At One with the Mountains - An interview with Nick Gardner
Issue 6: Nick Gardner and his wife Janet were living an idyllic life on a croft…
Glen Shiel and Kintail
Sgurr na Sgine
A Munro of 946 metres, number 220 of the 282.
Photograph by Nick Bramhall (CC BY-SA 2.0)
The hill
Sgurr na Sgine stands south of Glen Shiel, in the hills between the glen, Loch Hourn and Loch Quoich.
The Saddle is its close neighbour, about two kilometres to the north-west, and Creag nan Damh is a little under four kilometres to the east.
Glen Shiel is the heart of the Kintail Mountain Rescue Team's ground, with the Five Sisters of Kintail on one side and The Saddle on the other. Sgurr na Sgine is on The Saddle's side, in country that Scottish Mountain Rescue describes as consistently steep, with well-defined ridges.
- The ground
- Glen Shiel is the core of the Kintail Mountain Rescue Team's area, which Scottish Mountain Rescue calls particularly demanding: large remote areas, consistently steep ground and well-defined ridges.
- Under snow
- There is no avalanche forecast for this hill, but that does not mean there is no risk under snow. The Scottish Avalanche Information Service's full winter forecasts for its six areas begin on 17 December 2026.
- Summit
- Grid reference NG 946 113.
- Parking
- The Highland Council lists no car park in Glen Shiel or at Cluanie, Kintail, Morvich or Shiel Bridge, and Forestry and Land Scotland has no site in Glen Shiel. Find where to leave a car in a route description before you set out.
- Train
- There is a railway station at Kyle of Lochalsh.
- Phone signal
- Mobile coverage is still poor in places, Kintail Mountain Rescue Team warns, so bear it in mind and plan for it before you head out.
On the hill today
1° to 4°Rain on the summit, 946 m. Feels like −3° in the wind.
West wind to 12 mph, gusting 26
Rain, about 9 mm
Light from 7.56am to 6.17pm, ten hours
Sat 17Some cloud0° to 4° on top · 7 mph, gusts 15
Sun 18Some cloud−3° to 4° on top · 12 mph, gusts 23
Mon 19Cloudy−4° to 6° on top · 7 mph, gusts 17
A weather model's forecast for the height of the summit, not a report from the hill. Read the mountain forecast the evening before: Northwest Highlands forecast, Sgurr na Sgine, Scottish Avalanche Information Service.
October2026
MTWTFSS
Going another day?
Choose the day you mean to climb.Near or far: the light you will have, and what the summit is likely to be doing.
Photographs by Nick Bramhall (CC BY-SA 2.0)
It's vital to remember that the conditions up in the hills can be very different from those at the roadside, and they can change quickly.Kintail Mountain Rescue Team, whose base is at Morvich in Glenshiel
Before you go
Carry
- A paper map and a compass, and the skill to use them
- Waterproofs, warm layers, hat and gloves
- Food and drink
- A head torch, a whistle and a first aid kit
- A survival bag
- Boots with a good grip
Under snow and ice this is a different day, with short light and the risk of avalanche. It needs an ice axe, crampons, winter boots and the skill to use them.
If something goes wrong
- Dial 999, ask for the police, then mountain rescue
- Give a six-figure grid reference: the summit is NG 946 113
- Say how many are hurt, how many are with you, and your number
- Register to text 999 before the day: text the word register to 999
The summit is optional. Turning back is the right decision whenever the cloud, the wind or the light say so.
How to call for help in the hills · Safety and skills for the hills · ThinkWINTER
From our readers
Nobody has written from Sgurr na Sgine yet. If you were up, yours would be the first.
Tell the next person
Were you up? Three words is enough.A free account, a word for the weather and a line if you like.
Read more elsewhere
For the route itself, take the map and read these.
- Sgurr na Sgine on WalkhighlandsRoute descriptions with maps, for the way to the summitwalkhighlands.co.ukThe route↗
- Kintail Mountain Rescue Team on mountain safetyThe rescue team on conditions and phone signal in its hillskintailmrt.org.ukThe rescue team↗
- The area map of the mountain forecastsWhich mountain forecast covers which hillsmwis.org.ukThe weather areas↗
- Northwest Highlands forecastThe Mountain Weather Information Service's forecast for the Northwest Highlands, three days ahead and written by forecasters. Its area runs north from Knoydart in the west and the Great Glen in the east; the area map shows which forecast covers a hillmwis.org.ukMountain weather↗
- Sgurr na SgineThe Met Office's forecast for the summit itself: a computer model for one point, not a report from the hillweather.metoffice.gov.ukSummit forecast↗
- Scottish Avalanche Information ServiceThere is no avalanche forecast for this hill, but snow can bring the risk all the same. Full winter forecasts begin on 17 December 2026, sooner in North Cairngorm and Lochaber if winter comes earlysais.gov.ukAvalanche↗
Sleep and eat at its foot
Next along: The Saddle, Creag nan Damh, Sgurr na Ciste Duibhe, Sgurr na Carnach. Checked on 10 October 2026. The facts on this page are Scottish Mountain Rescue's, Kintail Mountain Rescue Team's, the Highland Council's, Forestry and Land Scotland's and National Rail's; the forecasts are the Mountain Weather Information Service's, the Met Office's and the Scottish Avalanche Information Service's. Height and position from The Database of British and Irish Hills, v18.3, adapted, CC BY 4.0. This page is not a route description and does not replace a map.