Kay's Little Hill: Mullach Dubh
This expedition from Craobh Haven is a favourite of a good friend of ours, Kay Young. She went on about it so much that we asked her to write up the instructions so that we (and you!) could enjoy it during a stay in the cottages.
Two options to the summit are offered. Suggestion is to start with some pre-expedition training, move onto Challenge No. 1, then progress to Challenge No. 2. You can do either routes in a round trip of two hours, including your tea-break on the summit! Then to Everest no doubt!
Pre expedition training
In order to maximise the opportunities for a successful summit bid then training /fitness testing beforehand might be useful [usually is for me!]. Suggested training route is walking from Craobh Haven to Ardfern, via Lunga [with cup of tea in Ardfern, then return, by same route!. This route offers much in the way of undulating roads, in some ways quite similar to the challenges that will be offered when climbing your lovely little hill.
Then the real adventure begins….
Challenge No. 1
Select stunning, sunny, spectacular, warm or very cold day.
Pre-summit preparations: fill a flask with piping hot tea or coffee; pack some outstandingly lovely food [fruit cake, ginger shortbread with cheese, chocolate marzipans et al] and a bottle of water.
Then ready to go…
Turn left out the front of your cottage and head off in the general direction of Ardfern Riding Centre. Pass three houses on the left as you begin the walk: the lovely little mansion on the corner [with the turrets], then the lovely white house with the balcony and conservatory, then the sad house that lives without a chimney [currently being renovated].
At the fork in the road, hold to the right, still heading in the direction of Ardfern Riding Centre. Stop for a second, look to your left and gaze longingly at the summit view of your lovely little hill. Continue with increased motivation.
After several minutes, at the top of the rise in the road, and before the first ‘fir’ tree on the left, you will see a break in the bushes where a faint ‘Ninja’ path can be seen – heading off into more bushes. Take this!
Follow the very muddy track, doing your Ninja stuff to get through the bushes. This will lead you to an old, wooden, wobbly gate that doesn’t open. Climb over gate. This is the biggest challenge of the day. Follow faint path to ridge, then head up along ridge in a general SE direction [same general direction as Ardfern]. This ridge is a little tricky and some might find it slightly exposed. However, with good boots, taking careful steps and staying away from the edges it is pretty safe. A walking stick or trekking poles might be helpful for balance in some places. Follow path along ridge, then down a little, until you meet up with an old fence!
When you get to the fence, this is the time to change direction! You are now going to go in a general NE direction towards your summit. To do this, follow the muddy track down to the burn [on your left] and cross the burn. It’s easy from here. Just keep walking along all the little hills until you see that you can climb no higher.
Congratulations you have reached the summit of Mullach Dubh! Well done! You worked for this!
You are now free to take a picture [evidence that you have been there!], drink some tea, eat some lovely food, text a friend, read a book, contemplate the world, celebrate being alive and simply enjoy the stunning views.
Take the same route home. As you go down the ridge, getting closer to home, keep looking back at your little hill and be simply amazed that you’ve been to the top. You can take on the world now!!
Relax in a warm bath, then sit in front of your fire, with a glass of wine in hand and enjoy the evening, contemplating how to develop your new passion for the hills.
Challenge No. 2 [for slightly fitter walkers!]
Select another stunning, sunny, spectacular, warm or very cold day when you have good energy levels and your motivation is on a high [climbing hills is 30% physical and 70% mental!].
Pre-summit preparations: fill a flask with piping hot tea or coffee; pack some outstandingly lovely food [fruit cake, ginger shortbread with cheese, chocolate marzipans et al] and a bottle of water.
Then ready to go….
Head out of cottages, past Craobh shop, heading in the general direction of the A816 main road.
After 15 mins or so, as you walk, stop for a second, look up to your right and gaze longingly and lovingly at the summit view of your lovely little hill. Continue with increased motivation and a new sense of energy.
After walking for 20/30 mins, take the road to the right [Barrickbevan on your OS 55 map], which eventually leads to Ardfern [in a more roundabout way!]. Walk through the farmyard, with its pretty sad houses and lots of old rusty heaps of motor cars. After several minutes, just as you come out the forest, at the last ‘fir’ tree on the left, you will see a ‘Walkers Welcome’ wooden marker, in the ground on the right, heading uphill, deep into the forest on your right. Take this path.
Head ‘upwards and onwards’ following total of six ‘Walkers Welcome’ markers. They sometimes are slightly hiding in the trees, so you will need to be wearing your ‘tracker’ hat to spot them. But you can when you look closely. Trust yourself. At times you will be walking on a carpet of pine needles – always an outstandingly lovely experience. And at other times you will be wading through muck and bog, when you are expected to sing: “mud, mud, glorious mud, there’s nothing quite like it for cooling the blood…..”! Enroute, there’s a couple of trees down, so unfortunately this means climbing over a couple of trees that will standing in your way. As if they could stop you!! It’s a steep route and challenging route, so hang onto your motivation! You’ve done the training, it’s now all in the mind. Go slowly, you can take as long as it takes to get there.
At the sixth ‘Walkers Welcome’ post you will have reached a fence. Fantastic. The hard work is over. Climb over the fence and head off West-ish, so as you can see the views of the sea and can get onto the ridge that will lead you to the highest point. Climb up and down the little hills on the ridge, keeping the sea and stunning views insight and to your right until you can climb no higher.
Congratulations you have reached the summit of Mullach Dubh by the even more challenging routeJ! Well done! You worked extremely hard for this one!
You are now free to take a picture [evidence that you have been there twice!], drink some tea, eat some lovely food, text a friend, read a book, contemplate the world, celebrate being alive and simply enjoy the stunning views.
To complete a lovely circular walk, head off the hill with the same route off as Challenge No. 1 [heading SW then W, cross the burn, down the ridge, through the Ninja path and scare people as you then appear out of the bushes!!].
Relax in a warm bath, then sit in front of your fire, with a glass of wine in hand and enjoy the evening, contemplating how to develop your new passion for the hills.
