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The wonder and the magic of the Isle of Mull can be seen day in and day out, 365 days of the year, 24 hours a day. Each and every day is different, whether it’s the weather, the tides, the seasons, the cinematic landscape or the swell of the sea; each moment is unique – the changing softness of the light as the seasons hop from spring into summer and then helter skelter into autumn and winter; the natural habitat around you delicately and gently wakes up from it’s winter slumber with an abundance of green and yellow, rapidly followed by a short mad burst of colour throughout the long summer days before autumn sighs and yawning, curls up it’s amber, russet and golden tendrils as it prepares to settle down for another long dark winter sleep. |
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But the real magic of Mull lies not in what one can see but in the knowledge that around every corner there are little nooks and crannies packed with little gems just waiting to be discovered – unexpected jewels that can brighten a dull day, paradoxically at odds with Mull’s raw and wild yet beautiful landscape. |
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"The
best and most beautiful things in the world, |
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One such little gem was discovered on a summer’s day down at Ardalanish Bay, near Uisken on the Ross of Mull. Taking advantage of a rare opportunity in the middle of summer for an afternoon out walking, John and I headed off for Ardalanish Bay intending to enjoy the long sandy beach, blue skies and sunshine. Having left the car in the small designated parking area (on the left past The Ardachy House Hotel) we made our way through the five bar gate and strolled down the track towards the beach. At the head of the track, the panoramic view of the beach and bay is obscured by a rocky outcrop but as the track veers round, Ardalanish Bay suddenly presents itself to you in all its glory. The beauty of the bay with the Paps of Jura distinctly clear on the horizon was a vision to behold but the unexpected joy came from the luscious and delightful undulating meadows of wild flowers spread out before us like a vast blanket on the ground. |
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Completely mesmerised we slowly made our way down the track towards the beach – the flowers were in complete contrast to the rest of the landscape and our childlike joy and disbelief was comical to say the least. As we ventured further down the track our excitement became infectious and difficult to contain – why all the fuss over a few wild flowers?
For me
the wonder of these wild flowers comes with the knowledge that ordinarily
these meadows are grazed by livestock and wouldn’t have the chance to
seed, grow, mature and flower. Ordinarily in the eyes of many, these
wild flowers are mere weeds – a nuisance and an eyesore in an urban back
garden. Here on Mull rainbows are frequent with the squalls but we
rarely see the spectrum of colours in such abundance as we did in the
meadows and pastures surrounding Ardalanish Bay. |
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| Needless to say we graciously
accepted our limitations and decided instead to enjoy the moment and
savour the views. Ardalanish Bay is a favourite place of mine and even
if I never get the chance to walk amongst it's beautiful flowers again I
will always remember that summer's afternoon when for a few hours I was
lucky enough to witness the secret delights of a small corner of
paradise on earth. Footnote: I returned to Ardalanish Bay one November's morning to see what surprise Mother Nature would conjure up for me on a cold winter's morning. I wasn't disappointed. |
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Last amended 27/11/2007 |
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