Maximum bang for your hillwalking buck

[thepigguy]

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After making a meal of Tom nam Fitheach in the morning, I joined up with my wife, brother-in-law and sister-in-law later on to visit 'S Airde Beinn, which proved to be a much easier way of having fun.

It has to be one of the simplest Marilyns in Scotland - you could probably bag the summit from the road in 40 minutes - but on a bright sunny day it's delightful. The views to the north towards Ardnamurchan, Rum, Skye, Moidart and even over to Ben Nevis are terrific and likely to make you feel guilty you didn't work just that little bit harder for it.

We parked in the old quarry up the road from the start of the walk and headed back down the road to the derelict cottage, turning through the gate towards the hill. After a very dry spell, the going was easy, but I can imagine there would be a few soggy bits to keep you interested outwith the summer months.

On the way up

There's a newish fence with a gate shortly before the final climb and we then decided to go to the right following a path by a wall which took us to the loch shore.

First sight of the crater loch

We then headed uphill to one of the many summits around the loch before dropping down (going clockwise round the loch) and climbing the main summit.

Crater loch

Me looking suitably embarrassed at having a picture taken at the top of a really small hill

The loch and Ben Hiant and other hills in Ardnamurchan

Sally and Kathy with Scotland - lots of it

We followed the ridge around the loch, stopping many, many times to take in the views on a fabulous Mull afternoon.

It's quite hard to escape Ben More's prescence in this part of Mull

Looking back at the summit as we made our way around.

We eventually dropped back down to the wall and returned the way we came. A brilliant couple of hours strolling in the Mull sunshine, I totally recommend it.