P_Texas

We are spending 2 nights in Oban with the plan of going to Mull. Someone sent us photos of a walking tour in Glencoe and now i'm wavering. Is it easy to get to Glencoe , take a 2-3 hour walking tour of the countryside, and get back to Oban. and if so, would you choose that over Mull? thanks

janisj

no one can make that decision for you. Glencoe is beautiful. Mull has soooo much to see/do w/ Iona/Staffa/beaches/castles etc.

In any case I personally would not stay in Oban for mull. I'd stay ON Mull and have more time actually on the island.

Where are you arriving from -- the north or the east? Then you could drive through Glencoe and walk about a bit, then drive down to Oban and take an afternoon ferry across to Mull to stay the night. Spend the entire next day on Mull/Iona and then the next morning/early afternoon take the ferry back to the mainland.

That way you could do both. Maybe not an organized guided trek through Glencoe - but definitely a short hike on your own.

P_Texas

we are actually traveling from York on the train and will not have a vehicle. we were hoping for some kind of public transit although i have not been able to verify that from the sites i have been too. if we choose Mull, will we need to go on an organized tour or will we be able to get a bus to the beaches and castles? thank you for your reply.

janisj

There are a couple of variations of coach tours from Oban to Mull. W/o a car bus tour is really the only practical way to do Mull. When is your trip? The coach tours are seasonal.

There is no train station in Glencoe - Ft William is the nearest and it is nearly 18 miles away.

P_Texas

thank you, that was what i needed to know. we are going end of august. bus tour it is. but hope we can get out and walkabout.

janisj

Almost all of the coach tours include a visit to Iona. Since the buses can't cross over to Iona -- you'll go as foot passengers on the ferry from Fionnphort. So you'll have as long as the tour allows for the Iona stop to walk around.

tod

I can only vote for Mull as we did not go to Glencoe.
Here are my photos of that fabulous little island.
The highlights of course were Staffa and the Puffins.

Photos:http://tinyurl.com/mtr9uo

sheila

With a car, given what you want to do, I'd have said Glencoe. Without, you'll need to do Mull.

There's quite an array of options available. I've lifted this section from The Internet Guide to Scotland Online. Their full page is here:-

http://www.scotland-inverness.co.uk/mull.htm

Tours about Mull- offers geological and historical trips by minibus with Chris Jones. Available daily and lasting around 7 hours, the trips cost £27.50 for adults and £22.50 for children 16 or under. Includes packed lunch. Pick up points are at Ledaig Carpark (by the Tobermory Distillery), Tobermory (9.45am) and the Caledonian MacBrayne pier at Craignure (to meet the 10am ferry from Oban). Tel: 01688 302808. Member of the Argyll Islands Tourist Guides Association.

Mull & Iona Taxi- is operated by David Greenhalgh who is a founder member of the Argyll Islands Tourist Guides Association. Transport by 8-seater minibus. Private day or half day tours. Airport collections possible from the mainland. Walking tours on Mull and Iona also available. Tel: 01681 700 507 / Mobile: 0788 777 4550.

Discover Mull- is operated by Arthur and Pam Brown. They offer day tours (7 - 8 hours) in their Landrover (maximum 8 people). Tours can cover wildlife, flora and fauna, local history, folklore and geology. Departures are usually from Tobermory, but other pick-up points can be arranged. Prices: £30 (adults) and £25 (children under 14). Includes home made lunch and coffee. Tel: 01688 400415 / Mobile 07780 600367. Self catering accommodation also available

Landrover Wildlife Expeditions- operate day-trips on Mull with David Woodhouse. He will collect and return you to the ferry if necessary and also provide morning coffee, scones and lunch. Prices: £33.50 (adults) and £28.50 (children under 12). Booking essential. Usually leaves Tobermory at 10am and returns at 5.30pm. Tel: 01688 500121.

Mull Magic- can offer day walks starting from Tobermory (with collection from Craignure if necessary), or 5-night walking holidays based on the island. Custom guided walks and self guided tours also available. Tel: 01688 301245 / 07923 153976.

Richard Atkinson- will be your guide on Isle Of Mull Wildlife and Birdwatch Safaris (Island Encounter) based at Salen on Mull (Tel: 01680 300 441). Full day trips for £34 per person with lunch and binoculars provided. 8-seater vehicle. He will fetch you from the ferry if necessary. All year service.

Northern Light- offers private charter, wildlife cruises, bird-watching and whale-watching cruises, dive charter, island cruising and research and survey services. 2 boats based in Oban. Phone 01680 814260.

New Horizon Sailing - sailing holidays onboard an 'Oyster' yacht around the west coast, including the Inner and Outer Hebrides. Holidays start from Tobermory.

From Croig near Dervaig, you can take a full day cruise or whale watching trip (8 hours approx.). Contact Inter-Island Cruises (Tel/Fax: 01688 400264).

Silver Swift- offers boat trips from Tobermory. Also available for diving charters. Contact Paul and Jeanette Gallagher. Tel: 01688 302 390.

Sea Life Surveys- have a choice of 2 different boat trips from Tobermory - whale watching or an 'Ecocruz'. Booking recommended. Tel: 01688 400 223 / fax: 01688 400 383. They established the Hebridean Whale and Dolphin Trust in 1992.

irishface

When I read your question, my first thought was spend your two nights on Mull itself. We had a car and enjoyed our stay immensely. However, Sheila has given you a lot of options for carfree travel. If you like Mull half as much as we did, you will have a wonderful stay!

rogeruktm

Or, book the Bowman's tour online. Ferry to Mull from Oban, bus to Foinnphort, ferry to Iona.

P_Texas

thank you so much, we'll probably do Mull since we don't want to rent a car and it does sound lovely. the allure of puffins didn't hurt either. great site Sheila, i thought i had googled every site but must have missed that one. Tod, i tried to go to your album but it wouldn't let me in. i recognize several of your names and appreciate your always being willing to help the lesser traveled. thanks again

sssteve

P-Texas:

We were just in Scotland for 2 weeks in June. We stayed in Oban for 3 days and we enjoyed it very much. We visited Mull, as well as Glencoe twice. We also visited Kilmartin Glen, a very interesting place.

I agree with Janis about the advantages of staying on Mull, but there is one major disadvantage. If you stay on Mull and the weather is lousy, you are very limited. While we were there (in Oban), the weather was "misty and murky" and in general cold, rainy, and windy. The weather on Mull was even worse, but since we were staying in Oban we had plenty of other options. In fact, the weather was bad enough that there was no tour to Staffa and Iona. Since we were in Oban, we had no problem driving east to find some better weather. We were also able to return to Glencoe for a better look , and to enjoy Oban. If you are on Mull, with your car in lousy weather, you have a bit of a problem.

As I said, we enjoyed Oban. It has some nice restaurants and I think it gets a "bad rap" as a less than desirable base. You can get to Mull in a half an hour on the ferry, or take one of the tours from Oban (which all start with the ferry), or drive inland anywhere you want. If you like good restaurants, eat at the "Coast". It was excellent.

tod

P_Texas - Gee, sorry you couldn't view my puffins on Lunga Island! Try this link:http://tinyurl.com/mz8ua5

historytraveler

sssteve,

Glad you enjoyed Oban. I too think it gets a bit of a bad rap. It may not be one of Scotland's most charming town, but nice enough IMO. As you discovered, it's location makes it easy to get to a number of other tourist locations, and it's especially convenient for those using public transportation.

Shelia, what a great list. It's now in my files. Thanks, as ever, for your excellent input.

carolemg

I went to Mull with friends a few years back, we got the train from glasgow to Oban, stayed 2 nights on lovely Tobermory then got the bus from Tobermory to Iona, I remember this not being the easiest nor most inexpensive journey as involved changing buses etc. Usually not a problem but the timetables were a bit of a nightmare. I would therefore recommend doing one of the tours mentioned above but the upside was that we stayed a night on Iona and it really was the closest place to heaven after all the daytrippers had left and before they arrived the next day!!! Enjoy

P_Texas

thanks again. we will probably stay in Oban and take the ferry to Mull, which is why we chose Oban in the first place. I appreciate all the tour info and just need to pick one. are puffins for real or were they invented by walt disney?

sheila

Puffins are real

But unless you are going in May or June or are a very good birder, you're unlikely to see any.

tod

P_Texas: I don't know if you are aware that there is a boat leaving from ULVA to Staffa & Lunga (Puffin Island) or Staffa & Iona - depending on what the Captain decides. We got Staffa & Lunga and couldn't be more happy.
The other port of departure is from Fionnphort - a very long drive.
We were asked by the Tourist Office at Craignure where on Mull we would be staying - as we were just outside of Tobermory we were told to take the Ulva Ferry.

Whatever you do, leave plenty of time to get to the ferry!! It's a very long drive especially to Fionnphort!

P_Texas

Tod, we don't have a car. so we are out of luck unless we can find a tour that provides transit to and from Mull as well as while we are there. and when i was looking at your photos before i was too puffin oriented to appreciate your beautiful photography. tonight when i was showing dh the puffins, i really enjoyed them thank you.