Things To See & Do
The island’s many miles of coastline boast fantastic sandy beaches – particularly at Calgary and Ardalanish – whilst off-shore is one of Europe’s prime habitats for whales and dolphins. Take a boat trip and spot minke whales, bottlenose dolphins, and maybe seals and harbour porpoise.
Meanwhile, lively Tobermory – known to millions of children as Balamory – has a bustling vitality and is a great place for a weekend break. Brightly painted houses provide a colourful backdrop to the picture-postcard harbour and the ‘craic’ in waterfront bars rivals anything on the mainland.
A world away from all this, but in reality just a short ferry ride across the sound, Iona is a tiny island and a deeply spiritual place which has drawn travellers to its enigmatic shores for more than a thousand years. The brilliant blue-green waters and clear light here have inspired poets, painters and pilgrims for centuries.
Travelling To & Around
There are regular ferries daily to Mull from Oban, with crossings now every hour during the day in the summer season. There are also shorter ferry crossings, from further north and west of the mainland, Lochaline and Kilchoan on Ardnamurchan. To travel from Mull to Iona, there are regular ferries from Fionnphort – for foot passengers only.
Both Mull and Iona are perfectly feasible destinations for those preferring to use public transport, with Oban on a branch of the famous West Highland Line, and with careful planning of local bus timings and locations, many of our customers over the years have enjoyed the islands this way. Tobermory makes an ideal base for someone without a car, though we can also arrange car hire on the island.
