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26 miles including a 15 miles loop which can be walked on its own
My son and I spent a week in Morvern in April and although we normally prefer long distance routes, which is quite difficult here without too much road walk, the area is fantastic walking courntry. After some shorter walks (see suggestion at the end of the report), we eventually reached the western parts of Morvern to start a 26-mile-2-day-walk with wild camping on the way.
It is possible to walk a circuit around the most western parts of Morvern, in a loop of 15 miles which can be done in one very long day. The going is easy, mostly on tracks and paths, but includes half a mile of pathless moorland where careful route finding or navigation skills are needed.
Start is near Drimnin, facing the Isle of Mull, where few parking is available near the road end and down at the pier.
However, we started the walk from the car park for the Aoineadh Mor Cleared Village (see walk description on Walkhighland, the only one for this area), facing Loch Arienas. This adds 6 miles before and 5 miles after the loop, with wild camping in the middle of the walk among the ruins of Portabhata.
We left the car park by the path near the information board and took Mary’s path to wind through the forest towards the old village. Once through the gate we shortly continued along the left track to the viewpoint and bench and listened to Mary’s story. Then we retraced our steps back to the fork and took the now left branch to come down to the river and the ruins. After exploring the ruins (the part beyond the bridge is more overgrown and wet) we continued on the path steeply up, which gives a fine view back to the ruins.
The main path winds around left back to the bench, but we left it at the large gate and entered the forest beyond on a small steep path, ascending to eventually reach the broad gravelled forest track high above the village.
The next 4 miles follow this forest track, slowly winding down towards Loch Teacuis. Although in the forest, the views are quite open, in the beginning back to the ruins, later to Loch Arienas and Loch Doire nam Mart.
Also, we met abundant wildlife on the route (beetles, bugs,caterpillars, birds…), and different special places here and there made the walk interesting for my son. The sudden views over to and across Loch Teacuis in the later stage are much satisfying:
The track eventually reaches a bridge near the ruined village of Barr. A detour adds a mile to the walk, and it is said that there is a fine waterfall and pool, but we didn’t do this detour as we had enough other ruines to see during our holiday, so I cannot confirm this.
We filled up our water bottles at the river (one of the rare possibilities on this walk) before crossing the bridge and continuing on the forest track. It ends after half a mile in a works area, but a grassy path continues straight ahead. This is wonderful, pleasant walking, in the beginning on a broad path through coconut smelling gorse.
Later, the path becomes smaller and stony and offers great views over Loch Teacuis and later, when winding around the hillside, to the isles of Carna and Gabhar sitting in the entrance of the loch.
There is a short section down boulders and then through forest before the path reaches a ruin just before a wide open area. Here the path climbs down to the right and over a bridge towards a lookout to Eilean Eildean. Our walk leaves the path at the ruin, but the detour down to the lookout is well worth it due to the fine views and the possibilities for bird watching.
Back at the top of the path the most (and only) difficult part of the walk begins; half a mile of moorland crossing. The area is very wet and spotted with ankle-breaking holes. We have been here after a fortnight of very dry weather and before bracken and heather started to grow abundantly, so it was possible to avoid the wettest areas and follow faint and mostly imaginary trods. But after a rainy day or two it might be some kind of slow bog plodding.
From the ruin the goal is to reach the wood in front of you on the far side of the open ground, and you might be able to make out a faint path from the ruins skirting around the boggiest parts. Once in the woods, you’ll find a small stream with two ruins beyond on the hillside. Cross the stream and head up to the ruins. There is a faint path which skirts around to the other side of the hill, leaving the forest. From here, we spotted the start of a path on the hillock in front of us and crossed the boggy ground. But son got his foot ankle-deep in a watery hole here. Once at the base of the hillock, we simply headed up towards the summit, which has a good view to the next stage and down right to Loch Teacuis.
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Down northwards we headed into the woods. Here a marker post in the middle of an open area and a faint path starting on its left are the end of the pathless crossing. Continuing to another marker post the path becomes clearer and a glimpse of the roof of Doirlinn cottage through the trees gives directions, which is reached soon.
There is a fine view from the picnic table to Ardnamurchan with Oronsay in the foreground and Carna to the right.
After the bog plodding we spent some time here strolling around, down to the slipway and through the woodland, crossing lizards and a lot of butterflies.
Later we headed up the hillside behind the cottage to reach a broad track which we followed around the north coast with good views to Oronsay, passing Drumbuie and several bays.
The track then leaves the coastline and crosses a stream deep down in its gorge. Just beyond the bridge, we climbed down to the stream to fill up our bottles. Not an easy option, but the only one as since the Barr River we had no possibility to get water. Further along, the track comes out of the trees and onto open ground, offering a good view to the sudden cliffs in front of us. The track heads up the rake and around the cliff.
From here follows what is another wonderful section of the walk. The track is broad and winds left and right, up and down, with splendid views to Ardnamurchan, leaving Oronsay gradually behind and directing us to Portabhata, our wild-camping ground for the night.
Portabhata is a ruined crofting settlement on a wide slush grassy land between coast and hillside.
The next day we continued on the track, with views over to Ben Hiant and later Kilchoan.
The long dry period has made the track a dusty red thread, uncommon to me in generally wet Scotland
It crossed some streams which were so dry that is was difficult to get bottles filled up.
The Isle of Mull eventually came into view and once around the corner Tobermory and the lighthouse could be seen clearly just across the sound.
We then met the first sheep and cattle and the track finally reached a gate and a white gravelled farm track. This one leads down to Drimnin House, passing a distillery on the way and heading along a forest, with mossy stone walls and bluebells growing under the trees.
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It finally reaches the main road and soon the bridge over Mungosdail River, where we had a short break under the trees. Some hundred yards beyond the bridge our route leaves the road and heads up a track to Mungosdail farm. Beyond the farm it enters a forest and ascends steadily. We followed the forest track for a mile, which, I have to say, was the less interesting part of all this walk. Some areas were clearfelled, however no fine views available as well as no interesting feature. After passing a gravel pit and crossing a stream we left the forest track by turning left onto a broad grassy ride between the trees. After the hard going on the track this was wonderful underfeet and wildlife came back to us, bettles, ladybugs, butterflies and others, adding interest to this part of the walk.
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The path crosses several more or less substantial streams before reaching the edge of the forest at a gate, just under a height of 1000ft. Once through the gate, the direction is simply straight ahead to the obvious notch in the hill, just north of Beinn Bhuidhe. There is a marker post just under the crest which can be used as waypoint.
From the crest (with 1115ft the highest point of the walk), just north of Beinn Bhuidhe, there is a wonderful view across the moorland and forest around Barr to Loch Teacuis, where we have been yesterday.
The forest there has been extremely clear-felled and doesn’t match at all with the forest edge seen on OS Maps. You might be able to make out a gate in the fence, which once was at the edge of the trees, but now stands in the middle of cleared ground, and which was our next point to aim for. There are some wooden posts to help down the hillside and a faint path becoming clearer on the lower ground. This was a wonderful stretch, the going easy, the landscape interesting and some streams and hillocks and wildlife to make my son stop every 2 minutes.
At the bottom of the valley, the path crossed a stream and then turned towards a gate. Just beyond, it crossed another stream and then was obstructed by fallen trees. We had to detour right around the knoll to rejoin the path on the other side, which then ondulated among the trees through a broad clover-covered ride.
The broad path eventually joins a stone wall coming in from the right and gets narrow, with Barr River down to the right. Beyond another wall on the left, we turned left and seeked our way through recently planted pricking conifers before the path got wider again and came down to the forest track near the bridge over Barr river to finish the loop.
We then crossed the bridge to get back along Loch Teacuis, but this time we left the forest track at a fork where the track leaves the loch and instead used a smaller path coming down to the shore, not far from Ardantiobart and later passing Kinlochteacuis. We sat down on the boulders in front of the house to have a short break and admire the fine view across whole Loch Teacuis.
From here the route simply follows the access track up to the main road and then right along this, approaching Loch Doire nam Mart:
Once around the loch, we eventually reached Loch Arienas and the Aoineadh Mor Village car park where we set down our backpacks and stretched out our legs, well deserved after this long but wonderful walk.
Conclusion: Apart from the stretch between Mungodsail Farm and the pass north of Beinn Bhuidhe the walk was well worth it. Some of the forest tracks might seem long to some walkers, but as I normally do long distance walks, this suited me very well.
For those seeking shorter walks in fantastic Morvern, here some suggestions we walked before taking the long way:
Ghardail Loop: 4.5miles
Track throughout, worth the detour to the waterfall and for the views to Sgurr Shalachain and back to Beinn Mheadhoin
Loch Arienas Point: 2.5miles
Loop from Claggan, small path and trod, easy to follow. Everything you need: fine views over the loch and to Mull, ruins, small sandy beach, rocky path, heather, moorland, tumbling streams and highland cattle.
Gleann Dubh: 3miles
There and back from Claggan on a broad track more or less close to the river. We didn’t walk the whole way to Crosben, but only to the bridge, yet still satisfying.
Fossil Burn: 2miles
Quiet road from Achranich to the burn, then pathless. In dry weather head directly up the riverbed to find fossils of Gryphea, commonly known as the devil’s toenails. In a wetter period head up its true left bank and then cross it to continue to a great waterfall above a bouldery pool
Loch Tearnait: 5miles
There and back on easy track from Achranich. The pipeline and a lot of farm/forest works at the beginning might irritate, but the loch itself is remote. We met a couple with a 4 year old boy who used this route and pitched their tent near the bothy to introduce walking to their son
Beinn Mheadoin: 6miles
Small path at first then pathless hillwalking with pretty easy route finding; from Loch Uisge via Meall a’Chaorainn Loch Uisge and Meall na Greine; wonderful panorama in all directions; from the summit continue a short way along the crest to have a look into Glensanda Quarry. My son's first hill.
