📌 Ardmeanach, Isle of Mull
★★★
At the remote western tip of the Ardmeanach Peninsula, the imprint of a 50 million year-old, fossilised tree is engraved into towering cliffs. The base of the trunk has miraculously survived the waves from countless storms, turned to charcoal by the heat of the surrounding lava before it cooled into basalt. Goats eke out an existence on boulder beaches, grazing on seaweed washed up by the tide and using nearby caves as natural shelters; fresh water is abundant thanks to waterfalls thundering down the cliffs from the slopes of Bearraich above. The final mile to the tree is quite an adventure. An increasingly rough and exposed path leads suddenly to a steep ladder descending to a tidal beach section, so you have to time your arrival here carefully. The rest of the walk has less dramatic scenery, but crosses easier terrain with plenty of historic interest: ruined townships, an iron age fort, a remote bothy and old schoolhouse are the legacy of tough island life. The National Trust (which owns the land) has produced an excellent leaflet detailing things to look out for (we picked this up from their visitor centre on Iona, but they may also be available at the car park at the start). Their estimates of 6 hours and 10 miles for the round trip were a bit optimistic. But whatever the real distance, it’s worth the trek.
📷 Chronological photo guide
Scobull School – local pupils used to walk barefoot for several miles to get to classes here 
Coffin cairns – each representing a generation of the local MacGillivray family 
Bearraich (in the cloud) & the tip of the peninsula from the high-level track approach 
Waterfall just before Tavool House 
Tavool House 
Woodland beyond Tavool House 
Burg Bothy 
Dun Bhuirg – an iron age roundhouse with a more recent memorial to a local lass 
Descending beyond Dun Bhuirg to the shoreline 
The landscape gradually becomes more dramatic as the route continues west 
Path underneath Fionn Aoineadh 
Basalt rock formations on the shore 
This fan probably used to encircle another fossilised tree (covered at high tide) 
Final, tidal, beach section seen from the top of the ladder 
Ladder from above – not for those afraid of heights! 
Seaweed-munching wild goats 
Spectacular scenery on the final section 
Waterfall & cave 
There are several waterfalls on approach to the Fossil Tree 
Final headland 
MacCulloch’s Fossil Tree 
MacCulloch’s Fossil Tree 
Remains of the trunk – the wood inside turned to charcoal by surrounding lava 50 million years ago 
Basalt columns near the tree 
View out to sea from near the tree
🌍 Location
📌 Start / finish on track just southwest of Tiroran, Isle of Mull
🧭 O.S. Grid Reference: NM 478276
🛰️ GPS coordinates: 56.372828,-6.086567
❌ No public transport within 1 mi
🚗 Car park – last 0.5 mi of access track is unsurfaced & potholed
📝 Key info
▶ 19 km / 12 mi | ▲ 470 m | ⌛ 5.5-6.5 hr
Features: 🏠 Scobull School; ✞ Coffin cairns; 🏚️ Salachry & Culliemore ruined townships; 🌊 waterfall near Tavool House; 🏚️ Burg Bothy; 🏰 Dun Bhuirg; Fossil Tree & nearby coastline, waterfalls & caves
⬤ Tough | Good track with some steep sections to Burg Bothy, then increasingly rough path. Exposed descent by ladder to beach, then bouldery shoreline for last 0.5 mi to Fossil Tree. The section after the ladder (and some of the basalt rock formations just before it) is tidal – aim for about half tide or better.
Download file for GPS➡️ Out-and-back route: start – Scobull School – Coffin cairns – Salachry & Culliemore ruined townships – Tavool House – Burg Bothy – Dun Bhuirg – ladder to boulder beach & Fossil Tree – return by outward route
🥾 On our last visit
Wildlife: Wild goats on shoreline near Fossil Tree, buzzards and other birds of prey throughout, possible mink sighting near Tavool House, enormous crabs and small fish in rock pools.
Weather: Mixture of cloudy periods, sunshine and rain showers, temperature in mid teens.
July 2017
