Glengorm and great views
Posted: Sunday, 20 May 2007 |
Had a quick visit up to Glengorm today -there really is a great network of paths and tracks there and it is really nice and safe place to take the young ones. And the views on a clear day are excellent. We headed down to the shore, straight down from where the cafe is really, beautiful weather and just great for walking about in that carefree sort of way.
Couldnt keep away from the rocks however - the whole of North Mull is basalt, criss crossed with dykes and sills - some of the best places to see these are on the shore from Ardmore round to Glengorm. Lots to see. Some pictures below which should give a flavour of the place.
The view over to Ardnamurchan - great weather!
A sill cutting across the rocks on the shore - really obvious it was. I know there is not much to indicate scale, (didnt have my hammer with me, as on other trips) but it was no more than 4" in thickness. Here's a closeup view of it:
And if you look at the top surface, which is visible in a few places, you can see the jointing really well - these rough polygonal shapes are similar to how basalt columns form.
This type of thing is quite common in the area. Another very good example can be seen near the Ardmore Point light - this was where my geology class had their first field trip. Again, a good place for a quick trip and lots to see.
We also came across a dyke cutting the basalts, but it wasnt too photogenic. I noticed that there were several round holes in it. It had obviously been sampled by geologists in the past - they use a special drill to cut out small cores from the rock. In many cases this is much better than whole scale hammering, but it does leave unsightly holes. Ideally, the holes should have been filled afterwards.
A boat came into view, lifting creels:
And the view further round the coast to the west looks like this:
The great thing about this sort of place is that you can spend hours just wandering about looking at stuff. A word of caution however - some of the basalt rock is very crumbly - not nice to climb on. Treat it with respect!
And then it was back up the track and off to the cafe for refreshment. Coming back into Tobermory, you pass by this little hillock at the side of the road:
This is Creag a Chrochair - its a volcanic plug. Same sort of thing as 'S Airde Beinn not far away. There is also a thin sill cutting across it - you can see it in this enlargement of part of the pic ( the horizontal band on the right hand side)
So that's all for now - just a quick trip I know, but its amazing what you can find if you know what to look for.
All the best! MM.
Couldnt keep away from the rocks however - the whole of North Mull is basalt, criss crossed with dykes and sills - some of the best places to see these are on the shore from Ardmore round to Glengorm. Lots to see. Some pictures below which should give a flavour of the place.
The view over to Ardnamurchan - great weather!
A sill cutting across the rocks on the shore - really obvious it was. I know there is not much to indicate scale, (didnt have my hammer with me, as on other trips) but it was no more than 4" in thickness. Here's a closeup view of it:
And if you look at the top surface, which is visible in a few places, you can see the jointing really well - these rough polygonal shapes are similar to how basalt columns form.
This type of thing is quite common in the area. Another very good example can be seen near the Ardmore Point light - this was where my geology class had their first field trip. Again, a good place for a quick trip and lots to see.
We also came across a dyke cutting the basalts, but it wasnt too photogenic. I noticed that there were several round holes in it. It had obviously been sampled by geologists in the past - they use a special drill to cut out small cores from the rock. In many cases this is much better than whole scale hammering, but it does leave unsightly holes. Ideally, the holes should have been filled afterwards.
A boat came into view, lifting creels:
And the view further round the coast to the west looks like this:
The great thing about this sort of place is that you can spend hours just wandering about looking at stuff. A word of caution however - some of the basalt rock is very crumbly - not nice to climb on. Treat it with respect!
And then it was back up the track and off to the cafe for refreshment. Coming back into Tobermory, you pass by this little hillock at the side of the road:
This is Creag a Chrochair - its a volcanic plug. Same sort of thing as 'S Airde Beinn not far away. There is also a thin sill cutting across it - you can see it in this enlargement of part of the pic ( the horizontal band on the right hand side)
So that's all for now - just a quick trip I know, but its amazing what you can find if you know what to look for.
All the best! MM.
Comments
thanks again mm, for the lovely pics
carol from basking in the sun
Just got to say I really enjoy your blogs together with the pictures. I visit the website every day to see if there's a new post on there from you, you're so interesting. I used to visit Mull regularly and lived on Coll and seeing your pictures makes me quite homesick.
Helen from Portugal
Thanks again, MM, wonderful photos. I think you must be a "good weather magnet". You say it all in the last sentence "...if you know what to look for."
Jill from EK
James I think you have lots in common with another great Scottish nature lover John Muir (1838-1914) who in describing himself to a friend wrote, "I am a 'poetico-trampo-geologist-bot. and ornith-natural etc." Keep on tramping.
Guy from Australia
Fourth pic down looks like elephant hide, only the hairs are missing. Some artists make real dosh out of close-up rock photos...
Flying Cat from art&artists monthly
Exploring the hills and coasts of Mull and Iona and occasionally elsewhere, with a close eye on the geology
RSS Feed