A Winter Walk

We climbed Meall nan Con yesterday.  At 437m it is West Ardnamurchan's second highest summit after Ben Hiant.  There are several very straightforward routes up it, but we approached from the south, following the Allt Rath a' Bheulain burn from the B8007 where the road passes the forestry around Beinn nan Losgann, a steady uphill climb which, on a cold day, was ideal for getting the blood circulating.

Even after the sun had been on it for some time, the ground temperature probably didn't rise much above zero, so the frozen grass and heather crunched underfoot.  It's the first time we've seen icicles along the burnsides this year, these ones glittering in the low winter sunshine.  Following the recent rain, there was also plenty of surface water which had frozen, making some of the walking very slippery.

While our last walk, in the area to the north of Stellachan Dubha, seemed to be a gathering place for red deer hinds, this area is favoured by the stags, most moving round in small groups of two or three, with the occasional hind in company.

There's a point on the long, steep slope just below the summit where the show-clad tops of the mountains of Moidart heave into view, their peaks only just touched by the sun.  Further up, all the islands of the Lesser Isles begin to appear.  It's difficult to describe the feeling of exhilaration as one leaves the confines of a valley and a wide world opens before one.

This small, un-named lochan lies just to the south of Meall nan Con's sumit, it's shallow waters frozen. Looking at the smooth surface, there's a temptation to slide rocks across it - which is how the sport of curling started.  And, looking at these stretches of water perched high in the hills, the origin of horizon pools become obvious.

There's a trig point at the summit.  In the background is the Sound of Mull with Tobermory Bay on the far side, and in the distance stands Ben More, the highest mountain on Mull.

While the oldest one was thrilled to have made it to the top, the young in our company couldn't resist the urge to climb just a little bit higher.