Am Basteir ( gd, Am Bàisteir, 'the baptizer') is a mountain peak in the northern

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 ...

range on the Isle of Skye in

Scotland Scotland (, ) is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. Covering the northern third of the island of Great Britain, mainland Scotland has a Anglo-Scottish border, border with England to the southeast ...

. It is high and classed as a

Munro 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 Nev ...

. It forms a narrow blade of rock, which bears comparison with the Inaccessible Pinnacle in the same range. The easiest route to the summit starts from

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 ...

following a path along the left bank of the Allt Dearg Beag ''(small red burn)'' for to a small lochan in the Coire a' Bhasteir, then up a gruelling

scree Scree is a collection of broken rock fragments at the base of a cliff or other steep rocky mass that has accumulated through periodic rockfall. Landforms associated with these materials are often called talus deposits. Talus deposits typically ...

slope to the

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 migra ...

on the main ridge between Sgurr nan Gillean and Am Basteir. A scramble of approximately along the east ridge will bring you to the summit although care should be taken near the top as there is a "bad step", a notch in the ridge to negotiate. This could be scrambled down until recently but a rockfall now means it must be avoided, downclimbed or abseiled. The bad step is most easily avoided via an elusive moderate scrambling route on the south face but can be reascended (i.e. on descent from the summit) without difficulty. The western end of Am Basteir is vertical, though it is possible for a walker coming from the direction of

Bruach na Frìthe Bruach na Frìthe is one of the principal summits on the Black Cuillin ridge, on the Isle of Skye, Scotland. Like the rest of the range it is composed of gabbro, a rock with excellent grip for mountaineering. The Bruach cannot be seen in the po ...

to reach the top by skirting below Am Basteir to reach the bealach mentioned above. At the foot of the western side there is large prominent pinnacle, similar in shape to Am Basteir itself, known as the ''Basteir Tooth''.

References

{{Authority control Munros Mountains and hills of the Isle of Skye