Views Across a Volcano

These pictures were taken during a walk which took us from the Sanna road eastwards into the craggy lands formed by the southern outcrop of the Ardnamurchan volcano's ring dyke.  The first two pictures were taken during a rest on our way up the steep slope, and they look across the natural bowl of land left by the volcano's erosion to the far side.

The village of little white houses visible in the distance is Sanna, with the waves braking across the rocks which protect its sandy beaches.  The hill to the left is Meall Sanna.

This picture joins to the right of the first.  In the centre, to the right of the patch of green, is another village, Glendrian, but the difference between Sanna and Glendrian is that the latter has none of the characteristic white-painted houses of modern Scottish crofting townships which can be seen from afar - simply because Glendrian was abandoned fifty years ago.

The lumpy hill to the right is Sgurr nan Gabhar, the rocky peak of the goat, while the more elongate hill at centre is Meall Clach an Daraich, which means something like the stony hill of the oak.

When we finally reached the top of the spur of rock we were climbing, we found this little pool of water.  Such pools seem almost characteristic of these mountains, as if nature wants to ensure that no-one who has made the effort to reach such a high point should ever be thirsty, least of all while they sit and enjoy the view.