Ben Gullion Guided Walk

Ben Gullion, the shapely mountain that rises to the south of Campbeltown, has long been a potent symbol of home for the exile and is rivalled only by Davaar Island as sentimental image and evocative place-name.

It is Gaelic of course - Beinn Ghuaillean, 'Hill of Shoulders' - though the shoulders are visible only from the north. Ben Gullion, however, is more than just a romantic image. It is very much alive, and its flora and fauna offer moments of interest and - occasionally - of excitement.

Ben Gullion is also an excellent viewpoint for the surrounding landscapes and seascapes, and, on clear days, from its heights - it rises to above 1000ft - Ireland can be seen as well as Islay, Jura, Arran and Ayrshire.

As part of this year's Mull of Kintyre Music and Arts Festival, a guided walk to the top of Ben Gullion has been organised for Sunday 20 August, with Angus Martin and Georg McSporran as escorts. Both of them are natives and habitually spend large chunks of their leisure rambling over the hill.

Angus Martin is a local historian and writer - he has seven published titles to his credit, with two others soon to appear - and over the past year he has been making poems which take as their themes the natural history and scenic beauty of the hill.

George McSporran is manager of Campbeltown Creamery, which produces the award-winning Mull of Kintyre cheddar, and is a keen photographer.

After completion of the walk, a slide-show of George McSporran's photographs, complemented by Angus Martin's poems, will take place in a local hotel. Anyone who doesn't fancy the walk, but who would like to experience Ben Gullion through the lens of George's camera or in Angus Martin's words, will be welcome to attend this event.

The walk will, of course, be weather-permitting and should last about four hours. There will be a stop or two for refreshment, so bring food and drink - these will not be provided. Interested parties should be reasonably fit ... and reasonably sober! The party will be strictly limited in numbers. Regrettably, no young children can come.

If interested, write to Angus Martin, 13 Saddell Street, Campbeltown, Argyll PA28 6DN, with your name and address and telephone number.

BOG COTTON

Sage-like, your white heads nod,
as though you were discussing the Universe or God
from your lowly station in oozing bogland
but I believe there's more you understand,
of sun and rain and night and wind, than I;
and if the miniscule space you occupy
is all that the world has given you
summer on summer your sage heads nod anew.

Reprinted courtesy of the editor of The Dark Horse, in which this poem by Angus Martin appeared in the summer 2000 issue.