Argyll - The Rough Guide to Scottish Highlands and Islands - page 75

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gently down through the woodland to the beach. It encompasses some twenty cleverly
constructed pieces of artwork hewn from various materials - bronze, copper, steel,
willow and so on; a little map (£1) outlining the trail is available from the farmhouse.
For the record, the city of Calgary in Canada does indeed take its name from this little
village, though it was not so named by Mull emigrants, but instead by one Colonel
McLeod of the North West Mounted Police, who once holidayed here.
ACCOMMODATION AND EATING CALGARY

Calgary Farmhouse T 01688 400256, W calgary
.co.uk. A few hundred yards back up the road from the
beach is this delightful farmhouse providing glamorous
self-catering accommodation in studio lofts, sleeping
between two and four people. The daytime café and art

gallery are both worth venturin g to. Café: daily 7.30am-
5pm. Three-day minimum stay £450
Camping Down by the beach itself, there's a spectacular
and very popular spot for camping rough; the only facilities
are the basic public toilets.

Isle of Ulva
A chieftain to the Highlands bound/Cries “Boatman, do not tarry!/And I'll give thee a silver pound/To row us o'er the
ferry!”/“Now who be ye, would cross Lochgyle/This dark and stormy water?”/“O I'm the chief of Ulva's isle,/And this,
Lord Ullin's daughter.”

Lord Ullin's Daughter by Thomas Campbell (1777-1844)
Around the time Poet Laureate Campbell penned this tragic poem, the population of
Ulva (from the Norse ulv øy , or “wolf island”) was a staggering 850, sustained by the huge
quantities of kelp that were exported for glass and soap production. That was before the
market for kelp collapsed and the 1846 potato famine hit, after which the remaining
population was brutally evicted. Nowadays around fifteen people live here, and the island
is littered with ruined crofts, not to mention a church, designed by Thomas Telford,
which would once have seated over three hundred parishioners. It's great walking country,
however, with several clearly marked paths crisscrossing the native woodland and the
rocky heather moorland interior - and you're almost guaranteed to spot some of the
abundant wildlife : at the very least deer, if not buzzards, golden eagles and even sea eagles,
with seals and divers offshore. If you like to have a focus for your wanderings, head for
the ruined crofting villages and basalt columns similar to those on Staffa along the island's
southern coastline; for the island's highest point, Beinn Chreagach (1027ft); or along the
north coast to Ulva's tidal neighbour, Gometra, off the west coast.

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 the Ulva side) 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
milkmaid, Sheila later made her living by gathering and selling winkles to locals and
visitors to the island.
ARRIVAL AND INFORMATION ISLE OF ULVA

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).
Tourist information W isleofulva.com is a 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