Sgùrr a' Ghreadaidh ( gd, Sgùrr a’ Ghreadhaich, "peak of torment")
is the highest peak on the northern half of the
Black Cuillin
The Cuillin ( gd, An Cuiltheann) is a range of mostly jagged rocky mountains on the Isle of Skye in Scotland. The main Cuillin ridge is also called the Black Cuillin to distinguish it from the Red Cuillin ('), which lie to the east of Glen Slig ...
ridge on the
Isle of Skye
The Isle of Skye, or simply Skye (; gd, An t-Eilean Sgitheanach or ; sco, Isle o Skye), is the largest and northernmost of the major islands in the Inner Hebrides of Scotland. The island's peninsulas radiate from a mountainous hub dominated ...
in
Scotland
Scotland (, ) is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Covering the northern third of the island of Great Britain, mainland Scotland has a border with England to the southeast and is otherwise surrounded by the Atlantic Ocean to the ...
. Like the rest of the range it is composed of
gabbro
Gabbro () is a phaneritic (coarse-grained), mafic intrusive igneous rock formed from the slow cooling of magnesium-rich and iron-rich magma into a holocrystalline mass deep beneath the Earth's surface. Slow-cooling, coarse-grained gabbro is che ...
, a rock that provides good grip for
mountaineering
Mountaineering or alpinism, is a set of outdoor activities that involves ascending tall mountains. Mountaineering-related activities include traditional outdoor climbing, skiing, and traversing via ferratas. Indoor climbing, sport climbing, a ...
.
This is one of the harder main
Black Cuillin
The Cuillin ( gd, An Cuiltheann) is a range of mostly jagged rocky mountains on the Isle of Skye in Scotland. The main Cuillin ridge is also called the Black Cuillin to distinguish it from the Red Cuillin ('), which lie to the east of Glen Slig ...
peaks to ascend. The simplest route ascends via the col of An Dorus (the Door), most easily reached from Glen Brittle; however, the immediate exit from An Dorus is a Grade 3 scramble and there is sustained scrambling of a lower grade on the north ridge leading to the summit. The south ridge leading towards Sgùrr Thormaid is also Grade 3, with few opportunities to descend safely for some considerable distance. The mountain has two summits, separated by a knife-edged arete. At the time of the first ascent,
John MacKenzie was aged just 14. He had earlier repeated the ascent of Sgùrr nan Gillean aged 10. Mackenzie became the first British mountain guide and perhaps the most prolific of the pioneers of mountaineering in the Cuillin.
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Sgurr A Ghreadaidh
Munros
Mountains and hills of the Isle of Skye