Cruach na Seilcheig (Argyll)

28 April 2012

Participants - Neil and Ben
Where - Cruach na Seilcheig, 380m/1,247', Sub-2k Marilyn, Map 55, NM 854110

It's always good to go to a new area and the sub- 2k's are a good excuse for doing that. The area east of Kilmelford is not one that I had been to before and there were a few sub-2k's there. The trick was to pick the one that would provide the best views and Cruach na Seilcheig looked like the best for that; close to the sea and with no forestry on it. So with a good forecast for the following day, I drove up and spent the night at Connel and was ready for my exploration of new country more or less first thing in the morning.

I left the main road at Kilmelford and took the single track road that eventually went to Taynuilt. After about two miles, I found a place to park at the west end of  Loch an Losgainn Mor and took to the hillside from there. There were a few ups and downs but the going underfoot was not too bad- a mix of heather and grass. I would think that this is a prime area for midges in the summer! This is a view back to the place I parked the car from a short distance up the hill.....

and this is a view to the top of the hill from the same spot.....

They give an idea of what the going was like.

This is an area of many lochans. There was one just below the summit, Loch a' Clachain, great if you're a spaniel.....

From about here there was a good view down to Kilmelford.....

For anyone who climbs this hill on a misty day (which would be a great shame as it is a fantastic viewpoint) there are two cairns and it is the second one that you come to that looks to be higher. From here, the view is down the Sound over many small islands to Jura with the Paps clearly visible. If the weather stays the way it was today then the MBA volunteers will have a great time renovating the new bothy at Cruib on Jura. Here is Ben posing for his usual photograph at the summit.....

And this is the view to another Island Marilyn, Cruach Scarba on the island of the same name.....

The best of the view from the more northerly cairn was to Ben Cruachan.....

There was hardly any wind and it actually felt quite warm so I spent a bit of time at the summit looking at the views (and listening to the first cuckoo of the year). I had certainly made the right choice of hill! Back at the car, I continued my exploration and followed the road to Taynuilt. This is Loch Avich looking north......

As the road goes north, there is more and more forest and views of Loch Awe are few and far between, which was a bit of a disappointmet. This is from one of the few viewpoints looking to Ben Lui which had collected a fair dump of snow overnight.....

A lot of forestry operations were taking place and I noticed that a new wind farm was also to be built at one point. The road surface was good and there was hardly any traffic so it was an enjoyable drive. Hopefully the weather will now settle down and I'll get a few more west coast excursions.