Calgary
Drive to Calgary and enjoy the beautiful beach and visit the Art in Nature Trail at Calgary Farmhouse –who also sell local crafts and serve lunch and light snacks www.calgary.co.uk/
Ulva
Ulva is a privately owned island with no roads, just tracks suitable for mountain bikers and walkers with sturdy footwear! It is a fascinating place to visit. You can get there on the Ulva Ferry Monday to Friday between 0900 and 1700 on demand. The ferry is signposted from Salen and to summon it, you move a very technical piece of wood to show ‘red’ which alerts the ferryman that you want to go over! http://www.mull.zynet.co.uk/accommodation/ulva.htm
Iona
Drive to Fionnophort and take the ferry over to Iona or take a bus trip down there so you can enjoy the scenery along the way. Iona has some stunning beaches, is easy walking and the Abbey is a perfect place to while away an hour or so www.iona.org.uk/
Staffa
An island of caves, this is an intriguing place to visit, the most famous cave is one you may have seen on many postcards, called Fingal’s Cave. There are many tours from either Mull or Iona during the Summer season
Treshnish Isles
The Treshnish Isles are unhabited islands which lie off Mull’s West coast. They are made up of Lunga, Fladda, Bac Mor, Cairn na Burgh More and Cairn na Burgh Beg. Lunga is home to thousands of nesting sea birds in the Spring, including Shag, Guillemot, Razorbill and Puffin.
Guided Walks
If you fancy stretching your legs and want a guided walk, then try
Mull Magic. They don’t expect you to be mountain walkers but you
do need to be reasonably fit and able to walk for up to 5 hours in a day.
Mull Magic will be particularly good for those without their own
transport who fancy getting out of Tobermory and seeing some of the beautiful
scenery and for those who may have their own car but aren’t comfortable with
going off hiking without a guide. Appropriate (ie sturdy) footwear and clothing
should be worn. www.mullmagic.com
Ben More
For the serious walker! Ben More is the highest hill in Mull and the only ‘Munro’ (a peak exceeding 3000ft) in the Islands (with the exception of Skye). It is a good 6 hour walk. We can provide more detail if requiredPay a visit to the White-Tailed (or Sea) Eagle hide on Mull with a Ranger who will explain all about the eagles on Mull and the current nesting, and hopefully you will catch a glimpse of the resident eagles soaring in the sky through the scopes that are made available for you to use. More information can be found at http://www.rspb.org.uk/datewithnature/sites/mull/index.asp and you can track the eagles online at http://www.rspb.org.uk/wildlife/tracking/mulleagles/
Fishing at Aros Park
Fishing at Aros costs £10 per day for a permit which is available from Browns Ironmongers on the Main Street of Tobermory
Golfing
There are two 9-hole golf courses on the Island. One, in Upper Tobermory and the other at Craignure.
Although neither of us are golfers we are assured they are both challenging and interesting to players of all experience levels and standards and all visitors are particularly welcome
Duart Castle
Home to the Maclean family, it is a beautiful castle and worth a visit. Not a huge place but lots of winding staircases, some facts about the Macleans through the centuries and for those that can’t make it upstairs, there is a video downstairs which shows you what it is like! There is also a display showing photographs from the filming of the 1999 film Entrapment starring Catherine Zeta Jones and Sean Connery. Outside in the grounds is a small café and gift shop. www.duartcastle.comThe castle plays host to Macleans, the world over, for The Clan Maclean Gathering every five years – next one 2012!
Just a few miles out of Tobermory, Glengorm Castle is home to a gallery and tearoom, some walking trails that take you through Ardmore Forest and to Standing Stones and Castle Crafts, a shop selling crafts made by local island people
Whether your interest be fishing, diving, photography, walking, wildlife or just taking a cruise, Mull can offer a number of options.
We strongly recommend you book any land trips well in advance of your arrival as these offer limited spaces and inevitably get booked up. Boat trips can usually only be booked nearer the time but check with the operator you want to go with. As these are more weather dependent than land tours, you may need to be prepared for a boat trip being cancelled or changed at short notice so check again the day before you are due to take the trip that it is still planned to go ahead.
Here are some useful links for just some of the island tour operators available:
Sea
http://www.turusmara.com
http://www.hebrideanadventure.co.uk
http://www.staffatrips.co.uk/
http://www.dive-charter-scotland.co.uk/
Land
http://www.discovermull.co.uk/
http://www.mullwildlife.co.uk/
http://www.islandscapephotography.co.uk/
All images copyright Robin Harrowsmith 2010