Scottish Highlands - Isle of Mull

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As per usual we take our time hitting the road with John and Ingrid questioning whether we have left our departure time too late to be able to see The Isle of Mull.

The weather has again changed and we are bathed by a warm and sunny sky.

From the lodge we head a couple of kilometres north and take the free Corran car ferry across the loch, turning left we wind our way towards Lochaline where we will catch another car ferry to the small port of Salen on the Isle of Mull.

It is easy to underestimate how long driving in this area will take. Most of the roads are nothing more than single tracked lanes with passing bays strategically placed every hundred meters or so. It doesn’t take us long to understand the intricate etiquette required to drive these interesting winding country roads and we fall into a pattern that allows us to manoeuvre through this wonderful landscape.

It is believed that Mull has been inhabited since the end of the last Ice Age, around 6000 BC

A steady flow of traffic circumnavigates the northern section of the Isle and we will stop at the pretty fishing port and Mull’s capital, Tobermory. This attractive little fishing village is scattered with colourful houses, shops, boatsheds and B&B’s around its bay. A pleasant place to stop, shop and even explore the local Scotch whisky distillery.

From here we meander our way further north then west, following the coastline before cutting back inland. Just after the village of Calgary we come across a decent size beach and watch with stunned amazement as locals and tourists alike take advantage of the warm day to swim in the questionably chilly waters of the Atlantic Ocean. Brrrr, what a pity we hadn’t packed our swimming costumes.

The abundant wildlife keeps us on our toes as we make our way around the island. Long horn sheep, large woolly cows and even a couple of large deer stop to watch us. It is rutting season and the big bucks are making their way into the upper reaches of the highlands to do what deer do at this time of year.

We stop at various look outs placed along the way and take advantage of the scenery before heading back to the ferry and making our return trip to our new accommodation at Ingrid and John’s B&B.

Again, we head down to the Loch Leven Hotel for dinner, tonight they have live music. We are a little bushed after our adventures of the day so decide to leave the locals to it and have an early night.

Tomorrow we intend to drive north through Fort William to Mallaig.

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