summer on Mull

After all the excitement of the Cuillins, the rest of 2005 was a bit calmer.  In fact, the next outing was back to this islands - but this time Mull rather than Skye.


We were spending a week's holiday there with friends Birgit, Timo and Esther from Berlin, and were blessed with some great weather.


Lovely views of the Black Mount across Rannoch Moor on the road up ...

A highlight of the week was celebrating our 25th wedding anniversary with a sail to Staffa and the Treshnish Isles with Turus Mara.


The sea was like glass, and we landed on both Staffa (my third time) and on Lunga.


Completed our celebration with a meal at the Italian Restaurant at Salen!

The forecast was for the weather to stay good on the next day, so it was off early to climb Ben More (again, for me, the third time).


We decided to make it a circuit, climbing up to the col you can see in the photo (the lowest point on the skyline), then up over A'Chioch and to the summit from the west.  This is much more fun than the tedious slog up the north ridge from Dhiseig.

The climb proved a bit rough for Esther, who wasn't used to such rough terrain, but Timo, Birgit and I enjoyed every minute.  


Once at the col at the top of Gleann na Beinne Fhada, it is a lovely ridge walk over a' Chioch to Ben More.


It's quite a steep and rough scramble on to the summit, then suddenly the views open out to the west.


Here's Birgit heading up the last steep section, with A'Chioch behind, and the mainland in the distance.

All the hard work is worthwhile!


View from the summit to the north west over Ulva and out to Coll and Tiree.


Then we trundled back down the "tourist route" and along the road back to the car.


For many people, BMM is their final Munro - for me it was my 9th - it's too good to keep until last!  But, the route over A'Chioch is definitely the way to do it.




(written 15/02/10)