Sgurr a' Ghreadaidh

One of two peaks (the other being Sgurr a' Mhadaidh) which stand close to each other at the head of Coire a' Ghreadaidh. Sgurr a' Mhadaidh is a four-topped peak, the highest point being where a prominent spur jutting out from the Main Ridge leads north-west to Sgurr Thuilm. It is separated from Sgurr a' Ghreadaidh by An Dorus, a narrow, steep-sided gap in the Main Ridge. The crest of these two peaks is narrow and exposed, giving some very good scrambling and two or three quite awkward pitches. The Loch Coruisk side is wild and remote, and the buttresses there give some of the longest climbs in the Cuillin. On the Coire a' Ghreadaidh side, however, the cliffs are less high and the narrow scree gully which leads from the corrie up to An Dorus gives a relatively easy route to both peaks.

The approach to the two peaks goes along the path from the youth hostel in Glen Brittle up Coire a' Ghreadaidh to its head. From there two routes are possible to Sgurr a' Mhadaidh. The better one goes up to the col between it and Sgurr Thuilm and up the north-west ridge of Sgurr a' Mhadaidh, but there is some quite difficult and exposed scrambling. The easier route goes up the scree gully of An Dorus to the Main Ridge and along it to the peak. Return to An Dorus and climb the ridge without difficulty across another little gap, the Eag Dubh, to the summit of Sgurr a' Ghreadaidh. Unless you want to embark on a traverse of the lower South Top and the ridge beyond, it is best to return to An Dorus and descend from there by the scree gully to Coire a' Ghreadaidh.

(Copyright The Scottish Mountaineering Club)