Beinn na h-Urchrach - The Views

Ben na h-Urchrach, the hill of the cast or throw, is the hill to the left of Ben Hiant in the title picture of The Diary. It's a elongated ridge, separated from The Ben by an open saddle of land through which the southwesterly gales must howl when they come visiting us. We set off to climb it this morning in beautiful weather, though the air had a chill in it, the thermometer having dropped to 1C again last night.

We approached the hill from the other side, from the B8007 where it passes the south end of Loch Mudle. As we climbed, we were treated with wonderful views to the north, across the loch to Eigg (on the left) and the distant Cuillins of Skye.

The higher we climbed, the more panoramic the landscapes became. In this view we had three lochs, Lochan Poll an Dubhaidh, in the woods at near left, Loch Mudle, and, away to the right, Lochan a Mhadaidh Riabhaich, the loch of the brindled dog, all surrounded by Ardnamurchan Estate forestry. In the distance are the hills of Moidart.

But it was when we crested the summit and looked away to the west that we had the biggest treat. The whole of the northern end of the Sound of Mull lay before us, with the northwest tip of Mull away in the left distance, and Kilchoan strong out at the head of its bay to the right. In the top right is Beinn na Seilg, and just visible along the horizon is the low-lying Isle of Coll. Mingary Castle is in the centre of the picture....

....and is seen again in this photo, looking out across the ruffled water to the Sound it used to control. Beyond it is the Cal Mac slipway, from which the ferry goes to Tobermory.

This is a close-up of Kilchoan itself, with Kilchoan Bay on the left and The Ferry Stores almost in the middle of the shot.

At the top of the beinn the northeasterly wind had a distinct bite to it, but we sheltered behind a rock and sat for some time listening to the silence and enjoying the view. It is at times like this when we feel privileged to live in this beautiful place.