A week in Oban, Part 2: Easdale Island and Barr Leathan (Lerags)

2 May 2019

Participants: Neil and Ben

Where: Easdale Island, 38m/125', P 38m, Tump and SIB, OS 55, 736171 and Barr Leathan (Lerags), 117m/384', P 31m, Tump, OS 49, 861256

The weather couldn't have been better, sunny with razor sharp visibility. I had visited Seil in the Slate Islands on a number of occasions but had never taken the little ferry over to Easdale. Time to rectify that! Seil is reached by the Bridge over the Atlantic.....

There was an unsigned viewpoint just before the road drops down into the village of Ellenabeich from where the ferry for Easdale leaves so I stopped to have a look. What a great view of the village with the Garvellachs beyond.....

 Easdale from Ellenabeich.....

The walk around Easdale including a diversion to take in the top of the hill took an hour. As expected, it was a great viewpoint. The view back to Seil from Easdale harbour with the ferry in the picture.....

There are no cars on Easdale so the locals use an alternative method of transporting their shopping from ferry to home.....

Ben at the summit, Seil background.....

Looking down on Easdale village.....

Across the Firth of Lorn to the hills of Morvern.....

South to the Garvellach Islands, this makes me want to visit them.....

Seil from Easdale.....

Hills of Morvern.....

Easdale football pitch.....

Ben at a world direction sign.....

I really enjoyed this visit, of course the weather helped, but it was a fascinating place and the locals were very friendly.

The weather was so good that it was no hardship to climb another hill after my tea. Barr Leathan is one of three Tumps on the north side of Lerags Glen. I approached it by path starting at the Campbell of Lerags Cross, original erected by Archibald Campbell of Lerags in 1516 and re-erected in 1926 having lain in pieces in the adjoining Kilbride churchyard for over 200 years. It was carved from a single block of green schist.

There was some iron wear on the summit but it didn't spoil the fine view north over Loch Nell with the twin peaks of Cruachan again prominent.....

Back in the glen, I had a look at the ruined church and graveyard of Kilbride where I learned that a number of  Clan McDougall chiefs were buried there. A local charity has been formed to tidy up and look after the church and graveyard for the future.