"The Cuillin they never look the same for very long, now red, now blue, now grey, now silver, sometimes seeming to retreat or to advance, but always drenched in mystery and terrors"

The Boulevard Walking Trip to Skye – September 2008

By Dermot Hill

What started out as a plan to put together a small group of Boulevard members to walk a few Munroes on Skye, turned out to be a recce to do the trip next year with far more members!

From the email informing members of The Boulevard about the proposed trip - and the response - it seems many of you already have an affinity for the area but needed more notice. So with this in mind, I decided to plan the Skye trip for next year with a lesson learned and a promise to give much more advanced notice of our events!

For details of the experience in store, read on....

Having just returned from this trip I can report on a truly amazing weekend full of the most powerful and inspiring images created by changing weather patterns, the most spectacular scenery and some very interesting company. Conversations struck with complete strangers shared while travelling to the next Munroe added to the journey. Recharged, inspired and - if not a little tired from the physical challenges - I would definitely recommend this weekend to anyone.

It was a very efficient flight from Southampton to Glasgow, flying over the Lake District and Morecambe Bay and on reaching Glasgow Airport driving the hire car to complete the journey to Skye. Collecting the car was an interesting ‘customer experience’, leaving me in no doubt of the reputation the Scots have in managing their money – that said, the process was slick and efficient!

Having established how the car’s entertainment system worked I installed some appropriate highland music for the journey of 200 miles north. Passing the expanse of Loch Lomond, the road gets narrower and narrower as it gets closer to the loch! Through the legendary and mythical moonscape of Glencoe then on through the Great Glen and onwards to the Kyle of Lochalsh and Skye; it’s a trip of 5 hours with stops.

Arrival at the Sligachan Hotel, a destination that has a connection of over 170 years with walkers from all over the world, is welcoming. To celebrate this heritage the hotel includes a small museum celebrating this long standing association. As the hotel brochure states: “It would be hard to find a more dramatic and inspiring setting in the whole of Scotland, let alone Europe.” It is an accurate description of a very comfortable hotel with friendly service and a superb menu. Sustenance comes in the form of regional dishes such as Cullen Skink (a soup including potatoes and flavoured with smoked haddock) a range of beers made on the premises and a vast selection of 255 malt whiskies!

This could be a walkers and mountaineers idea of heaven and haven all rolled into one. As a base for walking this could not have been bettered and was excellent value at £54 per night for bed and breakfast. A nourishing packed lunch was provided each day at a cost of £6.

The walk to the nearest range of Munroes was over rough and wet tracks. On a journey which took about an hour and a half, these awe-inspiring mountains take shape and loom high above the closer one gets. As the photograph right suggests there were a number of summits achieved, and yes, The Boulevard was well represented to record the achievements.

And so to day two, near one of the very highest local summits and deciding the best way to ascend, a loud banging was heard on the other side of the rock face and a man appeared in a blue cagoule, a coil of rope across his chest. He was 82 and had been climbing the Cullins of Skye since 1947. He directed me quickly to my next Munroe. The price of local knowledge is unquestionable on these hills which have magnetic properties of their own and those depending on the reliability of a compass do so at their peril!

This trip was of course a recce for a larger group of Boulevard members next year. For fit walkers who enjoy challenging hills interspersed by the most spectacular views and travelling about 8 to 15 miles a day, then this trip (in the planning stages for 2009) is a must. For those looking for solitude or the intimacy of a smaller party then a trip to this wonderful region is to be encouraged.

The group that goes up (literally!) next year will find the trip a fantastic opportunity to exchange ideas and experiences, discover lucrative Interim projects and build lasting friendships.

The budget for a break involving 3 nights and two days walking and being collected from Glasgow airport is around £475. You should also allow for spending money and your own separate travel to Glasgow. If you are interested in learning the dates of the 2009 trip to Skye to walk the Cullins please contact Claire Fisher who will accumulate interest in the trip and email details once we have confirmed bookings.

Email: cfisher@intramezzo.co.uk.

For more information about the developments on The Boulevard visit your members’ area. See the latest roles, learn the latest news, checkout up and coming events and connect with other members. There is only one community which addresses all the services dedicated to Interim Managers. Please help us to continue in our quest to build the membership by referring your interim contacts to this site. In today’s changeable market there is ‘confidence through community’ at The Boulevard.

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