The Route
If you are looking for an experienced Cuillin Ridge Traverse guide, Monkey Mountaineering offers professionally guided traverses of the famous Skye ridge.
The Cuillin Ridge Traverse is widely regarded as the most demanding and rewarding mountaineering journey in the UK. Stretching for around 11 kilometres between Gars-bheinn and Sgùrr nan Gillean, the ridge contains 11 Munros, numerous minor tops and long sections of exposed scrambling, climbing and abseiling.
The traverse is normally climbed south to north, beginning on Gars-bheinn, the remote southern end of the Cuillin ridge. From here the crest quickly becomes narrow and complex, demanding careful route finding and efficient movement over rough and exposed terrain.
One of the first major obstacles is the famous TD Gap, a steep and intimidating cleft that is often climbed directly but may be bypassed depending on conditions and the experience of the team. Beyond this lies Sgùrr Alasdair, the highest peak in the Cuillin.
The ridge then continues over the exposed slabs of Sgùrr Thearlaich, where the scrambling becomes increasingly technical before reaching King’s Chimney, a classic rock climb. Depending on conditions we may instead follow Collie’s Ledge or Hart’s Ledge, historic lines that weave across the face below.
The next landmark is perhaps the most iconic feature of the Cuillin — the Inaccessible Pinnacle. This spectacular blade of rock requires a short but exposed rock climb followed by an abseil from its narrow summit.
Beyond the In Pinn the ridge continues over Sgùrr na Banachdaich and along the beautiful crest to Sgùrr a’ Ghreadaidh. From here we descend into An Dorus, a natural break in the ridge and a useful place to assess progress before continuing northwards.
The route then climbs towards Sgùrr a’ Mhadaidh, where we normally prepare for an overnight bivouac high on the ridge before continuing the traverse the following morning.
Day two begins early as the sun rises over Skye. The ridge continues over the four summits of Sgùrr a’ Mhadaidh, across the airy crest of Bidein Druim nan Ramh and the rocky tower of An Casteal, before the long ascent to Bruach na Frithe.
With the end now in sight we continue along the spectacular crest towards Am Basteir, before finishing the traverse with the classic West Ridge of Sgùrr nan Gillean, marking the completion of one of the great mountaineering journeys in Britain.
The traverse is normally attempted over two days on the ridge, with an overnight bivouac. To maximise the chances of good conditions we schedule the trip within a three-day weather window, allowing flexibility to choose the best period of stable weather.


