Lindsay Munro: We decided to tackle this hill from the vicinity of the stone circle at NR197569, having been discouraged from using the obvious track up from Kelsay Farm by a sign reading, 'MOD leased property. No public access'. Bad move. As soon as we crossed a gate onto the open hillside a fat guy on a quad bike appeared. He told us abruptly, in a thick Geordie accent, that we couldn't go up the hill, as it was 'all MOD up there'. On hearing that we didn't believe this and intended to go anyway, he lost the plot completely and became extremely threatening and aggressive.
Reluctantly, we retreated and went straight to Bowmore where we reported the incident to the tourist office and the police. It turned out that the hothead was a Mr Wilson from the neighbouring farm, Coultoon, and the police warned him about his behaviour. They also contacted the farmer's wife at Kelsay, Mrs MacNaughton, who gave permission for us to use the track up from there. We just had to phone first to let her know when we were coming.
Unfortunately, that wasn't the end of the matter. Three days later, on the final day of our holiday, we headed back towards the Rhinns, stopping to phone Mrs MacNaughton en route. She said that she'd discussed our proposed visit with her husband and we couldn't use the track after all as, 'it wouldn't be fair on everybody else'. With our time on the island running out, I ended up making a solo ascent of the hill's rough and unpleasant east side.
Back at home I contacted the MOD to request clarification of the situation on Beinn Tart a'Mhill. They confirmed that access along the Kelsay track was not permitted but that the 'MOD has no reason to stop access by any other route'. The exact opposite of a corridor route, and bad news for Mr Wilson.
See pages 13, 26, 27, and previous issues of Marhofn. Currently popular choice for the most shameful Marilyn of all. Hardly anyone seems to have a good word to say for it. However:
Trevor Littlewood: Starting from SO170214, follow a grassy road south, and others clearly shown on OL13, until you are within a few tens of metres of the summit. No gates, fences, hedges, walls, keepers or pheasants, and no problems.
Don Reid: The heather is pretty long - thank god it's not a million miles from the road - and I had a minor GOML incident due to lambing.
Jon Metcalf: New candidate for the most-effort-per-metre-of-height for this unspeakable heather jungle monstrosity. Large supplies of napalm recommended for your visit. Closely run in this category by Thorpe Fell Top for exactly the same reason. Murderous going, even downhill. So bad, there might even be an argument for a wind farm access road through it.
Alan Dawson: Maybe I'd had enough, as it was my fourth of the day, or maybe it was the twilight, or maybe the rain, or maybe the unsatisfying flat non-trig summit, but my memory is of depressing dreariness, with never a chance to walk two paces without looking to see whether my feet were landing in water or damp spongy energy-sapping moss. Just as well it was only 1km from the road, but there must be a better way. No wonder I'd left it till last in region 35.
Jon Metcalf: A much-anticipated hill after my earlier Foula trip, but it really wasn't up to much, with its hideous war-time summit debris and restricted cliff views. Fine enough cliff and stack scenery further round the island, and an awesome flight there and back, but any hopes of a repeat of Foula's special atmosphere were ruined by the rampant commercialism of the bird-watching money-hoovering operation.
Brent Lynam: When I was there in 2003, I had the usual pleasures of the contractor's village below the summit and the trail bikers making an unholy row for the whole walk. There was also a burnt-out car at the small pond near the start of the track, complete with the odour of decomposition. I thought there might be a dead human body in there, until I found a maggot-infested sheep carcass on the edge of the water. I truly hope any later baggers of this one have a nicer experience than I had that day.
Steve Harris: Twice as bad as I expected it to be - an absolute stinking disgrace.
Jon Metcalf: So simple with the track from the north mapped at 1:25000, but just abysmal if you are foolish enough to attempt this from the east. Horizontal trees scour your eyeballs as the gear is ripped from your back each tortuous metre. Lay on the heather with tears of joy on breaking out into the summit clearing after what felt like several weeks of a sherpa campaign on this.
Alan Dawson: I sympathise, having been that way myself and had the stick plucked from my rucksack, never to be seen again, but I've been back (for Chris Crocker's 600th) and it really is a doddle from the north (as you know by now). It was my 999th, and I nearly had an emergency call-out.
Donald Shiach: We followed the route suggested by Andrew Dempster, and were suitably grateful to him for pointing out a (once) fine zigzag path taking us through the trees - and he's right, the view is exceptional. But his suggestion for the downhill leg was more problematic. He suggests there are numerous breaks in the trees - and there are, you just can't see them from above. So we had to resort to coming down backwards and then crawling under sitka when backwards progress became impossible. A few wee crags enlivened things too. When we finally hit a firebreak, it descended at an angle, meaning we had to cross a bona fide mudslide. This was early August, just a week after the Glen Ogle excitement, and we soon found out why the Perthshire folk had to be airlifted. The mud was like quicksand. We had to jump from slippery log to slimy boulder, but still took a lot of it back with us. Nice hill, shame about the spruce.
Andy Hyams: A descent south into Glen Creran from the Graham Top of Beinn Mhic na Ceisich on the way back from Fraochaidh looked feasible, as the map suggests there is only a narrow strip of forest before a track down from a hut called Seanarmhail. Don't try it - especially not at bramble time.
