Covering 60 peaks in the Red and Black Cuillin, the Cuillin Round is an extraordinary hill running and scrambling challenge, to date completed by only a select few. Charlie Byers was inspired to try it solo and unsupported, a pure style but hardly the easy option. This is the account of how he fared. 

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Nice one Charlie!

Cheers Jethro! Group crack at the winter round next SWF?

What an incredible journey and a superb write-up. Thanks for sharing and congratulations. Blown away. 

I’ll take the pictures 📷

Really enjoyed reading that, great write-up.

I'm almost beyond words, Charlie!

So pleased and proud for you!

Brilliant and very well written. Inspiring stuff!

Enjoyable write up and massively good effort!

Wow this is great - really enjoyed reading!  Thank you 

Inspiring stuff, seems like this deserves more popular status among classic mountain rounds.

How come the likes of the Three Teeth and An Turaid are left out when the unnamed ones below An Stac and Am Basteir are included? Why not all or none of such minor tops? Is this just an arbitrary rule made by the first person to establish the round?

Thanks very much all for the kind words.

Andy, I think Rob and Paddy's criteria for the Main Ridge was something like all the Munros and Munro Tops (including Knight's Peak before it was remeasured), plus any tops with 50 feet prominence along the way. I've dropped Rob a note to ask if that's about right!

Yeah just interested to know the logic of what's included. I can't quite figure visiting Sgurr a' Bhasteir and not more prominent outlying peaks from the main ridge like Sgurr Thuilm and the Third Pinnacle, for example. But I guess things like this are always going to be slightly arbitrary if you scratch at them!

Wow, that's some run!

Amazing achievement - well done.

Unsupported is the way to go.

What's next?

Sgurr a' Bhasteir is probably an outlier in more than one way as it was an extra top added during the second completion (I think as a bonus after being faster on the ridge than expected!). It's a nice addition and conveniently rounds the number of tops up to 60, but maybe breaks slightly from the logic of the rest of the route.

The line otherwise sticks to the ridge crest, apart from diversions for Munros/Munro Tops.

Would be fun to see a linkup some day that takes in a few more of the outliers from the main ridge - Thuilm, Third Pinnacle, Fheadain, Coire an Lochain, Dubh Beag, etc.

Cheers Ian. Sure there’ll be something else at some point! 

Ha, do you not think doing all those as well would be psychologically brutal? So much awkward terrain and there-and-back extra elevation to go nowhere! At least as you say Sgurr a' Bhasteir is a pleasant and not too taxing add-on.

Hey Andy, yes I’m sure it would be. Quite a few big additions and probably tricky to find a decent sequence. Will have to get the maps out at some point!

What a great read, an insight into a fantastic and challenging adventure in the most wonderful mountains, that almost made it sound sane and reasonable!

Amazing achievement and a very enjoyable read! Congrats Charlie!

I remember hearing about that first trip with Tom.  It's fair to say at that point that I didn't see this coming

That was a good read and an incredible feat. 

Can't help but ask- why would you choose to live in Cambridgeshire when you obviously love the hills? 

Job is the usual answer, some opportunities/ fields are physically tied to a given location.

Hi Davie, yeah it's a good question. Definitely a compromise from a climbing perspective, but friends/family are mostly in the area and Cambridge is a great place in other respects. Good incentive to make the most of hill trips when possible! Cheers, glad you enjoyed the read.