Have a spare 2 hours on the way to Iona?

This is a really nice, wild 2 hour hike which can easily be extended. Start at the car park [GR A (NM373 193) ] near the Ardachy Hotel…space for at least 6 cars. There's a gate at the south of the car park through which you can gain access to Ardalanish beach after a 5 minute stroll. Head west along the beach until you reach a large tor. Head to the right of this, crossing a large wooden fence in the process. Continue until you come to a gate which leads into a big field. Keep left of the gate and walk by the side of the fence until you come to a low gate which is easy to step over. Once over the gate head up the short gully on the NW side of Cnoc Mor until you come to a farm track. Either follow this track or go up and over Cnoc Mor, rejoining the farm track shortly afterwards. Either way, follow the track until you come to a sign which indicates that you've come to the end of the track. From here head west over rough, boggy, but not too wet ground until you reach the summit of Beinn a' Chaol-airigh. You'll make this in an hour especially if you head before the ferns start growing.
To return to your car by a more interesting route, head SE to meet the sea at GR B (NM368 178) . From here hug the coast until you get back to Ardalanish beach…it's fun, hopping from rock to rock with some minor scrambling and you should get around even at high tide. Linkback: https://mountainviews.ie/summit/B4813/comment/17981/

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