26th - 28th January

26th January day 327

Today i would break the back of the mull of kintyre, yes it was windy, extremely windy, but it was also sunny and dry. How hard could it possibly be after all I'd already passed the hardest part of the trek, I'd passed cape wrath and the knoydart peninsula. I'd coped with snow, high winds and Scotlands famous storms. Surely this would, well, be a doddle.

Leaving  macriahanush i following the  kintyre way finger posts up into the hills and away from the village and once again into the wild landscape. Walking down the kintyre peninsula was relatively flat and I'd managed to stay more or less at sea level. Ahead of me now though i would need to hike through the hills way above the sea and with the sloped down too steep to traverse I'd have to see how close i could actually get.

Leaving the track at the earliest possibility i began to follow the coastline towards the point, the slopes were indeed steep but i was determined to stay as close as possible. The kintyre way had now headed a long way inland and would eventually end quite some way from the tip.

Following my instincts and keeping the sea in sight, to my right and away from the path i had to keep my wits about me. The wind had begun to pick up with strong gusts blowing from the west and whipping around the knolls. The further down the coast i hiked the harder and more dangerous it became. Being confronted with an almost sheer drop i had to head up a steep exposed slope away from the coast. By using faint trails and small ridges i slowly made  my way up towards what appeared to be an unnatural gully. The gully gradually wound its way to the top where the wind appeared to be concentrated and considerably stronger. Continuing to battle against the winds i carried on following the ridge line occasionally ducking behind small mounds out of the gails to take short breaks.

Reaching a wide and deep valley which i wasn't able to descend i once again turned inland towards a forest where the valley shallowed out making it easier to cross.  In fact the valley not only swallowed but also narrowed considerably fed by a small stream that  i was able to easily jump and head up the other side.

A fence running along the edge of the forest was now to be my guide. It was obvious that sticking directly to the coast here was quite frankly impossible. The fence though followed parallel to  the coastline off across the baron landscape and out of sight. As i followed my guide rising and troughing through the hills i wondered if it would ever end. Thankfully it did and as the fence pulled left i felt sure the end of the peninsula wouldn't be too much farther.

The terrain was gradually changing and had been all day. That morning it had been boggy, over the hills the ground firmed with bedrock beneath the grasses and now i found amongst the rugged landscape large bowls of peat. Still i could not sea the sea south of the peninsula or for that matter the lighthouse i was aiming for.

Taking a bearing ahead of me i headed towards a ridge of rock feeling confident i would soon reach the days determined destination.

After clambering in and out of numerous peat bowls and crossing a soggy marsh basin i noticed among the grass a metal fragment. As i looked around i came across more, much larger pieces. I'd been told that some twenty years earlier an horrific accident had happened near the point involving a helicopter carrying the countries top security advisors. The pieces of wreckage in front of me certainly looked like they were from a helicopter. Had i stumbled on to parts from the actual crash. If so why hadn't the investigation team removed them. It was all very peculiar.

It was now getting late in the day and i knew my time was running out. If i wasn't careful i could find myself sleeping in the wild, exposed and baron landscape of the mull of kintyre. Feeling slightly disoriented and knowing a memorial to those lost in the accident was surely going to be nearby i made the decision to keep heading south which meant climbing quite a steep bank to gain higher ground and a better viewpoint.

From the better viewpoint i could see a short stretch of tarmac, the road that led to the lighthouse, my target.

27th January day 328

I'd been lucky with the weather over the passed days, so much so it was hard to believe how bad it had gotten. On this morning a thick mist had descended on the mull. Although i really wanted to head down to the shore and attempt to navigate the treacherous  coastline as close as possible i had to make the decision to follow the road away from the lighthouse. Safety, after all, had to remain my priority.

As i hiked eastwards following the southern  shoreline away from the west coast of the peninsula the mist began to lift and it looked like it would be another reasonable day.

Taking first opportunity i descended an extreme fern covered slope down  to the shore. With each step i had to watch my footing or I'd find myself at the bottom much sooner than i was comfortable with.

Safely at the bottom i looked back to see what i had missed out on. It was rugged and no matter how good you thought you were i quickly realised that the coastline from the lighthouse to where i was stood was impassable. Sheer vertical rock faces plunged into the crashing water and as i looked closer i could see that traversing the cliffs would also have been completely impossible. It was a good feeling though knowing that i was as close to the point as humanly possible i just hoped that from here i would be able to make it all the way along to southend and the caves near st Columba's chapel. The same st columba who's cave I'd spent the night in a week before.

Without knowing exactly or to be honest without knowing even  roughly how far i had to go i set off. I was now very used to scrambling over boulders and rocks allowing me to fulfil my mission to stay as close to the coastline as possible. Today was going to be no different, hoping onto the first boulder i began jumping from one to the next in  fluid motion a natural rhythm making progress effortless.

By taking the route I'd decided to tackle takes a lot of concentration and the ability to make quick risk assessments along the way. It never gets boring in fact it occupies your mind constantly. You need to be observant and understand the consequences of your actions,  afterall your life depends on good judgement. The rewards however can be great. During this section of the coast i was to be rewarded with quite a discovery.

I'd Scrambled a fair way along the coast when i came upon a metal wreckage of sone kind of boat but that wasn't the discovery that made me feel particularly special. A little further along wedged beneath a large boulder i was to stumble on something quite special and something it is quite possible no one has even seen before. On first sight i couldn't believe my eyes. I'd found an extremely old canon its rusted cylindrical shape at first glance looked like the chimney of a steamship but as i bent down to look closer i could clearly see this artifact had a much more interesting story to tell. There were no desernable markings which meant it was impossible to determine which ship the canon had once made its home.

With the fire of exploration reignited within i continued to clamber the rocky shore to a small sandy bay, the tide was now coming in to reclaim the canon again until the tide retreated again the following day. Reaching the bay i decided to take a short break and to think back recalling the discoveries  of the day posing unanswerable questions and make wild stabs at the age of the relic.

Keeping an eye on the time and noticing the air becoming chilly i continued with the days hike along the sandy bay over a grass mound and down to a long sweeping beach which would take me to st Columba's chapel.
The only thing now slowing my progress was a river that cut across the beach into the sea. Looking along the length i could see no sign of any shallows or stepping stones to facilitate a crossing. The river though wasn't exceptionally deep so i decided to remove my boots, roll up my trousers above the knee and wade across. The water was freezing but what was i to expect afterall it was winter.

With boots and socks rightfully returned to their proper appendages i sauntered across the beach towards the cliffs where i was hopingto find shelter in one of the klies caves near to the chapel i was keen to look at.

The caves weren't far from the beach, a mere few hundred yards if that. The first cave was small and quite uninteresting and certainly not large enough to sleep in.  The second cave was much larger and really quite impressive. It was dry inside with a high ceiling. Unfortunately the floor was far from clean, bird droppings covered it that gave off a repugnant stench. Staying there would be only if there were no other choice. A final cave was small and compact. It was a tight fit with two more small chambers joined by narrow corridors. It would be cosy and a perfect place to hold up.

28th January day 329

The wind didn't let up all night and as i woke i found myself dreading the hike i had ahead of me. My plan was to keep to the shore, a treacherous route that would take me in front of a long stretch of cliffs. The tide would need to be out or I'd find myself in serious trouble and potentially cut off.

As I sat and had breakfast the weather worsened and i had to make the decision to go for it or stay put. Having a bad feeling in my gut which was unusual i decided to put the trek off till the following day when i hoped the weather would improve.