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I had intended going for a serious walk on Saturday, but the question was "where" - the forecast wasnt great, although it looked dry enough. I settled fro a stroll to the Wilderness of Ardmeanach - hadnt been there for over a year. Definitely one of my favourite parts of Mull - hopefully the pics will show you why.

I often wondered about the name "The Wilderness" - it appears on various maps, looking slightly sinister - well it did to me when I was much younger. I remember poring over some of my fathers maps when I was still in primary school, and the names sort of stuck. Anyway, i have been there loads of times, in all sorts of weather and it never fails to satisfy.

Just one point - the area is described in one of the SMC guidebooks as "some of the most broken country" around. It is an area of chasms, sea stacks, cliffs, arches and generally quite challenging walking. It certainly isnt a hands - in pockets stroll -there are some pretty serious bits to the walk.

Anyway, here are some pics of it:



This ruin is just past the farm at Balmeanach - wouldnt take much to put a roof on that now, would it?

The first part of the walk is fairly easy, if boggy, on the broad terrace abve the cliffs, just west of Gribun. It is when you reach the Wilderness proper, that the scenery changes spectacularly


This arch is reached from a very steep descent to the shore.


Here is a sea stack at the foot of the waterfall "Stac Glas Bun an Uisge - the Grey Stack at the foot of the waterfall"


And another view

Lots of goats around here:


When they saw me, they headed up the slope:


There are some serious clefts and chasms in the rock:


And yes, that IS the path in the foreground, and yes it DOES run just inches from a sheer drop....

The rocks round here are mainly Moine psammites, the same stuff you get at Gribun and near Mackinnons cave (qv)



The weather was quite windy and the sea quite rough:


Further round, the psammites give way to the basalts which cover most of this area. And as usual, there is plenty of the columnar stuff to see:



I had reached the point at which it was time to go back - the headland is Called Rubha na h-Uamha - the bit that looks sort of "nose like" from the Bunessan side. the famous fossil tree is just beyond here, but the tide was too far in to get past. Besides, I had intended going back the same way anyway. Heres Rubha na h-Uamha:



The basalts rond here are full of "geodes" - crystal lined cavities. Some of them are quite large.


the pound coin is for scale



I also found some cracking fossils and some iron pyrites (fools gold) in the rocks near here - it is a geologists dream this place. It is also unbelievably remote and difficult to get to... Sod's Law eh?

I might be wrong, but I THINK this is the area which the late Jock Nimlin refers to in his book "Lets look at Scottish gemstones" - publ by Jarrold. Nimlin was an avid collector of agates and refers to a couple of Mull localities - I think this is one of them. Didnt find any!

Nimlin was one of the greatest of Scotlands outdoors men - in the same class as Tom Weir, WH Murray and other such mountaineering giants. Nimlin's climbs are the stuff of legend - well worth reading about.

Moving on -
Lots of caves in this area:



This is the sea stack on the way back, viewed from up the slope:



The lighting wasnt very good during the day, but on the way back, there were some nice views out to the west:



And the suns rays shining on Iona:


There are some good waterfalls along the coast:



The waterfall there runs over a sill, which is made of much harder rock - obvious in the picture

The rocks above Mackinnons Cave looked well in the setting sun:



And finally, a view over to the foreshore at Gribun:



So that was that - a very enjoyable, if tiring walk.Apart from the farmer at Balmeanach, I never met a soul!

Be back soon!

MM