across Coire Lagan to the Inaccessible Pinnacle, along the Cuillin, down into Coir’ a’ Ghrunnda and out toward Soay and Rùm.

Name and history

Sgùrr Alasdair means Alexander’s peak. It commemorates Sheriff Alexander Nicolson, a Skye-born lawyer, Gaelic scholar and mountaineer who made the first recorded ascent in 1873. Place-name scholar Peter Drummond records local guide John MacKenzie’s account of an earlier name, Sgurr Biorach, meaning the pointed peak.