Ben Arkle

We had 3 lovely hours adventuring on Handa Island. The ferryman used to work on fishing trawlers and had great stories . We were greeted on the island by the ranger and 2 volunteers (1 week stints if you fancy it). They have to take all their food and drink and live in a basic bothy ("it keeps the wind out"). The cliffs and seabirds on Handa are well worth a visit. We are too early in the season really but there were some around. The landowner was given the island plus other land as a wedding present. Now in her 80s she still decides on the numbers allowed on the island and has rights to the sea channel. I hadn't appreciated that a few people still own land in this way in 2015.
We walked for a few hours into the foothills and byway between Ben Arkle and other lesser known hills. Gorgeous.