In the British Isles, it is only known to occur in a few locations in the Cuillin Ridge of the Isle of Skye.
The song The Road to the Isles mentions the Cuillin in the first verse and in each chorus.
Tryfan is one of the very few mountains in Great Britain, apart from the Cuillin of Skye, to require the use of hands (as well as feet) on the ascent.
Cuillin |
Carrock Fell’s geology is unique in the Lake District in that it is predominantly composed of Gabbro, a rough igneous rock that also makes up the famous Black Cuillin on the Isle of Skye.
By contrast, the traverse of the Cuillin Ridge on Skye demands use of a rope at one point at least, and is not for the inexperienced scrambler.
He climbed extensively in Scotland, (making the first winter traverse of the Cuillin ridge with Hamish MacInnes, David Crabbe and Brian Robertson in 1965), as well as achieving notable ascents in the Alps and the Karakoram including the first ascent of the Muztagh Tower (7273m) with John Hartog, Joe Brown and Ian McNaught-Davis in 1956 and Rakaposhi (7788m) in 1958 with Mike Banks.