Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Heritage Centre and Sheila's Cottage
You can learn more about the history of the island from the exhibition inside the
Heritage
Centre
(just up from the pier on Ulva) and, nearby, the newly restored thatched smiddy
housing
Sheila's Cottage
, which has been restored to the period when islander Sheila
MacFadyen lived there in the first half of the last century. Originally a milk maid, Sheila
later made her living by gathering and selling winkles to locals and visitors to the island.
ARRIVAL AND INFORMATION
ISLE OF ULVA
6
By bus/ferry
To
get to Ulva, which lies just a hundred
yards or so off the west coast of Mull, follow the signs for
“Ulva Ferry” west from Salen or south from Calgary - if
you've no transport, a postbus can get you there, but you'll
have to make your own way back. From Ulva Ferry, a small
bicycle/passenger-only ferry (£6 return) is available on
demand (Mon-Fri 9am-5pm; June-Aug also Sun; at other
times by arrangement on
T
01688 500226).
Website
W
isleofulva.com. Very useful website detailing
all you need to know about visiting the island.
ACCOMMODATION AND EATING
The Boathouse
Near the ferry slip on the Ulva side
T
01688 500241,
W
theboathouseulva.co.uk.
Cheery
tearoom serving a mouthwatering selection of seafood
tempters like mackerel pâté (£7.50), potted crab (£9.50)
and Ulva oysters, alongside cakes and coffee.
Easter-Sept
Mon-Fri 9am-5pm; June-Aug also Sun.
Camping
There's no accommodation here, but with
permission from the present owners of the café, you might
be able to camp rough overnight for free.
Isle of Staffa and around
Five miles southwest of Ulva,
STAFFA
is one of the most romantic and dramatic of
Scotland's many uninhabited islands. On its south side, the perpendicular rock face
features an imposing series of black basalt columns, known as the Colonnade, which
have been cut by the sea into cathedral-esque caverns - most notably
Fingal's Cave
. he
Vikings knew about the island - the name derives from their word for “Island of
Pillars” - but it wasn't until 1772 that it was “discovered” by the world. Turner painted
it, Wordsworth explored it, but Mendelssohn's
Die Fingalshöhle
(the lovely “
Hebrides
Overture
”), inspired by the sounds of the sea-wracked caves he heard on a visit here in
1829, did most to popularize the place - after which Queen Victoria gave her blessing,
too. he polygonal basalt organ-pipes were created some sixty million years ago when a
huge mass of molten basalt burst forth onto land and, as it cooled, solidified into
hexagonal crystals. he same phenomenon produced the Giant's Causeway in
Northern Ireland and Celtic folk tales often link the two with rival giants Fionn mac
Cumhail (Irish) and Fingal (Scottish) throwing rocks at each other across the Irish Sea.
Treshnish Isles
Northwest of Staffa lie the
Treshnish Isles
,
an archipelago of uninhabited volcanic islets,
none more than a mile or two across. he most distinctive is
Bac Mór
, shaped like a
Puritan's hat and popularly dubbed the Dutchman's Cap.
Lunga
, the largest island, is a
summer nesting-place for hundreds of seabirds, in particular guillemots, razorbills and
pu
ns, as well as a breeding ground for seals. he two most northerly islands,
Cairn na
Burgh More
and
Cairn na Burgh Beg
, have remains of ruined castles, the first of which
served as a lookout post for the Lords of the Isles and was last garrisoned in the Civil
War; Cairn na Burgh Beg hasn't been occupied since the 1715 Jacobite uprising.
TOURS
ISLE OF STAFFA AND AROUND
Boat tours
From April to October several operators offer
boat trips
to Staffa
and
the Treshnish Isles. Long-
established Turus Mara, based in Penmore (
T
01688
400242,
W
turusmara.com), sets out from Ulva Ferry and is
a classy outfit, charging around £50 for a five-hour round
trip, as does Gordon Grant Marine (
T
01681 700338,
W
staffatours.com), who depart from Fionnphort. If you
just want to go to Staffa, try Iolaire (
T
01681 700358,
W
staffatrips.co.uk), who charge around £30 for passage
from Fionnphort.
