The Isle of Mull. Terry Marsh
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Название: The Isle of Mull
Автор: Terry Marsh
Издательство: Ingram
Жанр: Книги о Путешествиях
isbn: 9781783625604
isbn:
All OS maps are all available from www.ordnancesurvey.co.uk.
Paths
Not all the paths mentioned in the text appear on maps. And where they do, there is no guarantee that they still exist on the ground, remain continuous or well defined.
A number of the walks go close to the top of dangerous cliffs, both coastal and inland. Here the greatest care is required, especially in windy conditions. Do not, for any reason, venture close to cliff tops. Some of the routes rely on sheep tracks, which make useful paths in otherwise trackless areas. Sheep, however, do not appear to suffer from vertigo, and don’t travel about with awkward, laden sacks on their backs. If a track goes towards a cliff, avoid it, and find a safer, more distant, alternative. Burns should be crossed at the most suitable (and safest) point, which can involve lengthy, and higher, detours in spate conditions. Do not allow the frustrations of such a detour to propel you into attempting a lower crossing against your better judgement.
If there are children in your party, keep them under close supervision and control at all times.
With only a small but growing number of exceptions, paths are not waymarked or signposted. Many of the mountain paths, however, are cairned. In a constantly developing environment like Mull, changes often occur to routes, especially through forests (where trees are felled), or on coastal walks (as a result of landslip, for example). See the Advice to Readers box at the front of the book for information about how to let Cicerone know of any changes that you come across for the benefit of future walkers.
The path around the Calgary headland (Walk 1.9)
1 NORTH MULL
Caliach Point sea cliffs (Walk 1.9)
INTRODUCTION
The north of Mull boasts little in the way of significant upland; the highest point, Speinne Mòr, rises to a mere 444m (1456ft). But what it does have is a bounty of coastal walking – some of the finest on the island – and quite an array of woodland and moorland walks. There are only two important settlements here – Tobermory and Dervaig – three if you include Salen, which sits on the arbitrary boundary between north and central Mull.
A goodly proportion of north Mull is forested, although clearing is currently an on-going feature, but there is also a great swathe of open moorland, generally of the most demanding kind where only experienced walkers should venture away from the established paths and trails.
South of Tobermory lies the area known as Aros, while to the north and west are Mishnish and Quinish respectively, where the tell-tale signs of lava bedrock ripple away into the distance. What makes this region of Mull especially appealing is the convoluted nature of the terrain; this is a hummocky, undulating, twisted landscape of considerable beauty, bringing new vistas at almost every step and exposing the visitor to enticing views of surrounding islands, Coll and Tiree, and the mainland fastnesses of Morvern and Ardnamurchan.
Further west, headland points like Caliach and Treshnish, especially the latter, provide some of the finest walking on Mull, where interest is constantly maintained and the evidence of past ways of life litter the landscape and raise their tumbled remains above the encroaching bracken and heather.
Rainbow over Eileanan Glasa
North Mull is for walkers rather than mountaineers, and provides considerable scope to invent walks and pit yourself against the ruggedness of the land, where navigation skills need to be of the highest order. Many walks described in this book take you far away from outside help, and so the ability to self-help in rugged terrain is of paramount importance. In return, you will be rewarded with days of solitude and tranquillity where eagles dare and otters make the most of the coast and inland lochs.
WALK 1.1
Tobermory and Aros Park
| Start | Tobermory car park (NM 505 551) |
| Distance | 5.5km (3½ miles) |
| Ascent | 90m (295ft) |
| Terrain | Woodland and lakeside paths |
| Map | OS Explorer 374 Isle of Mull North and Tobermory |
Aros Park is a green lung for Tobermory, not that it needs it, given the breezy ozone that permanently mantles the town. But this sometime estate park, now owned by the Forestry Commission, is linked to Tobermory for good reason: it is the perfect place to explore a managed estate woodland, to enjoy the ornamental lake carpeted with water lilies, and to harvest a bounty of brambles in season. The woodlands are rich and lush with ash, rowan, hazel, birch, beech, oak and various pine, as well as rhododendron, a telltale sign of a managed estate. Thick layers of moss cloak many of the trees, both living and long-since felled, while the understorey has a fine range of fungi later in the year. This walk is straightforward and uncomplicated.
Leave the car park by setting off along a path near the pub (signed ‘Coastal Path to Aros Park’), climbing a little at the end of a cliff, then going forward along a terraced path with the sea down below to your left. Throughout the walk there are stands of oak, beech, birch, hazel, alder, rowan and a few lime.
Spùt Dubh (Black Spout), as its name suggests, is a waterfall, a once-important supply of fresh, albeit peat-stained, water for ships in years gone by. Beyond that, a landslide some years ago necessitated a little re-routing, but the path maintains a steady course above the waters of Tobermory Bay, with Calve Island riding at anchor offshore, protecting the Tobermory harbour from east winds.
Where the busy Aros Burn meets the bay, a footbridge provides a fine viewing point for the nearby waterfall. Across the burn, take the left-hand path and soon reach a junction. Here, branch left (signed for the pier), and walk down to a T-junction close by a couple of sturdy buildings. A quick left turn here takes you down to the pier and its small nook-like harbour, with a lovely view across the bay to Tobermory.
Turn right and soon reach the north-western end of lily-covered Lochan a’ Ghurrabàin. As you do, turn left onto the Lochan Trail, and immediately right to follow a gentle path all around the lake through mature woodland. At the far end of the lake, the path divides. Branch right, and, just on crossing a simple footbridge spanning a stream (with a dilapidated pump house nearby) flowing from the distant Lochan na Guailne Duibhe away to the south-east, keep right, still on the Lochan Trail.
When the path next divides, take the left-hand branch, walking up to a large car park and picnic area. This spot may be reached more directly – to effect a shorter walk, or for that matter a picnic – by leaving the A848 at NM 509 541, at Aros Lodge.
The car park is the site of Aros House, owned by the Allan family, shipowners from Liverpool, who were resident here from 1874 until 1959. The gardens were planted by Alexander Allan, who tended СКАЧАТЬ