Kayaking in Salen Bay
We left Oban on the lunchtime ferry crossing, and arrived into Craignure an hour later. (Neither of us are good on boats, but fortunately this crossing was mercifully short compared to the five-and-a-half-hour journey to the Outer Hebrides the previous summer.) We pitched up at Salen Bay Campsite, and then made enquiries about renting a kayak from the campsite owner (£18/hr for a double, £12/hr for a single, in July 2022). We opted for a double kayak, which was just as well as we quickly discovered that my arm muscles were virtually non-existent. Although we didn’t spot the resident otter, we did see plenty of seals – lazing about on the seaweed-covered rocks at first, and then splashing about in the water around us.
Ben More
As the forecast looked promising, we decided to tackle Ben More, the only Munro that isn’t on the Scottish mainland, on our first full day. (If you’re thinking I’m sure she’s mentioned Ben More before, you’d be right: there are two Ben Mores. One in Loch Lomond and the Trossachs, and one on the Isle of Mull.) I am so glad we did it when we did, as the weather wasn’t quite so reliable for the rest of our time on the island. We left the car in Dhiseig, and then followed the well-trodden path up the hillside to the summit. Blue skies, sunshine and stunning views were the theme of this hike, and I have oodles of photos from it. I’ll write a full post on this hike in due course, as Ben More is up there as one of my favourite Munros to date. (We’re currently on 35/282, but have no intention of doing them all.)
The Coffee Pot, Salen
The Coffee Pot was one of the culinary highlights of our time on Mull, and their Cake Box was a stroke of genius. Café closed when your cake cravings strike? Cake Box to the rescue: a wee cupboard behind the café, piled high with tablet, traybakes and savoury delights (payment in cash or by bank transfer). I lost track of how many visits we made in the space of a week, and I would return to Mull just for another afternoon of watching the world go by from one of their outdoor tables with a slab of cake and a hot chocolate topped with Maltesers.
Salen Bay Shipwrecks
We first spotted the shipwrecks on our kayaking trip, and as they were just a short walk from the village we ambled over one afternoon after a cake-fix at The Coffee Pot. Little seems to be known about how these old fishing boats ran aground. Slowly but surely, nature is reclaiming them: seaweed dangles from the hulls, ferns are sprouting up between planks of wood, and a small tree is growing on one of the boats.
Staffa and Iona
Staffa is a tiny (½ mile long and ¼ mile wide) island off the south-west coast of Mull, but what it lacks in size it more than makes up for in geological wonders and wildlife. Although most of the puffins had departed by the time we visited, we did see a few minke whales in the waters around Staffa.
At the time of our trip (July 2022), a number of islands across the UK were affected by bird flu outbreaks. We were still able to disembark on Staffa, but a makeshift cordon was in place near the puffins’ burrows to ensure humans kept an appropriate distance from the island’s feathery locals.
We followed the narrow path down to Fingal’s Cave for a closer look at the impressive basalt columns, and then spent the rest of our time on the island ambling along the cliffs. We had a brilliant trip with Staffa Tours, and I would highly recommend them.
As we had the option of disembarking on Iona, we did so. We passed on visiting Iona Abbey and Nunnery, as the entry price felt pretty steep to us. After a snack-stop at St. Columba’s Larder (their Moroccan vegetable hot brioche bun was delicious), we pottered over to White Strand of the Monks, where centuries ago the local monks were massacred by raiding Vikings.
We continued along the coast for a while, spotting some tiny jellyfish on the sand, before meandering up Dùn I (which – at the grand height of 101m – is the highest point on Iona). By the end of the afternoon we were soaked to the skin, as the sunshine that had welcomed us off the boat didn’t stick around for long, and more than ready for the ferry back to Fionnphort (pronounced finn-a-fort).
Cycling on Mull
We did a couple of cycle rides around Mull: a 76.3km loop to the north, taking in Tobermory and Calgary Bay, and a 79.6km loop to the south, via Craignure and The Three Lochans viewpoint. (Side note: I saw my first live hedgehog on the first of these two rides! Only took me twenty-eight years…) Once off the main road linking Craignure to Tobermory, the single-track roads were fairly free of traffic. As we approached Dervaig, cars slowed to a crawl, then stopped: fresh tar was being laid on the road ahead. We got lucky here, as while the cars were told it would be a 45 minute or so wait, we were allowed to wheel our bikes along the verge and bypass the hold-up. Win!
At Calgary Bay, we enjoyed a scoop of Isle of Mull ice cream from Robin’s Boat (an upturned boat which now tops a rustic seaside snack bar). On the climb out of Calgary, I kept pulling over to take photos of the view (I’d take one, and then ten metres up the road the view would look slightly better… and so on, and so forth, until I had to concede it was never going to look as good in a photo as it did in real life and I really should get a wiggle on).
After a few steep downhills (I spent most of the 20% downhill clinging onto the brakes!), we reached Eas Fors Waterfall. We propped our bikes up against a tree and checked out the upper section of the falls first, then crossed the road to see the lower section. If you’re driving, there’s space for a few vehicles to pull off the road.
Our second ride was quieter and not so hilly (phew), and involved a couple of encounters with furry residents: a pair of deer within metres of the road, and a herd of cows which caused the island equivalent of a traffic jam and left us with no choice but to gingerly edge past them and hope for the best.
Ulva
Ulva deserves a post of its own in due course: it’s rugged and magical, and was a definite holiday highlight. There are paths aplenty to explore this wild isle (just watch out for ticks in the summer months), and the food at The Boathouse was the perfect way to restore our energy levels and round off our visit.
Tobermory
Next up: Tobermory, a fishing village with a picture-perfect row of multicoloured houses (which just so happens to be the featured image on MyJobScotland, a site I refresh on the daily in my quest to find a job for the next school year). Tobermory is one of those places that’s made for lazy wanders. We swung by Isle of Mull Ice Cream for a cone of the good stuff (blackberry/cherry and wild strawberry for me), and then headed on to The Mishnish (merci to Clazz of An Orcadian Abroad for the recommendation!) for Laurence’s birthday tea. We had one of the best meals out in a long time, and Laurence was almost defeated by his enormous portion of mussels.
We finished the evening with a detour to the Island Bakery Biscuit Shop (a wee roadside cupboard with an honesty box just outside Tobermory) for some ‘Bakery Boo Boos’ – reduced-price bags of biscuits that didn’t make the grade for their boxed biscuits, due to being too small, not dipped evenly, etc. Or, in short: flaws that wouldn’t get in the way of me (or you) enjoying a biscuit.
Dùn da Ghaoithe
Last, but by no means least: Dùn da Ghaoithe, a Corbett outside Craignure with stunning views across the Sound of Mull. Whilst the views were obscured by cloud for 90% of the hike, when the clouds parted fleetingly the views were beautiful.
