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Highlights
The Isle of Mull is one of the more southern Hebridean islands, easily accessible by a short boat ride from the bustling mainland port of Oban. However, don't be fooled by its accessibility - this large island has only 2,500 inhabitants and feels impressively wild and remote. Whilst Mull's eastern shores are attractive, tranquil farmland and forestry, it's west side contains magnificent landscapes and seascapes, with some of the remotest settlements in Scotland. The island is also a haven for wildlife, with white tailed sea eagles and otters both plentiful. A short boat ride away is the famous and beautiful island of Iona, where St. Columba first brought Christianity to Scotland, and which today still draws pilgrims from all over the world. Though tiny, Iona retains a very distinctive character - few visitors, religious or not, fail to be moved by its quiet air of spirituality. As with all our walking holidays, the emphasis is on relaxed walking with lots of time to admire the views, take photographs and watch wildlife. We will be covering around 8 miles at a gentle pace most days. |
2020 Dates:
Sat 9th - Fri 15th May How long: 6 nights, 5 days walking Start / Finish: Inverness or Fort William or Oban Price: £1,240 Single supplement: £120 |
Tour Details
(please note that this schedule may be subject to change depending on weather conditions during the trip).
DAY 1 - ARRIVE IN MULL
There is a choice of pick up location for this holiday. We will be departing Inverness train station at 12.30pm, calling in at Fort William train station at 2.30pm then arriving at Oban train station at 4pm. Once everyone has arrived we will take the evening ferry to Craignure on Mull and drive to our accommodation.
DAY 2 - ULVA
We will start off with a day walking on the stunning little island of Ulva, a 5 minute boat ride from the west side of Mull. Ulva is a fascinating combination of pastoral farmland, rocky hills and evocative abandoned villages. We will be heading out to explore the remote west side of the island, where we will get amazing views out across the sea to other islands of the Inner Hebrides. On our return we will be calling in at one of Scotland's finest little teashops before catching the wee ferry back Mull.
DAY 3 - IONA
Another day, another island! Not one, in fact, but two...
Today we will be travelling to Fionnaphort the south western tip of Mull where we will take the short boat crossing to Iona. Once on the island we will have a chance to explore several beautiful beaches as well as the stunning Iona Abbey. After returning back to Mull we will take a short walk to the wonderful tidal island of Erraid, one of the most beautiful places imaginable and which featured in Robert Louis Stephenson's famous children's novel "Kidnapped".
DAY 4 - TOBERMORY & QUINISH POINT
Tobermory is the charming little capital of Mull, made famous from numerous postcards and the popular BBC children's show Balamory. Its colourful houses lining the harbour make it probably the most recognisable town in the Highlands. We will spend a short visit exploring the town before heading over to Dervaig in north west Mull and the wild headland of Quinish Point. This is a great walk which gives outstanding views of many other Inner Hebridean islands, including Coll, Rum and Skye.
DAY 5 - LOCHBUIE & TOROSAY CASTLE
Two walks for the price of one today as we explore the southern coastline of Mull. First up is a walk around Lochbuie, a wonderful route at the end of a remote glen and one of the tiniest single track roads imaginable. We will follow this with a lovely walk through coastal woodlands to the spectacular Torosay Castle, with great views along the way out over the Sound of Mull to the mainland mountains.
DAY 6 - STAFFA
We will finish, weather permitting, with a day trip to the Isle of Staffa and the famous rock formation of Fingal's Cave where Felix Mendelssohn wrote his famous Hebrides Overture. After seeing the renowned cave, with its towering basalt columns, we will spend some time exploring the island and meeting the thousands of puffins who are its only inhabitants.
DAY 7 - DEPART
We will take the morning ferry back from Craignure, arriving in Oban at 11:40am.
(please note that this schedule may be subject to change depending on weather conditions during the trip).
DAY 1 - ARRIVE IN MULL
There is a choice of pick up location for this holiday. We will be departing Inverness train station at 12.30pm, calling in at Fort William train station at 2.30pm then arriving at Oban train station at 4pm. Once everyone has arrived we will take the evening ferry to Craignure on Mull and drive to our accommodation.
DAY 2 - ULVA
We will start off with a day walking on the stunning little island of Ulva, a 5 minute boat ride from the west side of Mull. Ulva is a fascinating combination of pastoral farmland, rocky hills and evocative abandoned villages. We will be heading out to explore the remote west side of the island, where we will get amazing views out across the sea to other islands of the Inner Hebrides. On our return we will be calling in at one of Scotland's finest little teashops before catching the wee ferry back Mull.
DAY 3 - IONA
Another day, another island! Not one, in fact, but two...
Today we will be travelling to Fionnaphort the south western tip of Mull where we will take the short boat crossing to Iona. Once on the island we will have a chance to explore several beautiful beaches as well as the stunning Iona Abbey. After returning back to Mull we will take a short walk to the wonderful tidal island of Erraid, one of the most beautiful places imaginable and which featured in Robert Louis Stephenson's famous children's novel "Kidnapped".
DAY 4 - TOBERMORY & QUINISH POINT
Tobermory is the charming little capital of Mull, made famous from numerous postcards and the popular BBC children's show Balamory. Its colourful houses lining the harbour make it probably the most recognisable town in the Highlands. We will spend a short visit exploring the town before heading over to Dervaig in north west Mull and the wild headland of Quinish Point. This is a great walk which gives outstanding views of many other Inner Hebridean islands, including Coll, Rum and Skye.
DAY 5 - LOCHBUIE & TOROSAY CASTLE
Two walks for the price of one today as we explore the southern coastline of Mull. First up is a walk around Lochbuie, a wonderful route at the end of a remote glen and one of the tiniest single track roads imaginable. We will follow this with a lovely walk through coastal woodlands to the spectacular Torosay Castle, with great views along the way out over the Sound of Mull to the mainland mountains.
DAY 6 - STAFFA
We will finish, weather permitting, with a day trip to the Isle of Staffa and the famous rock formation of Fingal's Cave where Felix Mendelssohn wrote his famous Hebrides Overture. After seeing the renowned cave, with its towering basalt columns, we will spend some time exploring the island and meeting the thousands of puffins who are its only inhabitants.
DAY 7 - DEPART
We will take the morning ferry back from Craignure, arriving in Oban at 11:40am.
The holiday starts and ends in Inverness. Your guide will meet you at the entrance to Inverness railway station at 1.30pm where you will join the rest of the group for the drive to Skye.
Inverness is easily accessible by plane, train and bus.
Flights
The following airlines offer direct flights to Inverness:
www.flybe.com - Manchester, Birmingham, Belfast, Jersey, Amsterdam.
www.easyjet.com - London Gatwick, London Luton, Bristol.
www.britishairways.com - London Heathrow.
www.aerlingus.com - Dublin.
Trains
Inverness can be reached by train from Edinburgh, Glasgow and England. Travellers coming from London and the south of England can take advantage of the overnight Caledonian Sleeper service. For more information on train services see the following websites:
www.scotrail.co.uk
www.nationalrail.co.uk
www.thetrainline.com
www.sleeper.scot
Please note that all train tickets should be purchased in advance of travel. We recommend that you do this as soon as you book your holiday as advance tickets are always considerably cheaper than ones bought at the last minute.
Coaches
The following operator offers coach services from Glasgow and Edinburgh to Inverness:
www.citylink.co.uk
Please note that all coach tickets must be purchased in advance of travel. We recommend that you do this as soon as you book your holiday as coaches can get booked up. Advance tickets can also be considerably cheaper than ones bought at the last minute.
Cars
Driving to Inverness by car is straightforward - it is simply a case of heading for Perth then taking the A9 north. Approximate journey times (not including stops, road works or delays) are as follows:
Edinburgh: 3 hours
Glasgow: 3.5 hours
Newcastle: 5.5 hours
Manchester: 6.5 hours
Birmingham: 7.5 hours
Bristol: 8.5 hours
London: 9.5 hours
Inverness is easily accessible by plane, train and bus.
Flights
The following airlines offer direct flights to Inverness:
www.flybe.com - Manchester, Birmingham, Belfast, Jersey, Amsterdam.
www.easyjet.com - London Gatwick, London Luton, Bristol.
www.britishairways.com - London Heathrow.
www.aerlingus.com - Dublin.
Trains
Inverness can be reached by train from Edinburgh, Glasgow and England. Travellers coming from London and the south of England can take advantage of the overnight Caledonian Sleeper service. For more information on train services see the following websites:
www.scotrail.co.uk
www.nationalrail.co.uk
www.thetrainline.com
www.sleeper.scot
Please note that all train tickets should be purchased in advance of travel. We recommend that you do this as soon as you book your holiday as advance tickets are always considerably cheaper than ones bought at the last minute.
Coaches
The following operator offers coach services from Glasgow and Edinburgh to Inverness:
www.citylink.co.uk
Please note that all coach tickets must be purchased in advance of travel. We recommend that you do this as soon as you book your holiday as coaches can get booked up. Advance tickets can also be considerably cheaper than ones bought at the last minute.
Cars
Driving to Inverness by car is straightforward - it is simply a case of heading for Perth then taking the A9 north. Approximate journey times (not including stops, road works or delays) are as follows:
Edinburgh: 3 hours
Glasgow: 3.5 hours
Newcastle: 5.5 hours
Manchester: 6.5 hours
Birmingham: 7.5 hours
Bristol: 8.5 hours
London: 9.5 hours
We will be staying in comfortable guest houses on Mull. All rooms will have ensuite or private bathrooms. We may have to split the party up between several guest houses but we will be dining together each evening in local restaurants so there will be plenty of opportunities for socialising with the rest of the group.
Easy / Moderate. These holidays go at a gentle pace, with plenty of time to stop, take pictures, soak up the atmosphere and watch the wildlife. However, they are still walking holidays, so you will need to be able to cope with a reasonable amount of hiking each day. As a guide, you should be able to manage small uphill sections, be comfortable walking for 4 - 5 hours and 8 miles or so each day, and be confident walking away from paths - for example over rough, grassy hillsides.
We try to keep to easy ground as much as possible on these walks, but there will be some areas where the going can be a little rough and quite wet underfoot, so good hiking boots are essential. We don't tackle any hills on these walks but there are usually some modest uphill sections each day.
We try to keep to easy ground as much as possible on these walks, but there will be some areas where the going can be a little rough and quite wet underfoot, so good hiking boots are essential. We don't tackle any hills on these walks but there are usually some modest uphill sections each day.
What's Included: 6 nights accommodation, 5 days walking. All meals (except lunch on the final day), including full Scottish or continental breakfasts, packed lunches and evening meals. Ferry tickets between Oban and Mull. Day trip to Ulva island. All transport during the week. The services of an experienced walking guide.
What's Not Included: Transport to / from holiday departure point at Oban. Day trip to Staffa (this costs and additional £30 per person). Entrance to any visitor attractions. Visits to cafes. Travel insurance.
What's Not Included: Transport to / from holiday departure point at Oban. Day trip to Staffa (this costs and additional £30 per person). Entrance to any visitor attractions. Visits to cafes. Travel insurance.