BEN MORE (MULL) (3171')

15th July 1984        Ben More (Mull) (3171')

Leader Glip

Scouts    James Gatherer (Peasant) and David Gordon (Booboo/Disaster)

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Weather

Cloudy with cloud over the summits.

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Report

Friday 13th July   Journey to Mull

It was with some apprehension that Glip, Disaster, and Peasant set off, since Percy’s brakes were pathetic. We left mid-morning and crossed on the ferry. We drove without stopping to Oban and spent a while searching for the ferry. We were actually booked for a late afternoon ferry, but there was plenty of room on an early afternoon one so we took that. The crossing was gentle and we got a good view of Duart Castle.

We visited the shop at Craignure then drove west in search of a campsite. There was a possible site near Teanga, but we opted to camp on the West Coast and found a splendid, if fairly exposed site, up the hill from the Gribun (GR 456355) by a stream. This site had a fantastic view westwards towards Inch Kenneth, Staffa, Dutchman’s Cap (nicknamed Western ferries by us),  little Colonsay etc.  After tea, we went for a walk up the back to explore the gorge marked on the map and to practice map and compass for the mountaineering badge.

 Saturday 14th March                       Sleepy Saturday

The weather was quite nice by the shore, but clouds were building up inland, so that there was no desperate hurry to be off. We decided, in fact, to explore along the shoreline and look at Mackinnon’s Cave. For some reason, we all felt very sleepy and lethargic, and it was a bit of an effort scrambling along the shore. The cave itself, which should be visited at low tide, was impressive and very high at its entrance. It stretched back a fair distance and it looked as if one could bivvy in it since the water level did not go all the way back.

On the way back, Peasant had one of his many snoozes. The weather was improving so Glip overruled protests and we  set out to try Ben More, even although it was nearly midday. In fact, we had lunch before setting out, parking at the B8035 / A849 junction.

The pace was very slow and we were very quickly getting nowhere. That and the fact that the clouds had failed to clear from the summit, and conditions looked unfriendly, soon persuaded us to turn back once we had reached a small hill which we could fairly claim in its own right.

Rather than return for tea immediately, we went for a short spin to visit Carsaig on the south coast. Here, one gets a good view of the sea cliffs called Aoineadh Mor.

On our return, we stopped at a small shop selling paintings and pottery. Here, we met a very strange man who spoke with a sock in his mouth and who told us he was in charge of a holiday course at a nearby mansion for artists. He had various strong opinions and was very anti the changes in Scouting which had occurred in 1968. He was kind enough to invite us round the house whenever we wished, but we declined politely. No way were we going into what now seemed like Colditz. Apparently, ‘inmates’  were fed depending on results. If they failed to paint, they got ‘small dinners’. This was a source of merriment between Peasant and Booboo for weeks to come. Actually, the paintings which were produced at the centre were all for sale at the little shop we were in. None of us were impressed.

Back at camp, we did more of the Mountaineers badge then hit pit.

Sunday 15th July   Ben More (3171’)

Despite still feeling tired, this was the day we had to do Ben More or bust. Monday would be cutting things too fine. Booboo was navigating and we were originally going to march directly on A’Chioch which was in cloud. Peasant, obviously very sleepy, held us back something awful and we took for ages. Breaks in the cloud made us doubt the wisdom of following the direct route, so we moved left into the coire and climbed to the saddle between Ben More and A’Chioch.  The summit seemed quite interesting although we were in cloud.

At A’ Chioch, we ate lunch and debated about Ben More. Peasant was not keen and decided to wait at the saddle while Glip and Booboo popped up to the summit. He moved down the coire a bit out of the wind (northerly)  and settled down to wait. Glip and Booboo started off at a very fast pace but had to slow down when the ridge got quite scrambly. It must be quite nice on a good day.

At the summit, they found two people camped on the summit with radio, aerial etc trying to get a good contact. They must have been keen to slog up with all that gear– including one car battery. Glip and Booboo descended quickly since they wanted to get back to Peasant as quickly as possible. They find him fast asleep! Could hardly believe it.

One down, we decided to visit Iona since the day was still young. However, when we reached Fionnphort, it was the last boat which would leave us  a mere 10 minutes on Iona. We decided against it and admired the island from afar. Feeling daft, Glip persuaded the others to come for a paddle which they did after some initial reluctance. Once in, everyone caught the insanity bug and we were soon playing non-stop cricket on the beach with an incoming tide, making fielding more and more difficult. The batsman tried his best to hit the ball into the deepest water possible, and the game stopped when the tide washed the wickets (drawn in the sand) away.

We visited a small café after that and Glip treated the others to a meal since we were quite late. It was very pleasant and we finished off with hot chocolate and cakes. Excellent value.

We drove home, stopping occasionally for photos. The sun was setting back at camp and the view was magic.