Beinn Bhuidhe Views

This is OB560, Jacobite, one of the Tobermory creel boats, passing in front of our house around half past eight this morning at the start of a glorious day, with the sea hardly ruffled by a light breeze and the sun out - so we set off for Portuairk, where....

....we parked in the official visitors' car park at the top of the hill and set out westwards to climb Beinn Bhuidhe. I don't think I have ever seen the islands so clear across the Minch - this picture looks across Sanna Bay to Eigg - and the contrast of light and dark as the clouds moved added constant interest to the view.

Very understandably, as we climbed across Portuairk common grazings, not everyone welcomed our intrusion into their privacy. This is a Portuairk ewe, posing in front of Rum and low-lying Muck.

This picture was taken about half way up. Muck is at left, with Rum behind it and, at centre, Eigg, but beyond them are the mountains of Skye. Below us, more and more of Portuairk was becoming visible and, across the bay, the sun kept catching the white sands of Sanna.

This picture shows the beaches and machair of Sanna and almost all its houses - Upper Sanna to the right, Lower Sanna to the left. The dark headland is Rubha Carrach and the land along the horizon is Skye to the left and the mainland around Mallaig to the right.

Cresting the ridge as we neared the summit we now looked west, and the lighthouse at Ardnamurchan Point came into view, with Coire Beinn to the right and the green fields of Grigadale below us.

The tide was low, exposing the rocks in the bay to the east of the lighthouse. The island along the horizon is Coll.

As we moved south towards the summit of Beinn Bhuidhe, more and more of Grigadale came into view: the farmhouse, Loch Grigadale, and the farm buildings at right. The entrance to the Sound of Mull is visible and, in the distance, Caliach Point on Mull. Just visible at right are the Treshnish Islands and the distinctive shape of Dutchman's Cap.

This was the view from the summit looking southeast. The hill to the right is Beinn na Seilg, and the Sound of Mull with Morvern beyond it is visible towards the left.

A little further round, this picture looks across to Sonachan  and, above it and to the right, Lochan an Aodainn, with Ben Hiant rising towards top left.

Returning to our car, as we walked across the cattle grid Mrs Diary spotted, between the steel girders....

....a stunningly-coloured northern marsh orchid.