Scottish Islands Explorer 45: Sep / Oct 2017

Coire Fhionn Lochan
Coire Fhionn Lochan
In the sunshine the bare granite intrusions
in the surrounding corrie are reflected in the
still water and it’s possible that here is the
source of the description ‘pale’ in the corrie’s
name. The views across to Kintyre and further
to the Paps of Jura and Islay are glorious.
With mountains on three sides the lochan is
protected from the wind and a lovely place for
a picnic.
Amazing Speed
Although only two miles up from the shore,
there is a strong sense of solitude here. On one
still and quiet occasion, an eagle appeared
high above us, circling almost lazily over the
corrie. It glided above the lochan until
something must have caught its eye when,
with amazing speed, it disappeared over the
shoulder of cone-shaped Meall Biorach.
Watching it disappear so quickly, the closing
lines from Tennyson’s poem, The Eagle,
sprang to mind:
‘He watches from his mountain walls,
And like a thunderbolt he falls.’
That was not the only poem that sprang to
mind though, for in 2013 the theme for
National Poetry Day was ‘Water’ and Thomas
Clark, a poet whose compositions often
reflect his experiences walking in the remote
landscapes of Scottish islands, composed an
eponymous poem to Coire Fhionn Lochan.
A visit there and you can understand why he
felt inspired.
Better and Better
If you are feeling more energetic you can
take the opportunity to go further and walk
up and around the ridge of the corrie itself.
It’s a more challenging climb than the route
up to the lochan while the views keep on
getting better and better - especially looking
down on the water itself.
Coire Fhionn Lochan is a remote and
mountainous spot with some of the most
magnificent views on Arran. On a fine day it
possesses great peace and tranquillity and is
rightly considered one of the finest walks on
Arran. On an island with so much to offer the
walker that is high praise indeed.
Page 17 top: Coire Fhionn Lochan
Walk, Mid Thundergay, old cottage.
Below: Coire Fhionn Lochan path
and Kilbrannan Sound.
Left top: Uisge Soluis Mhóir burn,
mini-waterfalls cascading down
the hillside.
Left below: Signpost from Mid
Thundergay.
Below: A perfect spot for a picnic!
Photographs taken by the author,
Vivien Martin.
Although no longer a farm, it’s a charming settlement with
most of the houses occupied as well as the site of Tobar
Challumchille, which means St Columba’s Well. A pure
freshwater spring with a brick surround, this would have been
the source of water for the settlement - not only clean and
clear, but also with St Columba’s blessing. Though it has to
be said that it’s very unlikely he ever stopped here for a drink!
The Legend
The steep path from the shore road is a curved track,
passing the settlement. Even at this level, some 200ft up,
there are already lovely views across the Kilbrannan Sound.
As the track snakes past the last house you reach a wooden
signpost pointing up the hillside bearing the legend Coire
Fhionn Lochan.
Past the first gate, the grassy hillside has been recently
planted with young deciduous trees which will, in time,
become woodland offering shelter to the houses but also
providing homes for birds and animals. At the second gate a
ladder stile crosses the deer fence. From this point on the
terrain changes and becomes more mountainous.
The path turns right beside a stand of birch trees where large
stepping stones make for an easy crossing of the burn. And
then it’s upwards. However, the path is clear and follows
alongside, and occasionally over, the Uisge Soluis Mhóir
burn. As the path becomes steeper the burn cascades down
the hillside in a series of mini waterfalls, while granite slablike
steps take you up the steepest section of the walk.
Almost as a Surprise
The slopes of Meall Biorach, Meall Donn and Meall Bhig
begin to appear ahead and it’s within their solid, encircling
walls that the corrie lies hidden. At the crest of the path, the
lochan comes almost as a surprise. Corries were created by
glaciers, gouged out of the mountains by the massive force of
the ice. Coire Fhionn Lochan is almost round, about a quarter
of a mile across, very sheltered and often without a ripple.
There are no reeds around the lochan, just white beaches of
weathered granite sand. The water is clear and shallow around
the edge, but then becomes suddenly very dark as the bed of
the lochan dives down deeply. No one is really quite sure just
how deep it is.
18 SCOTTISH ISLANDS EXPLORER SEPTEMBER / OCTOBER 2017
SEPTEMBER / OCTOBER 2017 SCOTTISH ISLANDS EXPLORER 19