"Always take a camera with you"  

Fantastic Days out on the Isle of Mull

 

The Isle of Iona

The sacred Isle of Iona and it's many remnants from the past

 

 

The sacred Isle of Iona lies to the West of Mull and is accessed by a short 10 minute ferry crossing from Fionnphort. Iona is a tiny island, of typically Hebridean beauty, it holds a unique place in the story of Scotland and kindles the imagination of thousands who journey there each year. Yet it is also where people have lived, worked and worshipped over many centuries. To and from its shores have come monks and pilgrims, clan chiefs and kings, artists and craftsmen, farmers and fishermen. Of the earliest, we catch only fleeting glimpses now.

Stone Age flints and tools unearthed by the plough, a grassy cairn where some Bronze Age mourners laid their dead, fragments of pots, beads and bones have all been found on Iona, which speak of a thriving Iron Age community early in the first millenium. 

Later members of the Columban settlement became skilled in the working of metal, glass, wood and leather. Succeeding generations bequeathed a rich artistic legacy in their intricately carved stones and crosses, fine prayers and poems, and exquisite illuminated manuscripts.  The life of the crofting population down the ages is etched into rigs on the landscape, immortalised in Gaelic placenames and remembered in local lore.  Today's island community follows in the tradition of all those who have gone before them - helping shape Iona's story in new ways, fostering a variety of creative talents and continuing to welcome visitors from across the globe.

Recommended places to visit while on Iona include Iona Pottery and Oran Creative Crafts

Isle of Iona A craft co-operative on Iona selling wide range of locally made products.  

The Iona Monastry and one of it's beatiful beaches

Staffa and fingals cave

It is spectacular and most definately one of the 10 wonders of the world

Made famous by Mendelssohn's Classic Hebridees overture "Fingals Cave" this amazing lost world is reached in a 45 minute sea journey from Fionnphort (Mull) Fingal's Cave is always splendid and atmospheric with basaltic columns formed 59 million years ago. Puffins can be seen ashore in season and often guillemots, fulmars, great skuas, eider ducks, gannets, kittewakes, black-backed gulls, great northern divers and razorbills on the water. If you are lucky it is possible to see occasionally a passing whale, basking shark, porpoise, dolphin or otter. The boat trips last up to 3 hours and you can disembark at Fionnphort or Iona.

Tel: 01681 700358 Website: www.staffatrips.co.uk

The Isle of Staffa looking out to the Treshnish Isles and the spectacular Fingals cave

Tobermory

Within an easy 30 minutes from Salen lies the capital of Mull Tobermory "the fictional Balamory" built as a fishing port in the late 18th century and is now the main village on Mull. It is a picture-postcard of a place with the brightly painted buildings along the main street to the pier and the high wooded hills surrounding the bay. The village has a good variety of shops, hotels, and other accommodation as well as being the administrative centre for the island. The harbour is always busy with fishing boats, yachts and the ferry to and from Kilchoan during the summer months.

There is reputed to be the wreck of a Spanish galleon somewhere in the mud at the bottom of the bay. The ship was part of the defeated Spanish Armada of 1588 and was fleeing the English fleet when she anchored in Tobermory to take on provisions. Following a dispute over payment the ship caught fire which caused the gunpowder to explode. She was supposed to have been carrying millions of gold coins when she went to the bottom but no-one has ever managed to find any significant treasure. Recently, Tobermory has been the setting for the children's programme Balamory. The Isle of Mull and Iona are ideal places to base yourself for viewing the wildlife of Scotland. Species include whales and dolphins, eagles, otters, birds of prey and many other mammals.

Tobermory "the fictional Balamory"

The Isle of Ulva

For the great outdoors, the magical Isle of Ulva provides delightfully stress free hill walking and wildlife spotting, the Island is accessed by a short 5 minute ferry crossing from Mull.

This private island is open to the public and viewed on a large scale, Ulva and its neighbouring island Gometra appear to be a peninsula of the Isle of Mull, as they are separated from one another by narrow straits. Caolas Ulbha (the Sound of Ulva) at the east of the island is a narrow channel a few hundred metres across to Ulva Ferry on Mull. To its west, it is separated from Gometra by Gometra Harbour. To the south are Mull's headlands of Ardmeanach and the Ross of Mull. To the north, Loch Tuath (Loch-a-Tuath) separates it from another headland of Mull, and to the south east is Loch na Keal (Loch nan Ceall), and the island of Eorsa.

There are two main bays on the south coast, Port a' Bhàta, and Tràigh Bhàn. On the north coast, there is the horseshoe bay of Lòn Bhearnuis (Bearnus lagoon), Soriby Bay and a few minor inlets.

During your day out on Ulva it is well worth visiting the Isle of Ulva Heritage Centre by Ulva Ferry, which has and information centre, tearoom / restaurant serving the finest oysters.
 

The highest point of Ulva is Beinn Chreagach at 313 metres (1,027 ft). It has a neighbour in Beinn Eoligarry whose summit is 306 metres (1,004 ft) The island has a central ridge, with the highest ground running along its lateral axis - this ridge is somewhat broken by Gleann Glas and some other valleys. The south east peninsula tends to be lower lying, with a small plain along the south coast, consisting of raised beaches.

Ulva Sound at peace with the world...and some of Ulvas inhabitants

Castles on the Isle of Mull

Glengorm Castle is situated on the Northern tip of the Isle of Mull near Tobermory, overlooking the Atlantic it has views over 60 miles to the Outer Hebrides and Islands of Uist, Rhum and Canna. The Castle was built in 1860 and sits at the headland of Glengorm's vast area of coastline, forestry, lochs and hills. Glengorm truly stands apart from the surrounding Western Isles, already known for its dramatic scenery, due to its tranquillity and sheer natural beauty.

Majestic Duart Castle stands high and proud to the East of Mull guarding the Firth of Mull and the sea way from Oban, it is the historical base for the Clan MacLean, dating back to 1367 and has understandably been involved in many battles over the years. In 1647 Duart Castle was attacked and laid siege to by the Argyll government troops of Clan Campbell, but they were defeated and driven off by the Royalist troops of Clan MacLean.

In September 1653, a Cromwellian task force of six ships anchored off the castle, but the Macleans had already fled to Tiree. A storm blew up on the 13 September and three ships were lost, including HMS SwanTemplate:WP Ships HMS instances.

In 1678, Archibald Campbell, 9th Earl of Argyll, son of the Marquess of Argyll, successfully invaded the Clan MacLean lands on the Isle of Mull and garrisons Duart Castle. Later in 1691 Duart Castle was surrendered by the Clan MacLean to the chief of Clan Campbell, Archibald Campbell, 1st Duke of Argyll.

The castle was abandoned in 1751. However, it was bought by Sir Fitzroy Donald Maclean, the 26th Chief of the Clan MacLean, in 1911, and has since been restored. The castle was used as a location in the 1999 film Entrapment, starring Sean Connery and Catherine Zeta-Jones. The castle also features prominently in the 1971 film When Eight Bells Toll, starring Anthony Hopkins.

Torosay Castle and Gardens Torosay is a beautiful and welcoming Victorian family home surrounded by 12 acres of spectacular gardens.

Duart Castle (left) and Glengorm castle (Right)