Marsco - Red Cuillin

26 May 2008 - a lovely sunny day
Start: OS Explorer 411 GR486298; The Sligachan Hotel

Set off: 1000
Return: 1430
Duration: 4hrs 30mins. Distance: 13km
Total Height Climbed: 736m

A non walking westie route by Steve - Note hill walking can be dangerous and this route involves narrow crest walking, these details are for info only.

We can see Marsco from the front of the B and B and it is an inviting pyramid shaped hill which we tackled on a lovely hot day in May. The start (only 2.5 miles from the house) is at Sligachan Hotel and it follows the main path down Glen Sligachan with Marsco straight in front of you all the way! Follow the path all the way to Allt na Measarroch where you turn left and follow the north side of the burn all the way up to Mam a Phobuill. Most of the guide books say this is very wet but we tackled it after about 5 weeks of no rain so it was lovely and dry but still fairly rough going. As you break out onto Mam a Phobuill you see the "fence posts" in the photo and you do literally follow these to the col between the tops. From here it is easy going at first but it does steepen significantly and can get a wee bit loose in places. Not a great deal of water up here so take some with you (esp other doggies). It is fairly steep as you break onto the col between the two tops and be warned, there's another 100m of a climb before the top! Swing round to your right and follow the broad ridge at first which narrows as you gain height and gets remarkably narrow just before the top! Here, we enjoyed some lovely sarnies, ignored all doggie biccies, and slurped lots of water.

Suitably refreshed, we packed up and returned the way we came which was a lot easier going down! Before long we were on Mam a Phobuill and slurping from the burn before following the path down into Glen Sligachan to pick up the main path back to the Hotel. The highest I have been in my life so far, Munros here we come!