Ramblers Routes Ramblers Routes Britain’s best walks from the experts Britain’s best walks from the experts Scotland Scotland 03/02/2015 16:03 01 Luing, Argyll & Bute 02 Beinn a’ Bhàthaich Àrd, Inverness-shire l Distance 7km/4½ miles l Time 2hrs l Type Coast l Distance 16km/10 miles l Time 6hrs l Type Mountain NAVIGATION LEVEL FITNESS LEVEL NAVIGATION LEVEL FITNESS LEVEL walk magazine spring 2015 spring magazine walk walk magazine spring 2015 spring magazine walk Plan your walk Plan your walk l Fort William Oban Inverness l l ARGYLL & BUTE BEINN A’ BHÀTHAICH ÀRD LUING INVERNESS-SHIRE l Fort Augustus l Glasgow l Fort William WHERE: Circular walk along WHERE: Circular walk over the island of Luing’s northern the Corbett of Beinn a’ PHOTOGRAPHY: KEITH FERGUS PHOTOGRAPHY: coast. Bhàthaich Àrd above Glen KEITH FERGUS PHOTOGRAPHY: START/END: South Cuan, Strathfarrar. Luing is one of the famed Slate 1. START The ferry from North Beinn a’ Bhàthaich Àrd is a shapely 1. START The route begins in Luing (NM752142). START/END: Inchmore Islands of Argyll. It sits just a Cuan reaches Luing at South Cuan Corbett (a Scottish mountain Inchmore (NH395406), which sits TERRAIN: Coastal paths, (NH395406). few miles south of Oban and is (NM752142). After alighting, turn between 2,500 and 3,000ft) that a little west of Struy Bridge. Turn L tracks and minor roads, TERRAIN: Mountain and separated from Seil by the narrow R onto a track just before the small straddles the lonely landscape of from the car park onto a minor with one short, awkward moorland tracks and paths, Cuan Sound, which is crossed via a ferryman’s hut. Follow this along Glen Strathfarrar and Glen Orrin road, pass through a gate and section of beach. with some pathless sections short ferry journey. It is a beautiful the coast and beyond a gate to in Inverness-shire. A prominent walk west through Glen MAPS: OS Explorer 359; where good navigational island – a tranquil place with continue northwest along a grassy local landmark, its slopes offer Strathfarrar alongside the River Landranger 55. skills would be required in remarkable views extending to the path, with fine views of Easdale a magnificent vantage point to Farrar. Beyond the access road GETTING THERE: Oban & poorer weather. likes of the Garvellachs, Scarba and Ellenabeich. During the gaze across a huge, mountainous to Culligran Cottage, make a R District bus 418 goes from MAPS: OS Explorer 431; and the mighty mountains of Mull. summer, black guillemots and and remote corner of Scotland. for Culligran Power Station Oban to North Cuan. Landranger 26. Luing is steeped in history as a common terns may be spotted. The big hills of Glen Affric, (NH378405). Frequent Argyll & Bute ferry GETTING THERE: Ross’s major producer of slate, and much As the path rounds Cuan Point Strathconon and the vast flanks sailings every day from North Minibuses’ 307 service from of the industry’s legacy can be (NM747146), the first reminders of Ben Wyvis are clearly visible 2. Keep to the road on the R Cuan to South Cuan, Luing Inverness and Beauly goes seen on this alluring walk, which of the slate industry are visible, from Beinn a’ Bhàthaich Àrd’s and then a track to a junction. (✆ 0871 200 2233, www. to Struy, leaving just under visits the island’s major settlement, including stone workhouses and 862m/2,828ft summit. Fine views Keep L, then turn R onto a path, travelinescotland.com). a mile’s walk to the start Cullipool. Agriculture has also a flooded quarry, where dark across the Beauly, Cromarty and which heads through birch EATING & DRINKING: The (✆ 01463 761250, www. been important for the local green waters reflect the quarried Moray firths draw the eye along woodland. It then rises onto Oyster Brewery Bar & ross-minibuses.co.uk). economy, and the Luing breed of cliffs above. At the industry’s a good portion of Scotland’s open hillside above the Neaty Restaurant, Ellenabeich, EATING & DRINKING: cattle was officially recognised by height during the 1800s, Luing east coast. The descent passes Burn, with the views extending Isle of Seil (✆ 01852 300121, The Struy Inn, Struy the British government in 1965. had a population of more than little Loch na Beiste where, on across the Struy and Erchless www.seilislandpub.co.uk). (✆ 01463 761308, Local birdlife includes redshanks, 600. Today, the island is inhabited a calm day, a lovely reflection forests. (Historically, these SLEEPING: Tigh an Truish www.thestruy.co.uk). ringed plovers and oystercatchers. by a little over 200 people. of Beinn a’ Bhàthaich Àrd can were deer forests rather than Hotel, Clachan Seil SLEEPING: The Struy Inn, The coastal paths are, in the main, be enjoyed. This is a tough route woodland covering the (✆ 01852 300242, www. Struy (as above). good although there is one short, 2. A grassy track now heads south where some pathless sections mountains.) As progress is made, tigh-an-truish.co.uk). VISITOR INFORMATION: awkward section that may be along Luing’s western fringes with require good navigation in poor the path becomes fainter as it VISITOR INFORMATION: Oban Inverness TIC, Castle Wynd impassable at high tide. the Garvellachs and the tiny island visibility. But on a good day, heads north towards Beinn a’ ✆ (✆ 01463 234353, www. TIC, North Pier ( 01631 563122, of Fladda, and its conspicuous this secluded landscape is Bhàthaich Àrd’s bare, southern www.visitscotland.com). visithighlands.com). ▲ ▼ ▲ lighthouse, sitting out on the hard to beat. ▼ slopes. Keep an eye out for 55-56 WALK46 RR SCOTLAND.indd 1 55-56 WALK46RR SCOTLAND_rev1.indd 2 Ordnance Survey mapping ©Crown copyright 2015 Ordnance Survey. Media019/15 Ordnance Surveymapping©Crowncopyright2015Survey. Media019/15 Ordnance Surveymapping©Crowncopyright2015Survey. Continued... Continued... GUIDEBOOK: Walking the 5 GUIDEBOOK: Walking Argyll Corbetts Volume 2: North of Map not to scale. & Bute by Mary Welsh and the Great Glen by Brian Representation of Christine Isherwood OS Landranger Johnson (£16.95, Cicerone, MAP 55 1:50,000 (£6.99, Clan Walk Guides, ISBN 978 1852846534). www.ordnancesurvey.co.uk 2 ISBN 978 1873597262). LOCAL RAMBLERS GROUP: LOCAL RAMBLERS GROUP: Inverness Ramblers START Mid Argyll & Kintyre FINISH (✆ 01463 236204, www. Ramblers (✆ 01546 886680, highlandramblers.org.uk/ 1 www.ramblers.org.uk/ inverness). 4 mid-argyll-kintyre and www.makramblers.co.uk). red deer on the ground and 3 buzzards and ravens circling above. Sound of Luing. Continue around scenic Port Mary, after which the 3. In due course, walk in a track splits. Go R onto a path and northeasterly direction (NH353423) continue southwest beneath steep over grassy hillside and climb Map not to scale. cliffs up to the L. At times the path steadily, picking a route through Representation of can be wet, but Stac na Morain some craggy outcrops west of OS Landranger (NM742140) – a large fin of rock 4 Cnoc an Duine to reach a rocky MAP 26 1:50,000 www.ordnancesurvey.co.uk jutting out from the cliffs – is soon ridge above Creag a’ Gharbh- 3 gained. Cross this via a stile at its L choire (NH362432). It is now a edge. A grassy path keeps on simple ascent northwest, avoiding under the steep embankment, but any of the crags, to gain Beinn just before a rocky outcrop it veers a’ Bhathàich Àrd’s summit 1 R back towards the shore. A (NH360435). The scenery is superb, 2 section of narrow, bouldery beach whether this be the big, angular START has then to be negotiated. It is a Munros of Glen Affric, the bulky FINISH little awkward and, at very high mountains of the northwest tides, may be impassable but it is Highlands or the flatter coastal short-lived. plains beyond Inverness. It is a wild, muscular landscape with 3. A good track then continues 5 few signs of human habitation To download this route and hundreds of others, along a grassy terrace beneath to the north. visit www.ramblers.org.uk/routes cliffs and heads into Cullipool (NM739131). A road leads 4. From the summit, take a through this lovely coastal village, northeasterly bearing and descend where redshanks and over pathless ground. A gentle rise (NH392422). There’s a fine view oystercatchers are regular visitors, culminates on the 855m/2,805ft from here of Beinn a’ Bhàthaich and turnstones and ringed plover Àrd and much of the route walked To download this route and hundreds of others, top of Sgùrr a’Phollain seasonal guests. Cullipool was, for visit www.ramblers.org.uk/routes (NH368448), where there are fine (pictured, previous page). A 200 years during the 18th and views north across Glen Orrin and narrow, more obvious path now 19th centuries, the centre of the east – the moorland dropping descends through heather, passing island’s slate industry and – at its 4. When the road splits, keep R countryside, before descending gradually towards Muir of Ord and through a gate in a deer fence into height – employed over 150 men. and walk through and out of the gently, granting a stunning view of Beauly. From here, a sketchy path thinner woodland. A track then After the slate was extracted, it village along the coast, passing the Torsa, the Cuan Sound and Seil is picked up (although in poor continues beyond another gate for was transported by ponies then old harbour and fine views of (pictured, previous page). Easy visibility it may be hard to follow). the final approach to Inchmore. by wagons along rails through Scarba and Lunga. In a while, the walking for the final mile returns Head east across a moorland The concluding descent passes a Cullipool to the pier.