Glen
Glen Brittle
The Cuillin's back door — fairy pools at the entrance, serious gabbro peaks at the head, and midges that will find you in both places.
- Length
- 10km
- Munros
- 11
- Wild swimming
- 2
- Highest peak
- Sgurr Alasdair (992m)
Glen Brittle is where you go if you mean the Black Cuillin seriously. The narrow road drops southwest from Carbost onto the west coast of Skye and ends at a campsite and beach below the highest peaks of the Cuillin ridge. The glen has two distinct characters: the Fairy Pools at its northern end, where the Allt Coir' a' Mhadaidh runs through a series of turquoise plunge pools that have become one of the most visited natural features in Scotland; and the climbing hut and campsite at the road's end, which is the operational base for everything from the Cuillin traverse to individual peak bagging.
The Fairy Pools problem is real. A dedicated car park now exists at the trailhead, but on any clear summer day the road approaching it is backed up for a kilometre and the path is crowded from 8am to 7pm. The pools themselves are genuinely beautiful — the colour comes from filtered water over pale quartzite and the swimming is cold and spectacular. But the management of the site is still catching up with its popularity. Arrive before 8am or after 5pm in July and August.
The road in
Single-track road etiquette
Pull into passing places to let oncoming vehicles pass. Don't park in passing places. If a faster vehicle is behind you, pull over and let them past. Do not reverse at speed — wait in a passing place.
End of road
Glen Brittle campsite and beach at the foot of the Cuillin. The road ends at the JMCS hut and campsite on the shore.
Parking2 spots
Fairy Pools car park
80 cars
£5— Pay and display. Frequently full by 8am in summer.
Managed by Highland Council. Overflow queuing on the single-track road causes hazards. Arrive before 8am or after 5pm.
Overflow: Glenbrittle campsite car park (lower priority)
Glenbrittle Campsite / SMCJ Hut
50+ camping pitches, 30 car spaces
£8— Campsite fee per night
Hills from Glen Brittle11 Munros
Sgurr Dearg - Inaccessible Pinnacle
985.8m
Sgurr na Banachdich (Sgurr na Banachdaich)
965m
Sgurr Alasdair
992m
Sgurr Mhic Choinnich
948.1m
Sgurr a' Ghreadaidh
972.1m
An Cruachan
435m
Sgurr Dubh Mor
944.1m
Sgurr nan Eag
926.3m
Sgurr a' Mhadaidh
918m
Beinn a' Bhraghad
461m
Bruach na Frithe
958.8m
Am Basteir
934m
Sgurr nan Gillean
966.1m
Wild swimming2 spots nearby
What's in the glen
Fairy Pools
The Fairy Pools are a series of clear-water plunge pools on the Allt Coir' a' Mhadaidh. The turquoise colour comes from filtered glacial water. The 5km return walk from the car park is one of the most visited on Skye — expect crowds in summer. Swimming in the pools is popular but cold.
Black Cuillin ridge
The Black Cuillin is the hardest mountain range in Britain — gabbro and basalt peaks requiring hands-on scrambling or full technical climbing to access. The ridge traverse is a serious mountaineering undertaking requiring ropework. Glen Brittle is the main base and bothy for Cuillin approaches.
Allt Coir' a' Mhadaidh
Our take
Glen Brittle separates the serious from the casual and it does so efficiently. The Fairy Pools attract everyone; the Cuillin above attract people who genuinely know what they are doing. The two populations barely interact. If you are here for the Cuillin, base yourself at the campsite, accept the midges as a fact of life, and focus on the rock — the gabbro here gives friction like nothing else in Britain and on a good day the ridge traversing is as good as anything in the Alps at a fraction of the commitment. If you are here for the pools, go early.
History
Glen Brittle was crofted from the early 19th century onwards. Several families remained on small holdings along the glen floor after the wider Hebridean clearances reduced the population of Skye dramatically between 1820 and 1860. The Glen Brittle estate (covering much of the Black Cuillin's western corries and the foothills above the campsite) is now owned by the John Muir Trust, who took ownership in 1994 — one of the trust's earliest purchases and a landmark in Scottish conservation.
The glen's place in mountaineering history is unusually concentrated. Sheriff Nicolson made the first recorded ascent of Sgurr Alasdair from the glen in 1873. Norman Collie and John Mackenzie — the latter often described as Britain's first professional mountain guide — developed many of the classic Cuillin routes from a base at the Sligachan Hotel and the Glen Brittle area between 1880 and the 1920s. The Glen Brittle Memorial Hut (BMC), opened in 1953, is the standard climbing-club base for the western Cuillin and houses one of the more comprehensive Cuillin route logbooks anywhere on the island.
Practical
- Mobile signal
- Limited at Fairy Pools car park. None in the corries or on the Cuillin.
- Midges
- Very high(5/5)
- Stalking estate
- Dunvegan Estate
- Public transport
- No public transport to Glen Brittle itself. Bus to Carbost village then 8km cycle or taxi.
- Dogs
- On lead — livestock or ground-nesting birds present.
Map
Hills (green), bothies (brown), parking (blue), wild swimming (light blue).
Nearby glens
Scotland outdoor updates
Route guides, condition reports and seasonal picks — once a month, no noise.
Glen Brittle — common questions
- What's the road into Glen Brittle like?
- single-track with passing places. Glen Brittle campsite and beach at the foot of the Cuillin. The road ends at the JMCS hut and campsite on the shore.
- Can I take a motorhome or campervan into Glen Brittle?
- Not recommended. Glen Brittle has narrow sections, tight turns, or limited passing space that make it difficult for motorhomes and large campervans. Park at the road end of a wider valley and continue on foot.
- Are there midges in Glen Brittle?
- Glen Brittle's midge rating is 5/5 — severe from late May to September. Sheltered, humid evenings are the worst; high wind and the high tops are safest. Carry Smidge and a head net from May onwards.
- Can I wild camp in Glen Brittle?
- Wild camping in Scotland is legal under the Land Reform Act 2003 on most unenclosed land, subject to the Scottish Outdoor Access Code. Avoid enclosed agricultural ground, camp in small numbers, and leave no trace. The Loch Lomond and Trossachs Camping Management Zones (which restrict wild camping in marked areas March-September) do not apply to Glen Brittle.
- Can I get to Glen Brittle without a car?
- No public transport to Glen Brittle itself. Bus to Carbost village then 8km cycle or taxi.