Sgùrr na Sgine () is a mountain in the

Northwest Highlands The Northwest Highlands are located in the northern third of Scotland that is separated from the Grampian Mountains by the Great Glen (Glen More). The region comprises Wester Ross, Assynt, Sutherland and part of Caithness. The Caledonian Canal, ...

Scotland Scotland (, ) is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. Covering the northern third of the island of Great Britain, mainland Scotland has a Anglo-Scottish border, border with England to the southeast ...

. Its height is , making it a

Munro A Munro () is defined as a mountain in Scotland with a height over , and which is on the Scottish Mountaineering Club (SMC) official list of Munros; there is no explicit topographical prominence requirement. The best known Munro is Ben Nev ...

. It lies eight kilometres south of Shiel Bridge in the Glenshiel Forest, between

Glen Shiel Glen Shiel ( gd, Gleann Seile; also known as Glenshiel) is a glen in the Northwest Highlands of Scotland. The glen runs approximately 9 miles from south-east to north-west, from the Cluanie Inn (216 metres, 708 feet) at the western end of Loc ...

and

Loch Hourn Loch Hourn ( gd, Loch Shubhairne) is a sea loch which separates the peninsulas of Glenelg to the north and Knoydart to the south, on the west coast of Scotland. Geography Loch Hourn runs inland from the Sound of Sleat, opposite the island of Sk ...

Overview

Sgùrr na Sgine is a

and Marilyn with a height of 946 metres (3104 feet). Though a fine mountain in its own right, it is overshadowed by its near neighbour The Saddle, regarded as one of the finest mountains in Scotland. Sgùrr na Sgine is not well seen from the A87 road to the north east. The best view from valley level 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.Hamish Brown, ''Hamish's Mountain Walk'' p.214. Details of view from Mam Barrisdale. The mountain's 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.

Irvine Butterfield Irvine Butterfield (1936–2009) was an environmentalist, hillwalker and author of several books about mountains and the outdoor environment who took a significant role in the running of organisations with such interests in Scotland. He was a go ...

, ''The Magic Of The Munros'' p.134. Gives details of name translation.

Geography

Sgùrr na Sgine has a subsidiary Top along its north eastern ridge called Faochag (The

Whelk Whelk (also known as scungilli) is a common name applied to various kinds of sea snail. Although a number of whelks are relatively large and are in the family Buccinidae (the true whelks), the word ''whelk'' is also applied to some other marin ...

) which reaches a height of 909 metres. The peak, which is seen as a sharp distinctive cone, alongside The Saddle when viewed from the A87 road at the

Battle of Glen Shiel The Battle of Glen Shiel ( gd, Blàr Ghleann Seile) took place on 10 June 1719 in the West Scottish Highlands, during the 1719 Jacobite Rising. A Jacobite army composed of Highland levies and Spanish marines, was defeated by British troops, rei ...

site (grid reference ) in what is regarded as a classic mountain view. Faochog was for many years classified as a “Top” in Munro's Tables before being deleted in 1974 when remapping showed it to have insufficient height.The Munros and Tops 1891-1997.
Spreadsheet giving details of successive changes to Munro's Tables. It is now a Corbett Top with 62 metres prominence. Sgùrr na Sgine's steep, narrow north ridge has been christened “Concorde Ridge” by famed Scottish hill walker

Hamish Brown Hamish Brown M.B.E. FRSGS is a professional writer, lecturer and photographer specialising in mountain and outdoor topics. He is best known for his walking exploits in the Scottish Highlands, having completed multiple rounds of the Munros and be ...

after he and a companion were startled by a vast flock of terrified

ptarmigan ''Lagopus'' is a small genus of birds in the grouse subfamily commonly known as ptarmigans (). The genus contains three living species with numerous described subspecies, all living in tundra or cold upland areas. Taxonomy and etymology The ge ...

when descending in winter conditions.Hamish Brown, ''Hamish's Mountain Walk'' p.246. Details of Concorde Ridge incident. 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 mountain pass is a navigable route through a mountain range or over a ridge. Since many of the world's mountain ranges have presented formidable barriers to travel, passes have played a key role in trade, war, and both human and animal migra ...

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 usually climbed with The Saddle to which it is joined by a col, the Bealach Coire Mhalagain, at 699 metres. The mountain can be climbed as an extension of the South Cluanie ridge, a line of seven Munros south of the Glen Shiel road, but this makes for a long, hard day in the hills. A direct ascent of Sgùrr na Sgine is possible from Achnangart Farm (grid reference ) in Glen Shiel, almost at sea level, giving a hard climb up the grassy slopes of the north east ridge to Faochag. From there the gradient eases considerably giving an easier walk to the summit plateau, though with a rocky scramble up Concorde Ridge. A circuit of Coire Toteil can be completed by continuing from the summit to take in the Corbett Sgùrr a'Bhac Chaolais before descending to Glen Shiel. The top of the mountain has two high points. The North West Top has a height of 942 metres and is a Munro Top. The Munro is a further 300 metres south east and 4 metres higher. From the summit there is an excellent prospect northwards to the Forcan Ridge on The Saddle. The Kintail Forest Munros are seen to the north east and the remote area of

Knoydart Knoydart (Scottish Gaelic: ''Cnòideart'') is a peninsula in Lochaber, Highland, on the west coast of Scotland. Knoydart is sandwiched between Lochs Nevis and Hourn — often translated as "Loch Heaven" (from the Gaelic ''Loch Néimh'') an ...

is seen to the south west.

References

External links

* ''The Munros (SMC Guide)'' Donald Bennett et al., * ''Hamish’s Mountain Walk'',

, * ''The High Mountains of Britain and Ireland'',

, * ''The Magic Of The Munros'', Irvine Butterfield, {{DEFAULTSORT:Sgurr Na Sgine Munros Marilyns of Scotland Mountains and hills of the Northwest Highlands