MacLeod Brothers Traverse the Cuillin Ridge in May 2026

Ever since we were little, taking family holidays to the mountains of Britain, James and I saw the Cuillin as the most fearsome and almost unachievable adventure. At least not without a guide. The mountains we visited as a family were big, but never too scrambly, as even mentioning the word "ridge" would cause Mum to panic. Nevertheless, we always tried to find exciting bits to climb over and would pore over guidebooks filled with images of sharp ridges and pinnacles. The photos of the Cuillin beggared belief. After James took up proper rock climbing in his late 30s, and I got into bouldering more recently, the Cuillin began to feel within reach. Then, a year before turning 40, I decided the time had come. I started learning to trad climb, with several trips to Snowdonia and the Lake District to test my head for heights and my knack with knots. Despite a terrible weather forecast for mid to late May, we set off… without a guide. I’d been researching the route myself, quite obsessively, and bought an expensive Garmin GPS that would place our location on the detailed Harvey’s map. We felt confident, ish. Our original plan was to bivvy on the ridge. We'd even tested the kit during one cold night in my back garden. But with temperatures well below average and snow falling on the summits, we decided that might be a step too far. Instead, we came back down to Glen Brittle after day one, rode out the next two days of bad weather, and waited for another opportunity. It worked out. What an adventure it was.