Sgùrr nan Gillean is a peak in the northern part of the

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 Sliga ...

mountains 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 ...

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 ...

. With a height of , it is one of eleven

Munros 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 Nevis ...

in the Cuillins. It is the Munro peak nearest to the settlement of

Sligachan Sligachan ( gd, Sligeachan) is a small settlement on Skye, Scotland. It is close to the Cuillin mountains and provides a good viewpoint for seeing the Black Cuillin mountains. Amenities Sligachan is situated at the junction of the roads from Po ...

, and its impressive triangular profile makes it one of the most recognizable of the Cuillins.

Routes

The most popular route of ascent, known as the ''Tourist Route'', follows a path leading south and west from Sligachan, crossing a

burn A burn is an injury to skin, or other tissues, caused by heat, cold, electricity, chemicals, friction, or ultraviolet radiation (like sunburn). Most burns are due to heat from hot liquids (called scalding), solids, or fire. Burns occur mainl ...

known as the Allt Dearg Beag (small red burn). The route continues up into a corrie, the Coire Rhiabhach. The ascent of the coire headwall is on loose rock and scree. The continuation up the southeast ridge to the summit is exposed, and calls for

scrambling Scrambling is a mountaineering term for ascending steep terrain using one's hands to assist in holds and balance.''New Oxford American Dictionary''. It is also used to describe terrain that falls between hiking and rock climbing (as a “scramb ...

ability. The path up is very narrow so calls for single file when a party ascends. The top is a ridge which must be traversed to reach the final summit, and like the climb, needs some scrambling ability. All sides are very exposed, and extra care is needed if mist descends. The small airy summit platform is surprisingly smooth and flat with outstanding views. An alternative route is the north ridge, known as ''Pinnacle Ridge'', which is a rock climb that requires a climber to have a rope and harness and be capable of abseiling, unless the third pinnacle is omitted by bypassing on the east side. While rope is a sensible option for the moderate climb up Gillean, it is not required for Knight's Peak if the correct route is taken. To reach the base of the Pinnacle Ridge a climber starts in the same place as for the route described above but instead of crossing the burn continues up hill on the right hand side until just below the start of the Basteir gorge when the stream exiting the gorge is crossed to reach the base of the lowest pinnacle. Another alternative route of ascent or descent is the West Ridge. It leads from the summit down to a

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 migrati ...

separating Sgùrr nan Gillean from

Am Basteir Am Basteir ( gd, Am Bàisteir, 'the baptizer') is a mountain peak in the northern Cuillin range on the Isle of Skye in Scotland. It is high and classed as a Munro. It forms a narrow blade of rock, which bears comparison with the Inaccessible P ...

. About two-thirds of the way down, there is a particularly narrow and exposed section, which forms the remains of a large upright rock, known as the ''Gendarme'' which broke away due to the effects of frost shatter during the winter of 1986/87, leaving only the base. The narrow section can be avoided by

abseil Abseiling ( ; ), also known as rappelling ( ; ), is the controlled descent of a steep slope, such as a rock face, by moving down a rope. When abseiling the person descending controls their own movement down the rope, in contrast to low ...

ing down (or climbing up) a gully, known as ''Nicholson's Chimney'', on the north side of the ridge.

Name and classification

In November 2013 it was found that Knight's Peak is too short to be classified as a Munro Top (a satellite peak of a Munro being over but without significant height drop between the two peaks) and is now considered a Corbett Top. Knight's Peak was named after W. Knight, who, with a guide, made the first recorded ascent in 1873.Grough News
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References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Sgurr Nan Gillean Munros Marilyns of Scotland Mountains and hills of the Isle of Skye Climbing areas of Scotland