Sgurr Na Stri Wild Camping
Last week saw me up on the Isle Of Skye for a week staying in Kilbride near Torrin. One of my objectives was to complete a wild camp or two depending on the conditions. One of my main locations I had my sites set on was a little hill called Sgurr Na Stri which lies in the heart of the Cuillins and is just shy of 500m high, which in Scottish terms is very small.
However,  the reason I wanted to go here is I was well informed that this is meant to be one of the best, if not the best view in Britain from this little but lofty summit. It looks down to Loch Coruisk and Loch Scavaig and to the whole Cuillin range. I had to find out for myself!
Most people will be familiar with Sgurr Na Stri, if they’ve ever been to Elgol or seen a shot from Elgol itself, it’s the steep hill on the right of the Cuillin with a gully that slices up the middle.
I had tried to walk here in October 2011 from Sligachan but bad weather (rain all the way) saw us turn back about 5 miles in, its a long slog to see nothing and perhaps the long slog is perhaps why most will ignore this little hill as well and opt for something bigger and closer.
So before this trip I did a little more research and in truth could only find one example of the hill being wild camped on and the guy was a photographer too who captured some great image but in the summer months. I knew there would be a little snow for my shots which would always be an added bonus. I checked The Photographers Ephermeris and could see that sunrise would be the best time to get my shot and luckily no big hills (Bla Bheinn) would get in the way of the suns ascent.
Next was to research a route, I could have taken the easy and well trodden route from Sligachan but a full 8 miles to the summit is a long way with wild camping gear on, especially over the boggy terrain it can sometimes pass so I managed to find a route from Kilmarie which passed via Camasunary and up the hill cutting the route in half, fortunately a friend had also walked this route so I knew it was at least possible.
However, that said it was also a route you couldn’t find much info on and after Camasunary bothy there would be no visible paths on the map…I just hoped it would be a little more clear on the ground. The route would cut in total around 8 miles off the walk, would the risk be worth it?
We set off on our first full day on Skye while the weather was good, it was a crisp day, with a lot of blue skies and the odd cloud floating about and the forecast for the next day just as good. We felt really in luck, especially given the rest of the UK was under about a foot of snow and grey clouds. Our start time was around 1pm with a sunset at around 18:30 giving us plenty of time to get there.
The path from Kilmarie to Camasunary is a nice little track that a 4×4 or quad bike could use to get down to the beach and house/bothy so it was steady going. It rises a little at first and then drops steeply down to the beach taking you back to sea level to allow you to see the task ahead, Sgurr Na Stri.
Camasunary is a very nice little area, it’s a little grassy cove (sort of) with a little beach on the shores of Loch Scavaig, a sea loch (it may as well be the sea!). There’s actually a house there, that looks to run on gas and someone lives there….while logistics must be a pain I can see the appeal. About 300m from the house is Camasunary Bothy. The bothys future looks to be in jeopardy as the owner of the land apparently wishes to take it back when he retires and use it as a holiday home (I guess who can fault him?). I kept the bothy in mind in case things turned sour but we hoped even if we had to retreat we could camp on the grass outside. We passed someone who looked set up to spend the night in the bothy.
Next was the risk with this route, crossing the river to start the ascent and there was no bridge. I wasn’t sure what to expect really but was prepared to have to take off the boots and roll up the trousers to cross a very cold river and perhaps be a little less happy at camp! Luckily, the water level was low and the tide was out so we managed  to cross the river safely (well I did, Joe put a foot in!) and look to start our ascent.
What became quickly obvious was there wasn’t a clear defined path, so in my style we decided to head straight up as possible following the contours and usually following deer tracks. It was steep and tough going and about half way we took a little break at a couple of small pools with a fantastic view to Bla Bheinn and checked our bearings on the map. We were quite a way off the actual ascent route described so it was time to head further east to try and get on track.
Eventually we came to two gullies, the very two you can see clearly from Elgol that look very formidable. Looking at the map the contours looked too steep and further round seemed safer, however having a quick walk around showed that it was inaccessible and the gully would be the only way up. We decided to take the most easterly one.
In fairness, it looked doable but steep so we made our way up slowly. I think with normal kit it would be a diddle but it made for slow going and the higher we got the steeper it looked back and seemingly impossible to descend with that kind of weight constantly trying to pull you downhill. At times it was a case of grabbing well rooted heather to ensure a safe route up. Oh at this point how I hoped that there wasn’t to be a rock climb of some kind at the top of the gully! We also passed remnants of a F111 fighter plane on the way up which had crashed into the hill  in 1982.
It did teach me though, perhaps at times it’s definitely worth either walking a well trodden route in future or even doing a reccy of the route first. At this point I didn’t even know what the ground would be like on top for a wild camp, all I knew was it had to be possible somewhere as I had seen someone do it before.
We reached the top of the gully, which actually separates the two summits of Sgurr Na Stri with the east one being the objective as it had the views. We came to a little grassy area with a huge boulder spanning the width of the gully which perfectly protected us from the wind (it had been quite windy in places on the way up, so pitching may have been difficult). We dropped our bags here, felt like we were walking on the moon and headed up to the summit which was 5 minutes away.
One thing to bear in mind, while this hill is actually smaller than Mam Tor in the Peak District the ascent is as much as most Lakes mountains having to go from sea level and it’s tough terrain. If you do ever go, be prepared for that.
Upon reaching the summit I was ecstatic, I had finally made it tired but I was here and I could rest now. I walked to the crest for the grand view and I literally stood amazed. The view was literally breath taking, I immediately knew it was worth it…even if I didn’t take any pictures I had experienced the area on a really good day. The whole expanse of the Cuillin ridge lay in front of me and while I couldn’t name all the summits, I could pick out the more familiar ones including the in-pin.
I spent a little while taking it all in, looking at the views of the Cuillin, Marsco and the red hills, the Storr in the far distance, Blaven, back to Elgol and out to sea over to the Isle Of Rhum. What a panoramic!
As there was a little wind and very few soft spots on the summit we decided it would be best to set up camp where we had dropped our bags, it was about 4pm so it had taken us about 3 hours to get up and would give us a hour to get set up before attempting a sunset. Space was tight and took a little jigging, but here’s a picture taken on my phone of our two tents looking back down the gully out to Elgol and the sea. Not a bad view for the night!
What a great read. I thoroughly enjoyed this post and look forward to the next instalment!
Andy
Inspiring read, briliant!
andy
Wonderful to read, and the picture just want me even more to do the same this may when I will be on Skye.
How big was your tentplace? do you think an slightly bigger tent would also fit the spot?
Hi. Thank you. It is magical.
The tent space wasn’t massive but we managed to get two in there so you should be ok . I think if you go past the summit and drop down a little though on the north side there might be something.
Really enjoyed your story and photos. Just back from Skye and was also captivated by the place. Hope to return soon. Really enjoyed the view from Elgol.
Thanks Andrew – glad you enjoyed it and hope the weather was good?
Lovely post, amazing photos! I’m planning to do this hike and wild camp in the next couple of weeks. Would you say it’s possible for a fit couple but that are novices at reading trekking maps? With enough directions and common sense, this walk is possible?
Hi Caroline,
Thanks for your comment. If I were you, I’d look at going from Sligachan Hotel. The distance is twice as far but probably much easier navigationally (it’s the common route so paths should be clearer). It’s a long walk either way, but I know going from Kilmarie it was tough finding our way up. We got there eventually and found an easier way down.
It’s a small hill by all means, but very remote. I’m sure you will enjoy it but just be sure to stay safe. Try getting the OS map for the area with the free mobile download, this way you can always pinpoint your location (don’t rely on this method though because of batteries).
Sorry if I sound too cautious, I just can’t condone poor navigation! I’m sure you will be fine and enjoy it 🙂
James
Looking at doing this route and wild camp in a few weeks,.. enjoyed the read and good tips! looking forward to the navigation challenge up!
Thanks Chris – i’m sure you’ll absolutely love it!