The Isle of Rùm is a jewel in the crown of Scotland’s Inner Hebrides. Peter was eagerly anticipating his first visit and a traverse of the Rùm Cuillin.
A traverse of the five distinctive peaks that make up the Rùm Cuillin is variously described as a ‘fine mountaineering expedition of exceptional character and beauty’ (Islands of Scotland Including Skye. Scottish Mountaineering Club Hillwalking Guides) or as ‘quite simply one of the best long scrambling circuits in Scotland, a mountaineering escapade par excellence’ (Scotland’s Mountain Ridges, Cicerone Press).
Approaching from Kinloch village, we passed the Edwardian castle of the late Sir George Bullough. The interior of the castle remains much as it was in it’s heyday.
A coastguard helicopter landed outside before the search for a missing hillwalker. Sadly, a body was found several days later.
Manx shearwaters and useless compasses
The path beyond the Castle up Coire Dubh leads to a large Manx shearwater colony, with over sixty thousand pairs. The path passes a sculptural solar calendar tracking a year in the life of these birds.
Compasses can become demagnetised here. Watched over by a Golden Plover (Pluvialis Apricaria) with its whistling call, we were briefly seduced away from the route before realising what had happened and correcting ourselves.
Mist swirled around the summit of Hallival, yielding tantalising glimpses above clouds that sat like a cap over the heart of the island. Short rock steps and a grassy ridge led past Manx shearwater burrows to a col. From here we scrambled up the narrow, rocky ridge leading to Askival, the highest point of the Rùm Cuillin. It was reassuring to be part of a group in conditions that called for accurate navigation and reliable route finding.
Rumours of trolls
We descended steeply down Askival’s west ridge to the Bealach an Oir. Onwards, the east ridge of Trollabhal crosses further steep but straightforward ground to reach twin rocky summits. Legend has it that the eerie call of the Shearwater caused the Vikings to think there were trolls living in the mountains of Rùm, thus naming this mountain Trollaval (Trollabhal).
Dropping steeply again, this time to Bealach an Fhuarain we were below the clouds briefly. We enjoyed views west to Loch Fhuarain and the coast as we ate a snack. Height lost was then regained on scree slopes and a narrow path below the ridge crest to reach the summit cairn of Ainshval.
We spotted two feral goats below us, part of a population that is thought to have been on Rùm for at least two hundred years. A broad grassy ridge continues to Sgurr nan Gillean, the fifth and final peak. At last we were out of the clouds and able to enjoy fine views that helped take our minds off the interminable descent to Dibidil bothy, one of Scotland’s finest. We took time to chat with two people staying there.
The long trek home
Having completed a classic scramble on challenging terrain, we still faced a long walk back using a path above the eastern coastline, initially in golden sunlight before dusk gave the clouds a pink tinge. We returned to Kinloch village at the dimming of the day.
It was the culmination of a perfect tour of the Isle of Rùm.
Report by Peter Salenieks, June 2024.