The Oa and Beinn Mhór (cont'd) - Islay Walking Week April 2006

Continued from part 1: The Oa and Beinn Mhór
	Refreshed we continued towards Beinn Mhór, enjoying great views over The Oa as well as over to Ireland. The clouds had now completely disappeared, leaving us with a clear blue sky, only a bit of haze in the distance. A fitting finish for a walking week with next to no rain! On arriving at Beinn Mhór most headed straight for the summit (202m), I decided to try to get a better view closer to the cliffs. The cliffs are somewhere around 150m high here, quite impressive and not to recommend on a stormy day. From just below Beinn Mhór I had a great view over the Irish Sea to Ireland as well as over the Mull of Oa. You can also view a QuickTime VR panorama of the Monument on The Oa:

	By now it was mid-afternoon, with the sun slowly lowering the view towards Ireland continued to improve. We were able to make out some of the features over on Ireland, certainly one of the best views I've ever had of Ireland from Islay, but also several of the locals said it was one of the best views they ever enjoyed. Leaving the summit of Beinn Mhór we dropped down towards Bealach nan Crann with excellent views over to the Mull of Oa with the American Monument. Walking over the heather was quite exhausting and not without risks: I stepped into a rabbit hole hidden in the heather, but my walking boots and the low speed I was walking with prevented serious injury. The shin of the leg looked quite bruised for a few days though.

	Looking back we had great views towards Dun Athad, which can only be reached over a fairly narrow ridge. Probably very easy to defend, although water supply might be a bit of a problem. The last view was out to the sea over Port nan Gallan, Ireland in the distance. Past Cnoc an Dearbhaidh and Upper Killeyan we walked to the car park, from where we drove back to Port Ellen. The walk had taken longer than expected, so quite a few (incl myself) decided to skip the last evening walk. We all met for soup, sandwiches and drinks at the Ballygrant Inn, saying good bye after a great Islay Walking Week 2006.

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