The Highlands page 5

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Slideshow(1) Slideshow(2)

Beinn_Eighe07.jpg (330348 bytes) Beinn Eighe 07
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The Mountain Trail climbs up the white quartzite rock to 550 metres (1800 feet) and the way is marked with cairns. The path has steps at the steepest parts. Some sloping areas have been cut with a diamond-bladed Stihl saw. Good boots and a change of clothing are advised. This view looks down to Loch Maree.
Beinn_Eighe16.jpg (291305 bytes) Beinn Eighe 16
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Conservation Cairn marks the top of the Mountain Trail. From here, on a clear day, 31 tops over 915 metres (3000 feet) can be seen - but today it's rather hazy and we can see only a few miles.
Beinn_Eighe25.jpg (196739 bytes) Beinn Eighe 25
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There are many tiny lochans up on the plateau. Four mountain peaks are reflected in the calm surface of this one, and there are still large patches of snow in late April. 
Beinn_Eighe29.jpg (278983 bytes) Beinn Eighe 29
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A small cairn (about 1 metre high) stands beside this lochan, marking the path. The Mountain Path symbol has been cut into a rock embedded in the cairn.
Beinn_Eighe37.jpg (448861 bytes) Beinn Eighe 37
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Lunar Loch is the name given to this lochan to mark man's landing on the Moon on 21st July 1969. This area does resemble a lunar landscape as the rocky surface is largely devoid of life.
Beinn_Eighe38.jpg (335664 bytes) Beinn Eighe 38
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A retreating glacier has left this 'erratic' here. This is a large boulder of reddish Torridonian sandstone contrasting with the grey-white quartzite formed from sediments laid down in shallow tropical seas. The sandstone was originally up to 7000 metres thick when Scotland was south of the equator.
Beinn_Eighe55.jpg (343904 bytes) Beinn Eighe 55
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The Mountain Trail follows a clockwise circular route. On the way down is this Scots Pine tree known as Lone Pine. This tree was a seedling before the Union of Scotland and England in 1707. (Scotland and England were on opposite sides of the Iapetus Ocean until 400 million years ago when they finally collided!)
bonecaves03.jpg (368372 bytes) Bone Caves 03
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Further north, near the A837 road south of Inchnadamph, are the Bone Caves where bone fragments of brown bear, arctic fox, reindeer and lynx were found. Hundreds of pairs of reindeer antlers were also found, dating from 8000 years ago.

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