Minister's Path (Crois Mharaidh Dhubh)
Start location: B8073 beside Kilninian Church, Mull (NM 396 458)
End location: B8073 forestry gate east of former Mornish School (NM 392 518)
Geographical area: Argyll and Bute
Path Type: Rural Path
Path distance: 7km
Accessibility info: Suitable for pedestrians
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Route DescriptionLeave the B8073 a few yards west of Kilninian Church. A track winds uphill through a gate and passes to the right of a cottage onto the open moor. At the top of the hill is an old wall with small wooden gate. The path is not easy to find from here, but follow the Allt Hosterie to a conspicious bend in the burn and take a distinctive pyramidal hillock on the horizon as a mark. The path goes to the right of this and comes to a gate onto a moorland plateau, where it is joined by another track, and continues across the moor to the summit of the walk at Lochan na h-Earba. Path now follows the Allt Tor a' Bhacain, first through a valley then high above, just before the forest fence is reached there is a ford across another burn just below a waterfall. The old route is covered by forestry from here. So, either take the path that runs through the forestry to the B8073 or at the fence, turn left and follow it down to the road beside the former Mornish School, now a private house.
OS Landranger 47 (Tobermory & North Mull), OS Explorer 374
Heritage Information
This is an old route from Calgary and Mornish to Kilninian. Crois Mharaidh Dhubh translates as the Crossing of Black Mary. There has been a church at Kilninian since at least the sixteenth century, the present church was rebuilt in 1755.
Tobar Ninian (St Ninian's Well) lies 55m north of the church at the end of a path. Although the well was overgrown, a stone structure built over it could still be seen when visited by the Ordnance Survey in 1972. Locally it is said to have been used for baptism.
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