We left Bute on a bright, sunny morning, taking the car ferry across the Kyles of Bute from Rhubodach to Colintrave, a short journey of just 5 minutes, back to the mainland. The water was almost mirror like in the morning sunshine and the landscape around us was like something off a calendar.
 |
| Morning reflection on the Kyles of Bute |
 |
| Aboard the Calmac Ferry |
Intermittent showers had been forecast for later in the day, and as we drove north though the Highlands, towards Oban, periodic heavy bursts of rain were broken up by dazzling bright sunshine. It was a lovely drive, traffic was suprising light and we reached Oban by late morning and had time to grab some lunch in a nice cafe (near the distillery) before making our way to the harbour to catch the ferry to Mull. We'd enjoyed sitting outside for lunch but by the time I drove the car on the ferry it was raining hard again and continued to do so until we were about half way to Mull. The mountains were shrouded in mist and as we disembarked more rain arrived. A typical summers day in Scotland!
 |
| Passing the Lismore lighthouse en route to Mull |
By the time we reached our final destination - at least for the next few days - the sun was out again. Our base, for the first half of our stay on Mull, was Tobermory. Featured on countless calendars, Tobermory will be familiar to millions - in large part because it became the fictional town of Balamory in the childrens TV series broadcast in the 2000's. I'd never watched Balamory but was familiar with its portrayal of a town of colourful houses set around a harbour, each episode introduced by a jolly (and to me) slightly annoying theme tune. I'm sure it is much loved by people of a certain age. I'd also seen quite a few images of Tobermory over the years. Often places that feature on calendars and postcards don't look as impressive in real life, but Tobermory really is as picturesque as its portayed in print. Its a working harbour too, fish are still landed on the pier and it felt like a lived in place, even though the town attracts thousands of visitors every year.
 |
| Panoramic view of Tobermory Harbour |
 |
| The view from our studio with the harbour clock and Co-op |
After unloading the car and unpacking we went out to stroll around the harbour to see what was available and check out places to eat. Tobermory has a smattering of small shops, a few cafes and pubs including a microbrewery called 'Tobeermory'. I went in, interrupted the brewer who was busy in the back, and purchased a couple of bottles for later consumption.
 |
As we were on the northern half of Mull we decided to spend our first few days exploring this part of the island. Its important to start by saying something about driving on Mull. Don't plan on getting anywhere fast. Firstly the roads twist and turn, climb and dip, so require concentration. What really makes driving a slow experience is that virtually all of the road network is single track. Everyone has to slow down, give way, and adjust to a gentler pace of life and allow for the fact that sheep are likely to be ambling along just around the next bend.
 |
| A typical hold up on a Mull road |
This of course gives you time to take in the scenery - which is pretty spectacular. I started on a minor road heading towards the village of Dervaig. I'd only driven a few miles when a large bird of prey flew in front of me, briefly settled on the stump of a pine tree and then flew off. I hardly had time to take it all in but was 99% sure I'd just seen a golden eagle. What a start to the day! Ten miles or so further on we reached Dervaig, a pretty village of whitewashed cottages and an unusual church tower. We had parked up to take a little stroll - and take a photo of the church. The tower is a whitewashed cone - looking more like a missile ready to launch.
 |
| Dervaig church tower |
 |
| The bridge at Dervaig |
A few more miles brought us to one of the more accessible and prettiest beaches on Mull, Calgary Bay. The soft white sand was backed by beautiful blue sea with gently lapping waves and, at first,we had the beach virtually to ourselves. On one side of the beach a grassy track led to an old stone harbour and after wandering along the beach we set off to see where the track led.
 |
| The old harbour, Calgary Bay |
 |
| Calgary Bay |
After passing the harbour the track went up a slight hill and then levelled out again and as we progressed nearer to the headland the islands of Coll and Tiree came into view. The sea was so calm and everything was incredibly peaceful. A buzzard appeared in the distance above the cliffs inland, and we had the chatter of birds, stonechats and wheatears, for company. A distance cuckoo was calling from the woodland behind the bay. The track didn't show on the OS map, so we just kept following it until we had travelled at least a couple of miles. As we rounded the headland the Cuillins on Skye came in view in the far distance. We decided to stop, have some food and drink and sat a yard or two from the cliff edge in splendid isolation.
Retracing our tracks we arrived back at Calgary Bay to find that the beach was now busy and a little ice cream hut called Robins Nest was doing a roaring trade. We decided our exercise should be rewarded with an Isle of Mull ice cream, and sat on a seat fashioned from half an old rowing boat enjoying a cone of creamy mint chop chip.
Suitably refreshed we left Calgary Bay and carried on in a westerley direction, passing through small scattered settlements and then came across the Eas Fors waterfall, actually a series of falls, the final one droppong 100 feet over the cliff to the sea below. The name is unusual. It means 'waterfall, waterfall', Eas being gaelic for waterfall and Fors being Old Norse for waterfall.
 |
 |
| Eas Fors |
After a few photos we headed on to Ulva Ferry - a small village on Mull but just across the narrows from Ulva - a community owned island that has a foot ferry and no vehicular traffic. Ulva doesn't have any facilities to speak of and it was getting late in the afternoon so we headed inland along the shores of a sea loch, Loch na Keal, through to the slightly larger settlement of Salen, before returning to Tobermory. Our evening meal was taken on a mezzanine of a bar/restaurant overlooking the harbour. After a filling meal, on the spur of the moment, we decided to take a walk out to see Tobermory lighthouse. It was an easy walk along a wooded clifftop path and after about a mile we reached the lighthouse, feeling a few calories had been burnt off. and enjoyed the views over to the Ardnamurchan peninsula across the Sound of Mull.
 |
| Tobermory lighthouse |
That evening, and because the weather was promising, I booked us tickets to visit the island of Staffa, finding a local business online, family owned, that ran twice daily boat trips to the island departing from Ulva Ferry pontoon. Staffa was relatively obscure until it was 'discovered' by Joseph Banks, the naturalist, in 1772. What has drawn visitors ever since is Fingal's cave, a natural sea cave formed on basalt columns, like those found at the Giants Causeway. Felix Mendelssohn was inspired, following a visit, to write his overture, 'The Hebrides'. This was a piece of music I first listened to in my late teens. I'd always wanted to visit.
Unfortunately Mrs B wasn't feeling 100% the next morning and didn't fancy a lengthy boat trip - she has never been the best of sailors. It takes about an hour to reach Staffa. She didn't want me to miss out, so I had her blessing to do a solo visit. I had to be at Ulva Ferry for 10.00 am, so set off quite early and arrived in good time. It was a dry day, a little cloudy but the sea wasn't too choppy and I boarded a small boat, 'The Island Lass' that held about 30 passengers. After a briefing on what to expect from the trip, we set off and headed out to sea, passing Ulva, Gometra, and a host of other small islands. I stayed outside scanning the seas for marine life but apart from the odd seabird didn't see anything. The day before Minke whales had been seen off the coast of Mull. We arrived at Staffa and before disembarking at a small stone jetty the boat captain took us around to see Fingal's Cave from the sea.
 |
| Fingal's Cave |
From the stone jetty there are two routes to take. There's a path along the base of the cliffs that allows access to the cave or alternatively a steep flight of rock and metal steps leading to the top of the island.
 |
| The stone jetty on Staffa with steps to the top of the island. |
Almost everyone off the boat went straight to the cave, but I headed to the top of the island and walked along the cliff top, firstly seeing a small group of cormorants on a rock outcrop, before arriving at my intended destination: a puffin colony.
I've seen puffins before, on the Farne Islands and in Iceland, but never as close as on Staffa. They arrive in the spring to breed and raise their young (pufflings) in burrows in the cliff faces. I sat down on the grass near the cliff top and watched dozens of puffins come and go, all completely unperturbed by my presence and those of the other visitors.
 |
| Puffins on Staffa |
I could have stayed for hours watching these delightful little birds - but we had only been given an hour to explore the island so I thought I'd better have a look at Fingal's Cave too and see the rather striking geology up close. I returned to the steps down to the jetty and made my way along the base of the cliff, hopping on and off the basalt blocks.
 |
| The path leading to Fingal's cave |
Its only a short walk to the cave entrance and by the time I arrived almost everyone else had gone so I could walk inside alone - apart from an intrepid swimmer who was in the blue water of the cave below me. It really is a spectacular place and having visited its easy to understand how it has drawn visitors over the couple of centuries since it was brought to public attention.
I eventually returned to the jetty - not wanting to be stranded on Staffa overnight - and got back on the boat for our return journey. It was a bit wetter returning to Mull a light shower of squally rain arrived ,but passed by quickly enough, and it was dry again once we got back onto land. I was sorry for Mrs B. that she had missed this memorable trip but at least I had plenty of photos to share. She had perked up by the time I arrived back at our apartment and been exploring Tobermory. After I'd rested and had a drink, she showed me a coastal path she'd found that led from the harbour car park out into a forest, by the cliff top - a place called Aros Park. We only intended walking a short way but it was a lovely afternoon and one step led to another. Before we realised we'd reached Aros Burn and a series of waterfalls.
 |
| Aros Park waterfall |
A short hike uphill gave us the best views and rather than retrace our steps I found another path that turned out to be wet and muddy - I ended up sticking one foot in a deep boggy patch that left me covered in black mud.
Despite overnight showers, the next day dawned bright and sunny and we had one day left in the north of Mull, so decided to spend part of it walking to see Loch Frisa. Set in a wooded glen its 5 mile long loch and even to get a view of it involves a couple of miles hiking along a forest track. The area is reported to be good for spotting eagles - but despite scanning the skies we only saw one bird of prey and it was too far away to identify. We did come across an art installation at a place called The Fank - an upright hollow metal rectangle, intricately worked with an abstract pattern. There was nothing to indicate why it was there, what it signified or who made it. I liked the mystery of it.
 |
| Loch Frisa |
 |
| Artwork near Loch Frisa |
Around the corner we got a view of Loch Frisa and having walked far enough returned by the same route and carried on our exploration. Driving along quiet Glen Aros eventually brought us back to Dervaig and climbing out of the village we found a perfect viewpoint to have a picnic.
 |
| Not a bad place to sit and have a picnic... |
I'd promised Mrs B we'd have tea and cake at Mull Island Cheese, a small cheesemaker that has earned a good reputation both for its cheese and on site cafe. When we arrived the cafe was closed. The cheese shop was open but unmanned and operating an honesty box policy so we chose a couple of pieces of cheddar, (one smoked), all made by unpasteurised milk from the farm's own cows. We tried the cheese later than evening and it was delicious. As their cafe had been closed I implemented plan B - and headed for Glengorm Castle. This was located at the end of a winding road right on the northern top of the island. The cafe was open and so my bacon was saved . The castle itself was constructed in 1860 and designed in Scottish baronial style. It is now an upmarket B&B and wedding venue. The cafe is located in the old stable block. We ordered tea and cake - fruitcake for Mrs B and a lemon and rose sponge filled with raspberry jam for myself. Both portions were generous and the fruitcake had lots of dried fruit - just to Mrs B's liking. I left a crumb or two for a cheeky chaffinch that swooped in without a second invitation.
 |
 |
| Glengorm Castle |
It was getting late in the afternoon but we made time for a stroll along one of the estate paths, getting views of the castle and then an ancient stone circle. It was a beautiful place, with far reaching views to the north.
 |
| Stone circle on the Glengorm estate |
Our time in Tobermory and the north of Mull had drawn to a close but we had a few more days to explore in the South before we carried on island hopping. Travelling back through Tobermory and grabbing some milk and more food supplies, I drove south to a small village called Lochdon on the south eastern corner of Mull where we had some self catering accomodation booked for a few more nights. I did have to stop along the way, to photograph the wrecks of old boats on the shore of the Sound of Bute, which were very photogenic.
 |
We didn't eat out that evening, but feasted on lots of Mull cheese, oatcakes from Mull Island Bakery, and some salad, before an evening stroll to explore our new surroundings. A lane across the road from our cottage crossed an old bridge built around 1790 and attributed to Telford. We wandered along for a mile or so looking out for wildlife. A heron was standing still by the river and a bird of prey perched on a wire, some distance away. Otters have been spotted here - but they are elusive mammals and despite scanning the river banks and rocks with binoculars we didn't see anything to get excited about.
 |
| The old bridge at Lochdon |
Having failed in our otter spotting quest we had an early night, in preparation for a new day and more discoveries.
No comments:
Post a Comment