The Most Southerly Fog Horn in Scotland

Posted on October 29, 2011 by Susan

Situated on a cliff edge on the Mull of Galloway, this used to be the most southerly fog horn in Scotland:

…until Biggles visited for the day and his distinctive warning siren echoed across the waves to Ireland.

We’d been planning a day trip to the Mull of Galloway since our return from the West Highlands last week and had just been waiting for a sunny day. Quite unexpectedly we opened the curtains on Friday morning and saw clear blue skies and sunshine. We bundled the pups in the car and were on the road within half an hour.

We’d only been out of the car for a couple of minutes when Beanie and Biggles noticed a sign instructing them to “walk this way”. At least, they think that’s what it said. They oblidged with their usual noisy enthusiasm and really couldn’t understand why mum got so upset.

The Mull of Galloway has two fog horns. One is big and red and the other is tricoloured and goes by the name of Biggles”

After exploring the lighthouse and foghorn for a while we headed off on our cliff-top walk. We’d actually planned to run the 10k trail but sadly the sunny day came along when we were really all due a day off from running. So we opted for a walk this time instead and I’m actually very glad it worked out that way. The scenery is just stunning and you really don’t get to appreciate the views quite so much when running. The route runs along the edge of the cliff tops of the West side of the Mull for about 4 kilometers before heading across country then following the East shore back to the lighthouse.

I wouldn’t say that I suffer from vertigo, but I do have a healthy fear of danger. So I was a little alarmed when I saw large warning signs on the gate at the start of the route saying “Dangerous Cliffs – Proceed at your own Risk”. Beanie and Biggles clearly read something very different from me and lunged through the gate and bounded along the path before I had too much time to think about it. You don’t have the option to walk further inland as the farmer has erected a fence to stop live stock toppling over the cliff edge. You’re forced to walk on the cliff side of the fence.

At some points the route ahead looks quite daunting – sheer cliffs with waves crashing against them and the little path winding precariously close to the edge. It’s tempting to reach out and put your hand on the fence to steady yourself. But as I discovered to my cost it is actually an electric fence!

It’s not long before the views back toward the lighthouse start to look truly stunning.

To give you an idea of scale, that tiny dot on the top right is Beanie, Biggles and I!

I don’t know if you can make out the little white dots on this picture? That’s sea foam. The wind was so strong that it was blowing blobs of foam all the way up from the sea and carrying it quite a distance inland.

There are a couple of very short sections where the path winds down to a little rocky beach, but it quickly winds back up onto high cliffs.

This is about as far as the path goes before crossing through fields to the East coast. If you look very closely you’ll see the lighthouse way off in the distance. That’s where our walk started, winding all along the coast. It looks as if the lighthouse is on an island but it is actually connected to the mainland.

The trouble with this time of year is that you run out of daylight very quickly. But fortunately we had the lighthouse to guide us safely back to our car.

Beanie’s Birthday Bash – Part Four

Posted on October 19, 2011 by Susan

After the disappointment of missing out on our Ben Nevis walk we tracked down a stunning little mountain in Kintail for our final day. But once again the weather was against us. The rain was still pouring down and winds were picking up to gale force on the hills. Forecasts were indicating that it might be a bit brighter out on the coast so we headed off towards Mallaig for a hike over a hill covered peninsular to another abandoned crofting village and beach. And what a good choice that turned out to be! Although there were a few heavy rain showers it was for the most part bright and sunny, and the walk was simply spectacular.

After a fairly strenuous trek over the hills we finally descended onto a very flat grass plain that leads onto the beach. The little abandoned village of Peanmeanach sits on the edge of the beach with half a dozen or so little crofts layed out in a semi circle looking out to sea. One of the crofts has been restored to create a bothy – the remainder are just roofless ruins. It’s hard to imagine that people actually lived here. It’s so remote, and the only route in is over the hills or by sea.

On the way back Beanie made the most of her final birthday outing by bounding through the heather at the side of the path. It was lovely to watch but it made the walk more taxing. The last thing you need while traversing bogs and slippery wet rocks is an unpredictable and surprisingly forceful sideways tug from a playful Beagle girl, so of course that’s what we got. By the time we crossed the little railway bridge near the end of the walk we were tired out, but what a great trip we’d had!

Beanie’s Birthday Bash – Part Three

Posted on October 19, 2011 by Susan

On the third day we’d planned to climb Ben Nevis. Not all the way to the top – just to the half way lochan at around 700 metres. We were camped at the foot of the mountain and it filled the windows of our caravan. How could we go home without checking out the views? However, when we woke on Saturday morning all we could see was mist and driving rain. The forecasts didn’t give us much hope of it drying up before nightfall so we decided to have a bit of a lazy day with just a trail run in the afternoon.

We found a nice little forest trail nearby with a large, hilly section of ancient woodland. There were spectacular views of the mountains but unfortunately we didn’t see much thanks to the rain! Once again, our legs felt like lead and we were both pretty relieved that the Ben Nevis walk had been rained off – I think we’d have struggled!

Here’s a little video clip of the run.

The day may have been somewhat low-key but that doesn’t mean it was completely uneventful. While relaxing after the run, Biggles decided to reverse up to Paul and purge his anal glands on his T-shirt. The resulting stink was so bad that even Biggles himself flashed Paul a look that said “Ugh! Dad you smell BAD!” Needless to say we made use of the on-site laundrette that evening.