Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
scout movement; in 1959, Charles MacLean (the 27th clan chief ) became Chief
Scout, a role he performed with some distinction until 1971. From the exhibition
room, climb up to the ramparts for superlative views of the island and beyond; on a
clear day, you can just make out the summit of Ben Nevis. After your visit, head to
the castle's pretty, barn-like tearoom, where there's an impressive array of home-
made cakes on offer.
ARRIVAL AND INFORMATION
CRAIGNURE AND AROUND
6
By ferry
The ferry terminal dominates the centre of the
village, with the CalMac o
ce located directly opposite, in
the same building as the tourist o
ce.
Destinations
Oban (daily every 2hr; 45min).
By bus
Buses pick up and drop off by the main road by the
ferry terminal.
Destinations
Fionnphort (Mon-Sat 3 daily, 1 on Sun; 1hr
10min); Fishnish (1-4 daily; 10min); Salen (4-6 daily;
20min); Tobermory (4-6 daily; 45min).
Tourist office
Opposite the ferry terminal in
shared premises with CalMac (April-June, Sept &
Oct 9am-5pm; July & Aug 9am-7pm; Nov-March
Mon-Sat 9am-5pm, Sun 10am-noon & 2-5pm;
T
01680 812377).
ACCOMMODATION AND EATING
Craignure Inn
400m up the road towards Fionnphort
T
01680 812305,
W
craignure-inn.co.uk.
A two-minute
stroll from town, this eighteenth-century whitewashed
inn, frequented by locals and tourists alike, is a snug little
place to hole up in. Quiz nights and live music are regular
weekly fixtures.
Daily 11.30am-11pm.
Isle of Mull Hotel
Half a mile from the ferry terminal
along the road to Tobermory
T
01680 812544,
W
crerarhotels.co.uk.
The hotel exterior is somewhat
unprepossessing, but its super waterfront setting,
accomplishe
d ro
oms and friendly staff more than
compensate.
£95
Old Mill Cottage
Lochdon
T
01680 812442,
W
oldmillmull.com.
A sensitively converted mill three
miles south on the A849, accommodating three pretty
rooms with thick-set wood furnishings and cool little
touches like roll-top baths; they also provide
attra
ctive
self-catering accommodation in the old smiddy.
£75
Ì
Shieling Holidays
Half a mile from the ferry
terminal on the road to Fionnphort
T
01680 812496,
W
shielingholidays.co.uk.
Set above a shingle beach,
this tidy campsite also offers cool accommodation in the
form of “shielings” (large, sometimes furnished, hard-top
tents - think downmarket glamping), sleeping between
two and six people. Some are en suite and some self-
catering. T
here are
boats, canoes a
nd b
ikes for rent too.
April-Oct.
£16.50
/pitch; shielings
£32
Tobermory
Mull's chief town,
TOBERMORY,
at the northern tip of the island, is easily the most
attractive fishing port on the west coast of Scotland, its clusters of brightly coloured
houses and boats sheltering in a bay backed by a steep bluff. Founded in 1788 by the
British Society for Encouraging Fisheries, it never really took off as a fishing port and
only survived due to the steady influx of crofters evicted from other parts of the island
during the Clearances. It is now the most important, and by far the most vibrant,
settlement on Mull, and if you've got young kids, you'll instantly recognize it as the
place where
Balamory
was filmed.
he harbour - known as
Main Street
- is one long parade of multicoloured hotels,
guesthouses, restaurants and shops, and you could happily spend an hour or so
meandering around. he rest of the upper town, laid out on a classic grid-plan, merits a
stroll too, if only for the great views over the bay.
Mull Museum
Main Street • Easter to mid-Oct Mon-Fri 10am-4pm, Sat 10am-1pm • Free •
T
01688 301100
A good wet-weather retreat is the
Mull Museum
, essentially a tiny room packed with
fascinating local information and artefacts. Among these are a handful of objects
salvaged from the
San Juan de Sicilia
, a ship from the Spanish Armada which sank
in 1588 and now lies at the bottom of Tobermory harbour; even today, it remains
subject to repeated salvage attempts by locals still, somewhat optimistically, seeking
