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View of the Enchanted Valley below Beinn Bhiorach from the Poet’s Ridge Trail

Taken 2007 July 25 on the Braighe à Bhaird (Poet’s Ridge) Trail
about sixteen minutes from its junction with the MacEachen Trail

This year was the first year I had hiked the full length of the Braighe à Bhaird (Poet’s Ridge) Trail; I did it the easy way, starting from its junction with the MacEachen Trail. There is some climbing involved, but it is fairly moderate and there’s only a little bit of it at the start; the rest of the trail is glorious vistas and either level or down-hill.

I had never before seen this view, with the north side of Beinn Bhiorach in the centre of the photo and a fine view of the path the Rids An Daraich (Oak Ridge) Trail takes as it climbs the long ridge at the right to the summit of Beinn Bhiorach. The cleft spanning most of the photo diagonally from upper left to lower right is Gleann Sidh (the Enchanted Valley); I was well familiar with the wonderful trail of the same name which runs through this valley, having hiked it several times, always from the col below the summit of Beinn Bhiorach, and remember with joy and fondness the lovely singing brook that accompanies nearly the entire trail, adding magic to the hike through the forest which blocks much of the sun. But I had never before pierced through that forest canopy to see what lies above. Another gorgeous view of the Cape Mabou Highlands! And what a debt we owe to the Cape Mabou Trail Club for creating and maintaining this wonderful wilderness trail system that provides access to so many stunning vistas!

                   
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