Edinburgh-Glasgow-Mull-Iona

Assuming you want to do this via public transportation and, it is very doable, you can take the train from Edinburgh to Oban via Glasgow. I believe the train leaves Waverly Station, Edinburgh about 11:00 am and gets into Oban about 3:30 pm. You do change trains in Glasgow, it's but an easy change. From Oban you can take the CalMac ferry to Mull and then the bus to Iona. It's pretty much a full day tour. I've done this tour and can easily recommend it.

Your plan is very doable. But I would not stay on both Iona AND Mull. Pick one or the other. Either on Iona or in Fionnphort. Either would be fantastic. Absolutely no need to pack and move for one night. They are literally 10 mins apart by ferry. If it was me I'd stay in Fionnphort 2 nights, spend 6 - 8 hours exploring Iona one day, and the rest of your time exploring Mull.

If the weather is too bad to walk around Iona, you could see most everything in 3 hours.

Sunsets over Iona seen from the harbor in Fionnphort are absolutely amazing.

Here is a really good B&B in Fionnphort w/ views across to Iona and a 2 min walk from the ferry http://www.seaview-mull.co.uk/

Meant to include this link http://www.bowmanstours.co.uk/

It is the bus timetable for touring around Mull.

gardengirl: Take train (?) from Edinburgh to Glasgow, overnight in city center.
Train, bus and ferry to Iona. Stay overnight.

I don't understand why you plan to spend the night in Glasgow unless you just want to see Glasgow. It is less than a hour from Edinburgh.

Try working backwards from the ferry departure time to see what time you need to get to the ferry terminal.

Wave to Canna for me. I spend spring break there so long ago I can't remember the year.

The train from Edinburgh via Glasgow arrives in Oban at 3:30. The ferry terminal is little more than 50 yards from the train station. I believe there is a ferry going to Craignure, Mull at 4:00 and again at 6:00. If train is on time you should be able to catch the 4:00. You will need to purchase ticket prior to boarding the ferry. From Craignure you can catch a bus to Fionnphort. The next morning go over to Iona, a ten minute ferry trip, and spend the day. Another night at the Seaview B&B, then bus back to Craignure, ferry to Oban and the train back to Edinburgh. I think it leaves Oban late morning and gets into Waverly Station mid- late afternoon. Check the link that janis gave you for bus schedules on Mull.

Oh - definitely -- I assumed you wanted to visit Glasgow. There is a lot to see there. But if you only planned a stopover enroute to Oban -- no reason. Just book train from Edinburgh to Oban. Then take the ferry to Mull, and bus to Fionnphort.

In fact - if you aren't planning any sightseeing in Glasgow - a better plan would be to spend the 'Glasgow" night in Oban. Then you could take the very first ferry over the next morning.

was posting the same time as historytraveler. You definitely could get to Mull that evening. It would be dark by the time you got to Fionnphort or anyplace on Mull. So you could either take that afternoon ferry, or spend the night in Oban and take the first morning ferry over.

I was somewhat worried that it might be difficult to get from Fionnphort to Oban to catch the train to Edinburgh, but I just checked and there is a train leaving Oban about noon that will get you into Edinburgh by late afternoon. Otherwise I'd suggest you stay in Oban. Janis doesn't much care for Oban, but I like it well enough especially for just a couple of nights. However you should be able to get from Fionnphort to Oban by noon. The question remains as to just how much time you want to allow for this portion of your trip.

Hi gardengirl
My advice would be to allow plenty of time to explore Iona. We went there as a day trip from Glasgow, so by the time we did the drive, took the ferry etc we only ended up with a couple of hours on the island . . . not nearly enough to do it justice!
So if your daughter particularly has this on her 'wish list', make sure you have as long a day as possible to be able to soak it all in. Di

"make sure you have as long a day as possible to be able to soak it all in" Shouldn't be a problem since they are talking about 2 days on Mull/Iona.

Absolutely, as 3-4 hours on Iona is probably plenty of time and, if staying at Fionnphort, one could also include a trip to Staffa and Fingal's Cave in the afternoon.

We did the trip to Staffa in the morning and then spent the afternoon on Iona. However, that was July when the daylight hours are longer and when the weather is better. I don't think I"d want to go to Staffa in March even if there are boats making the trip. It can get rough on the sea and the boats to Staffa are small. When you get to Staffa, there is no shelter. It was an absolutely marvelous day when we went in July, but it was breezy and even in July we needed our jackets.

Even in March Iona will be ok as the boat out is large enough to carry vehicles and there is a town there.

The boats won't go out if the weather is questionable.

Historytraveler has a point. That is why I suggested bypassing spending the night in Glasgow. That gives you anothe window of opportunity for good weather.

Thank you all for your help! It saved us from several bad decisions and we had a wonderful trip.