Sgùrr na Sgine

Sgùrr na Sgine is a Scottish mountain situated eight kilometres south of Shiel Bridge in the Glenshiel (deer) Forest at the lower end of Glen Shiel in the Highland District.

Overview

Sgùrr na Sgine is classified as a Munro and a Marilyn and has a height of 946 metres (3104 feet). It is a fine mountain but is overshadowed by its near neighbour The Saddle, which is ranked as one of the best mountains in Scotland. Sgùrr na Sgine is a shy mountain and the best valley to summit view of it is from the remote country to the south west, it looks particularly fine from the top of the Mam Barrisdale pass from where it takes on a more dramatic appearance than The Saddle^[1]. The mountains name translates from the Gaelic as "Peak of the Knife" this is thought to refer to a wall of rock beneath the summit on its eastern flank which takes on a blade like appearance from some angles.^[2]

Geography

Sgùrr na Sgine has a subsidiary top along its north eastern ridge called Faochag (The Whelk) which reaches a height of 909 metres. This top which is seen as a sharp distinctive cone alongside The Saddle when viewed from the A87 road at the Battle of Glen Shiel site (grid reference NG988135) in what is regarded as a classic mountain view. Despite its visual prominence Faochag does not even qualify as a Corbett having only 52 metres of prominence from the main summit. It used to be classified as a "top" in the Munro Tables before being deleted in 1974 when it was found to have insufficient height after re-surveying by the Ordnance Survey.^[3]

Sgùrr na Sgine’s steep, narrow north ridge has been christened “Concorde Ridge” by famed Scottish hill walker Hamish Brown after he and a companion were startled by a vast flock of terrified ptarmigan when descending in winter conditions.^[4] The cliffs to the east of the summit are more precipitous than shown on the map and a direct descent should not be attempted to the Bealach a Toiteil, walkers should contour round the side of the cliffs to reach the bealach which connects the mountain to the Corbett Sgùrr a'Bhac Chaolais.

Ascents and summit

Sgùrr na Sgine is quite often climbed along with The Saddle to which it is joined by a col, the Bealach Coire Mhalagain, at 699 metres. Some guidebooks say that the mountain can be climbed along with the seven Munros of the South Glen Shiel ridge although this is a very long and hard day in the hills, suitable only for the extremely fit hill walker. A direct ascent of Sgùrr na Sgine is possible from Achnangart Farm (grid reference NG962149) in Glen Shiel, which is almost at sea level, giving a hard climb up the grassy slopes of the north east ridge to Faochag where the gradient eases considerably giving an easier walk to the summit, although it is a rocky scramble up Concorde Ridge to reach the summit plateau. A circuit of Coire Toteil can be completed by continuing from the summit to take in the Corbett Sgùrr a'Bhac Chaolais and then descending back to Glen Shiel.

The top of the mountain has two summits: the North West Top has a height of 942 metres and is regarded as a "top" in the Munro Tables. The highest point is a further 300 metres south easterly with a height of 946 metres. The view from the top gives an excellent prospect of the Forcan Ridge on The Saddle to the north. The Kintail Forest Munros are seen to the north east and the remote area of Knoydart is seen to the south west.

References

• The Munros (SMC Guide) Donald Bennett et al., ISBN 0-907521-13-4
• Hamish’s Mountain Walk, Hamish Brown, ISBN 1-898573-08-5
• The High Mountains of Britain and Ireland, Irvine Butterfield, ISBN 0-906371-30-9
• The Magic Of The Munros, Irvine Butterfield, ISBN 0 7153 2168 4

Footnotes