Sgùrr a' Bhealaich Dheirg

Sgùrr a' Bhealaich Dheirg, at 1,014-1,036 metres, is the second Munro of the Brothers of Kintail ridge, its actual summit lying a little beyond the more commonly marked cairn, reached via a short, narrow, and rocky arête.

Reached from Sàileag via a col and a couple of minor summits, a more prolonged climb leads to where the ridge levels off, turning south-east before a final gentle ascent to the summit ridge — a cairn sits at 1,014 metres, but the true summit lies further along a short north-east arête, rocky with a drystone dyke built along it and a path on the east side. The views here are spectacular, looking back towards Loch Cluanie and west towards the Five Sisters, with the modest peak of Sàileag visible in front of the Sisters, looking diminutive by comparison despite being a Munro in its own right.

From the true summit, the route retraces back to the main, broader ridge before descending down wide south-eastern slopes, keeping steeper ground to the left, until the ridge regains definition and turns east to drop to a col at 827 metres, from where a good path climbs towards Aonach Meadhoin, the third Munro of the day.

The full Brothers ridge traverse, taking in all three Munros, is typically six to eight hours; the exceptionally fit sometimes combine this with the Five Sisters ridge in a single very long day of around thirteen hours or more.

The short arête to the true summit and the exposed nature of much of this ridge demand a confident head for heights, and this is a serious, sustained mountain day — full navigation and fitness are essential, particularly given the linear nature of the route.

The Glen Shiel car park is free; Citylink buses between Glasgow and Inverness run along the A87, stopping at the driver's discretion.