Page 84 - The Wish Stream Year of 2022 CREST

Mulling It Over
OCdt Forsyth-Forrest
With news of severe weather warnings across North and Western Scotland, we were contacted by those running the accommodation we were meant to stay at that night. Unfortunately, the roads into Oban were blocked, making our journey unsafe. As such, we drove to High Wycombe for the night and set- tled into the family home of Ms Grout. If it wasn’t for Mr. Grout’s Buckinghamshire renowned mul- berry ice-cream, this might have been the worst start to a diary entry ever.
After an untimely delay to the start of our trip, we had soon left High Wycombe and were on our way to the Isle of Mull. 516 miles, seven choco- late croissants, and a dozen coffees later, we had arrived at a cold but busy Oban ferry port. With talk of what was to come, and a gander of the ‘Best of Mull’ travel books hoarding the ferry waiting room, we were all excited to unpack and get going. A short car journey under the cover of darkness to Macquarie House failed to highlight just how picturesque and beautiful Mull was; a sight we’d have the pleasure of
ern edge of the island. We drove out across the island in the morning light, and it was incredible to see the striking and rugged Mull countryside for the first time properly without any fog. The hike itself was reasonably challenging, but pro- vided fantastic views, and we had packed extra sandwiches so everyone was happy! We left the hike feeling relieved that we were able to con- duct so much of the hike and happy to stretch our legs properly and put all the kit and equip- ment we had hired to good use!
With the temperatures continuing to climb, we set off with a spring in our step to conquer the hike! Our resident Scot, Mr Forsyth-Forrest, kindly packed us haggis sandwiches, cut diago- nally – what a treat! With the snowline risen and the skies cleared, the hills offered immense views
seeing tomorrow morning.
On waking and throwing back the
curtains in our cosy cottage, where
we were to call home for the next
few days, we were faced with a
wall of fog that stretched eerily out
across the loch. With high hopes,
we donned our gaiters, ECWs and
waterproofs and headed to the foot of the hill. On looking up towards the summit, however, we real- ised that reaching the peak was seeming increas- ingly impossible. There was no mistaking the snow covered paths and icy tracks, so unfortu- nately the restrictions meant we had to turn back and return to the cottage. With the fire roaring, we set about checking the weather for the upcoming days and making contingency plans in case we were unable to walk any of our other routes. A delicious supper was prepared and served, and we slept, fingers and toes crossed, hoping for warmer days and hilltop views.
We awoke in better spirits as the temperature had risen, meaning that we were able to go out and undertake the Burg Hike on the west-
With the temperatures continuing to climb, we set off with a spring in our step to conquer the hike!
over a hibernating landscape. Two stags were spotted on an opposing ridgeline, which raised morale even further. A great day on the hill, helped hugely by such great weather.
The hardest hike of the lot, Dun Da Ghaoithe, was made possible on the last day with the snowline mov- ing to the top of Ben More, Mull’s
only Munro. Great weather meant for a pleasant day of walking with good ground covered under our instructor, Mr Winterbottom. Like all the other hikes, the views at Dun Da Ghaoithe were breathtaking and we were all chuffed to be there. Our final hillside lunch was an immense pleasure, followed by a jubilant ramble back to the cars.
It was sad packing up the cars that final night, prepping for the early morning ferry to take us back to the mainland and home for Christmas. As we drove out, we could see Ben More looking down on us, something we all said we wanted to conquer at some point. Another trip to Mull is definitely on the cards to finish off that final hike the weather took from us!
82 SANDHURST