Beinn Bhuidhe

We walked today to Beinn Bhuidhe, the yellow peak, a low hill rising out of the rolling plateau land to the north of Camas nan Geall.  This picture looks back from Beinn Bhuidhe towards West Ardnamurchan's highest mountain, Ben Hiant, with the Sound of Mull to its left and Mull itself in the distance.

It's a desolate area, home to a few sheep, the occasional small herd of red deer and, at this time of year, masses of Scotch Argus butterflies that fluttered around us - infuriating beasts because none of them would sit still long enough to have its portrait taken.

Ardnamurchan Estate, which owns this wilderness, is busy cutting a road across it to the site of a new wind turbine.  As with all such developments, when it's first done it's not a pretty sight, but this area has seen millennia of human activity - the fields and ditches of long-forgotten farmers lie all around - and Nature soon takes a hand in blending such scars back into her landscape.

The cuttings offer a wonderful opportunity to study the geology of the area.  The layer of peat which underlies today's moorland varies from a few centimetres to two metres or more thick.  It's dark and compacted, and would make a first-class fuel, but the main interest lies in the rarity of any evidence of trees.  The peat was largely formed from sphagnum mosses which lived and died in an anaerobic environment which preserved the plant matter.

Only in two places did we find what might have been a large root.  Since Highland peats date from about 4,000 years ago, when the area 'enjoyed' a climate which was undergoing considerable increases in rainfall, this suggests that trees were already uncommon.  We probably need to go back several thousand more years to find a time, soon after the retreat of the glacial ice, when there may have been more trees here.

The peat layer lies either on what was a light brown leached clay soil, as seen in this photograph, or directly on weathered rock.

Despite the hazy conditions, from the summit of Beinn Bhuidhe there was a fine view southeastwards across Loch Sunart.  The small island to the left is Risga; Oronsay lies to the right, and Carna just beyond Risga.  The sea loch that runs deep into the hills of Morvern is Loch Teacuis.

A map of the area is here.