Dubh Chreag

The run of fine weather continues, though each day the north to northeast wind has brought a chill with it. This morning the wind had gone into the northwest and dropped, so we were out on the hills in good time, leaving Ormsaigbeg and climbing westwards, diagonally up the slope of Druim na Gearr Leacainn.

We didn't plan to go anywhere in particular, just to enjoy the walking and the views, but we ended up on the summit of this hill, Dubh Chreag, the black crag - not that there's anything particularly black about it.

It's an interesting area, as the valley that runs between it and Druim ne Gearr Leacainn has signs of agricultural workings in it, clearly visible in the above picture.

From the top of the 'crag' we had wonderful views in every direction. This picture looks up the same valley which runs almost due north. That it's so narrow and straight suggests that it was formed by erosion along a fault line - a quick look at the geological map confirms that a fault runs for about three kilometers inland from the coast. In the distance can be seen the islands of Muck (left), Eigg (right) and Rum (in the distance).

Looking to the northwest we could see Ardnamurchan Point Lighthouse on the most westerly point of the British mainland. The two lochans at left are together called Lochan Dubh, and the larger one to the right Lochan Caorach (the sheep's lochan), a lochan we visited last May on an unseasonally cold and damp day - account here.

The view to the southwest looked across the entrance to the Sound of Mull to the northwest tip of Mull, Caliach Point. The islands of Coll and Tiree, and the distant tops of the mountains of the Outer Hebrides, were all clearly visible. The trawler below us was the Manx-registered Spaven Mor. Shortly after the picture was taken a small group of kayaks passed below us, probably setting out to round Ardnamurchan Point.

One of the downsides of this fine weather has been the lack of rain - we've had 14mm in the last three weeks, and all that very spread out. As a result the ground is very dry - it crunches as you walk across it - so it's not surprising that the Kilchoan Fire & Rescue team were out again last night to a hill fire at Kentra.

This sudden splash of green on the lower slopes of Dubh Chreag is the result of a small spring, surrounded by lush green moss....

...in the middle of which a little frog had, very wisely, taken up residence.

A map of the area is here.