DESTINATIONS MULL | UK & IREND


It’s easy to fall for Tobermory. The pubs are lively, the harbour setting is spectacular and the daily papers don’t arrive until noon. It has a distillery, a catch- and-release aquarium and easy waterside walks. The town is also the most obvious base for accommodation on the island, although don’t expect large-scale properties – on Mull, B&Bs, self-catering cottages and boutique hotels rule the roost. Benefiting from the far-reaching views of the hills above the town, Strongarbh House is an excellent option for clients looking for somewhere memorable. It has just four rooms, but a focus on art and design and à la carte breakfasts make it a classy proposition. A bigger option in Tobermory itself is the 28-room Western


Isles Hotel, which has been in situ since 1882 and offers a generous whisky list.


Meanwhile, just outside


Tobermory, the four-room Fairways Lodge has a plum location for golfers – it overlooks Tobermory Golf Club, once named Scotland’s best nine-hole course. Slightly farther afield, Glengorm Castle has options for B&B, self- catering and serviced apartments. Some of these are in the grounds, others are in the castle itself – a grand, turreted affair built in the mid-1800s. Elsewhere, the elegant, six-room Pennygate Lodge is well located at Craignure, the arrival point for ferries from Oban, while farther south, the loch-side Tiroran House Hotel arguably trumps the lot. The winner of multiple awards, it has


56 acres of grounds and is also dog-friendly.


Like much of Scotland, Mull is popular territory for camper vans and motorhomes, which can be brought across on the ferries and parked at various vehicle-friendly campsites. For budget travellers, the island also has a smattering of hostels and bunkhouses, as well as areas where ‘wild’ camping is possible, including a great site at Calgary Bay. It’s also worth noting that the neighbouring island of Iona is accessible only from Mull, making it a popular add-on. It has its own accommodation, notably the harbourside Argyll Hotel and the larger St Columba Hotel, both of which offer a traditional welcome and excellent local cuisine.


² IONA


The crossing from Fionnphort to Iona takes just 10 minutes, but stepping off the passenger boat onto this mellow, relatively flat island feels like arriving somewhere far removed from the rest of the UK. This is partly to do with its history.


Hard-nosed missionary St Columba settled here in the year 563 and made it his aim to convert Scotland to Christianity. He succeeded. An abbey named in his honour towers over the shore, and pilgrims are still drawn here from far and wide. You don’t need to be spiritual to be won over by Iona. Its landscape rises and falls in green folds, leading out to remote beaches and hidden coves, and its birdlife is fantastic. For a few days of getting away from it all, it’s hard to think of anywhere better.


travelweekly.co.uk


25 JULY 2019


85


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