Mynydd Climbing Club

The club is planning a week of adventurous sea-cliff climbing on the uninhabited island of Sandray at the southern extremity of the Outer Hebrides next spring. Although Sandray may lack the size of Mingulay or Pabbay many who have been often remark on the quality of the rock as well as the solitude. There are many really good and easily accessible crags with lots of good single pitch routes across the grade spectrum, some of them above non tidal ledges. Many of the longer routes require abseils, some of them challenging – this isn’t a trip for the inexperienced. It would seem a prerequisite that you possess the necessary skills to effect a self-rescue or a rescue of your climbing partner. Prior to our trip to Pabbay in 2023 not only did many members brush up on their rope techniques with training from a mountain guide but many also decided prior to the trip who they were going to climb with – someone they were comfortable and confident in sharing a rope with in adventurous settings and also someone to share climbing and camping gear. I’m reliably informed that there aren’t any issues with nesting birds (similar to Pabbay) which can be the case on Mingulay.

The SMC guidebook “The Outer Hebrides” 2018 provides excellent coverage of the island and the logbook on UKC will give a good idea of the best routes available https://www.ukclimbing.com/logbook/crags/sandray-11182/

The plan will be to gather in the morning on 30th May in Oban and get the early afternoon ferry arriving early evening in Castlebay on Barra. We will be ferried over to Sandray the same evening by Angus (who we used to take us to Pabbay) at Hebridean Sea Tours. We will be picked up on Sat 6th June and taken back to Castlebay and then get the ferry back very early on Sun 7th June to Oban. These timings are subject to change depending on weather and sea conditions. The island of Sandray is uninhabited so we will need to be self-sufficient with food and shelter. Fresh water is available on the island.

We will charter one boat (maximum of 12) and also take 2 or 3 vehicles on the ferry from Oban to Barra to help transport gear and people on Barra, particularly useful on the second Saturday after leaving Sandray but before getting the Oban ferry back early on the Sunday – we may have some time on Barra on the second Saturday (for more top quality climbing!) and then need to transport people to the various campsites if required (camping on the sea front in Castlebay is also an option). Tradition dictates that we round off the trip with celebratory drinks in the Castlebay Hotel followed by a curry in the excellent Cafe Kisimul (booking advisable!).

To secure a place on the boat a payment of £175 is payable on a first come, first served basis (details below). This will cover the cost of the vehicles being taken on the Oban to Barra ferry (shared out equally by everyone in the party) and the cost of the boat charter to Sandray from Barra. In addition you will need to pay individually either as the driver of a vehicle or a foot passenger – at present this costs £38.10 (we will be looking to book vehicles on the ferry in the New Year or sooner if the summer timetable is out so don’t worry about booking yourself as a foot passenger just now).

If we get 12 people confirmed for a full boat I will then make this clear on the website etc. After that I will start a reserve list (just contact me if still interested – there is no need to make a payment of £175 at this point if you are on the reserve list).

We will have to confirm numbers around Easter time with the boat charter – be aware that if you drop out we might not be able to offer a full or partial refund – if you don’t like the look of the weather forecast and you drop out don’t expect to get a refund!!! If you have any questions please contact me at the email below.

To secure your place on the trip of a lifetime send £175 by BACS:
Sort Code: 01-05-51 Account Number: 40582787 Reference text: Sandray
Also email me (the treasurer) at (treasurer.mynydd@gmail.com) to confirm how much you have transferred.

Also in the email can you indicate if you are willing to take your vehicle on the ferry to Barra from Oban? In the New Year we will ask the owners of the vehicles we take to make a booking – you would be reimbursed at the time of booking. We may look into hiring the services of a mountain guide (at an additional cost tbc) to provide a day’s training of rescue techniques – if this is something that you would be interested in please indicate this in the email.