Ben More, Mull, 28th May 2008

Climbed by year and month

Climbed by year and month

When we decided to go to Mull back in the spring I thought it would be good to go up Ben More, Mull's only Munro. The weather forecast wasn't promising but as it turned out it was our last full day on Mull, I wanted to go anyway.

So the plan was for Paul to drop me off at the start point near Dhiseig on Loch Na Keal, and I'd head up the north west ridge for a there and back route. Nothing fancy. This was my first Munro after all, and I'd have the full height to climb all 966metres.

The path starts off as a track to a house and then turns off after a few hundred yards, the fun then begins. I followed a guy up who was obviously running. It was fine I could see where he went, for a short bit. And then I was on my own. The path started out clear enough but I seemed to have to cross the Abhainn Dhiseig a bit early. In my nievity I decided to follow it across. It was early, and it soon disappeared leaving me to head up a trackless grass slope. Not long after a I spotted a cairn and headed for it. Then further on another. After a while the line of cairns stopped too. I was wondering what to do next. Contour round to the west a bit and see if I could pick up the path I thought should appear or carry on up. I was obviously on the correct ridge so "up" would see me heading in the right direction. Instead I spotted a large cairn well over to my left and headed for it. It marked the main path.

Loch Na Keal:

Now I was on the main path it was an easy slog in a generally up direction! Looking back every once in a while the view was opening out.

The weather stayed damp and threatened to rain, but held off until I was on the scree covered ridge just short of the trig point.

There isn't much left of the trig point, just the remains of four bolts in the ground. I quickly ate my lunch in the pouring rain, took a picture, and started on my way down.

I had taken Juliet with me, but she didn't like the look of the rain and refused to come out the rucksack. But I craftily snapped her peering out.

My first Munro had been climbed!