We've become accustomed to the relatively gentle walking that the Provincial Parks Service provides in Alberta, which includes cleared trails and excellent provision of facilities, so....
....our first walk back on Ardnamurchan, in gentle Kilchoan sunshine and with a reception committee guarding Kilchoan Township's common grazings, was a bit of a shock.
Much has changed in a fortnight. The heath spotted orchids, in shades from pale pinks and lilacs through to white, are in full flower, and they are joined by a number of other wildflowers which weren't in bloom when we left - tormentil, marsh lousewort, heath milkwort, common butterwort and bird's foot trefoil amongst others.
We walked east from the Sanna road, climbing steadily into the area around
Meall an Tarmachain, with views back across the road to
Beinn na Seilg,
Lochan na Crannaig and
Lochan nan Ealachan, and....
....southwards across
Lochan Sron nan Sionnach towards Kilchoan Bay and Mull in the misty distance.
Just below
Meall an Tarmachain is
Lochan a' Choire Chruinn, which is one of the lochans which....
....hosts a population of bogbean, now in full flower.
One change which is very noticeable is how green the landscape has become during our absence, though the fresh grass is like a thin veneer across the rocky soils of these hills. This view looks west, with the hill at centre
Beinn na h-Imeilte.
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