• Distance
• 33 km
• Total Ascend:
• 1017 m
• Max. Altitude:
• 328 m
• Walking time:
• 9h 39m
• Days:
• 2

Three years after my trek along the Skye trail on the Isle of Skye, in August 2016 I visited the Hebridean island once more. This time, we wanted to reach Loch Coruisk, reportedly one of the most beautiful but, at the same time, most wild and remote places in the United Kingdom. A short two-day trek took us through Glen Sligachan in the Cuillin mountain range. We reached Loch Coruisk after a steep descent from Drum Hain on the first evening, and spend the night in a tent by the sea. After admiring a magical sunrise in the mountains, we returned via the same route on the second day.

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Day 1: Sconser to Loch Coruisk

• Start:
• Sconser
• End:
• Loch Coruisk
• Distance:
• 19 km
• Total Ascend:
• 556 m
• Max. Altitude:
• 323 m
• Walking time:
• 5h 20m

We start the trek at our accomodation in Sconser, close to Loch Sligachan. For the first few kilometers we walk along the main road to Sligachan Hotel, where we follow the Sligachan river towards the Cuillin mountain range. We follow the Sligachan for several hours, until we see the winding trail up to the mountain pass of Drum Hain. On the summit, we spot Loch Coruisk for the first time. However, still an exhausting descent along a steep, rocky and slippery path, overcast with swarms of biting Highland midges awaits us. It is not before shortly after sunrise, when we can finally pitch our tent at the banks of the river Scavaig which connects Loch Coruisk with the sea.

Day 2: Loch Coruisk to Sligachan

• Start:
• Loch Coruisk
• End:
• Sligachan Hotel
• Distance:
• 14 km
• Total Ascend:
• 461 m
• Max. Altitude:
• 328 m
• Walking time:
• 4h 19m

After a windy, but warm night, the alarm clock rings at 6 am. I leave the tent to hike back to a rocky plateau above Lock Coruisk, where I wait for the sun to rise above the Cuillin mountains. The effort is rewarded by a spectacular sunrise, as well as a magical encounter with a group of deer, which slowly passes me at an arm's length, curiously stopping in front of me to see what I am doing. After sunrise, we prepare breakfast at the banks of river Scavaig, watching a colony of seals a few hundred meters away on a rock island off shore. We then start our way back. The first two hours of ascend back to Drum Hain are quite exhausting, but offer phantastic panoramic views over Lock Coruisk, the sea and the peaks of the surrounding Cuillins. We descend from Drum Hain along a winding trail towards Glen Sligachan, where we follow the river back to Sligachan Hotel without much difficulties.