12 Things To Do On Mull: A Perfect Scottish Island

It’s Scotland’s fourth largest island, but in my opinion, the Isle of Mull doesn’t get enough attention. No matter what you’re interested in from mountains to whisky, culture to castles, you won’t be short of things to do on Mull. There are even a number of smaller islands and boat trips to visit while on the island.

Somehow this spectacular place has managed to fly under many tourist’s radar, but it’s far from an empty wilderness. Around 3000 people call Mull home and many Scots are well aware that this is somewhere worth visiting.

While Skye is an Instagrammer’s dream and Arran is “Scotland in Miniature”, it seems to me that Mull is the perfect Scottish island. It’s deceptively accessible and best of all, you don’t need to set aside a week or plan a complicated itinerary. I love to see visitors to Scotland exploring the islands, so here are my suggestions for 12 things to do on Mull!

How To Get To Mull

It will come as no surprise that to get to Mull, you’re going to need to take a ferry. There are three options, all run by Calmac, and the most common by far is to arrive from Oban. It’s a big vessel, driving on is really easy and the journey takes less than an hour. Booking a spot in advance is absolutely essential though!

Even with a month’s notice, I missed out on a spot on the Oban ferry in early Summer. Fortunately, the alternative was a lovely drive through the Western Peninsulas to a more remote ferry at Lochaline instead. This route, as well as Kilchoan to Tobermory, works on a “first come first served” basis, so just make sure you give plenty of time. Also, if following in my footsteps then make sure to grab a bite at the Lochaline Snack Bar!

Driving On Mull

While there are buses around the island, I’d recommend driving to make sure you’re free to explore as much as possible. Just be aware that driving around Mull takes much longer than you might expect. That said, being a foot passenger gives a better chance of catching a ferry last minute so you can hop over for an easy daytrip!

As well as allowing you freedom, driving itself is just a lovely thing to do in Mull. Most of the roads are single lane with passing places, but as long as you’re comfortable with those then getting from A to B isn’t a chore. One of the real highlights is driving the “slow road” between Salen and Loch Beg Bridge, where it really is about the journey not the destination!

Explore Mull’s Main Town – Tobermory

Tobermory is the main town on Mull and while it isn’t enormous, it makes up for its size with personality. The colourful, painted buildings are easily recognised from iconic children’s show Balamory, nestled around a calm bay. You’ll find plenty of quirky shops and restaurants here, it’s somewhere I’d expect most people visiting Mull to stop at least once.

It’s a fairly new town though in Scottish terms, only created in the 18th century as a planned fishing settlement. Before then it was known as a gentle bay for ships, with just a small area for landing. Not every vessel in Tobermory Bay had a happy fate though and there’s at least one very famous Spanish shipwreck.

There are two wildly different stories, the first tells of a Spanish Princess who tried to seduce the married Chief of Clan MacLean. His unhappy wife conspired with witches to sink the Spaniards into the bay!

However, the official story claims the Spaniards were part of the Armada, limping to Mull after their defeat in 1588. Chief MacLean provided supplies for repairs in return for 100 soldiers to fight the MacDonalds. When the Spanish decided to go home, their store of gunpowder mysteriously exploded, sinking them and a horde of gold into Tobermory Bay!

Sample Island Whisky At Tobermory Distillery

If you enjoy a dram on your travels like I do, then Tobermory Distillery should be an essential place to visit on Mull. Painted bright white and tucked away in a corner, it was first established in 1798, only ten years after the town itself. This is the island’s only whisky distillery, lucky to still be here after a bit of a rocky history.

Tobermory Distillery is open daily and you can book on their website, either for tours or tastings. You’ll try two ranges, the sweeter Tobermory and the peated Ledaig (the original name for the distillery). Ledaig 18 has actually just won whisky of the year!

Don’t worry, if whisky isn’t your thing, try Tobermory Gin here instead! Tastings can be booked to sample each of the different versions available.

Learn Clan History At Duart Castle

If you sailed from Oban then you probably spotted Duart Castle on its little cliff, the ancestral home of Clan MacLean. This was undoubtedly one of my favourite things to do on Mull and what I’d call a proper Scottish castle. Open seasonally, you can double check the dates, times and prices here!

Duart is dramatically positioned on a crag overlooking the sea, with strong walls and an even stronger clan connection. There are dungeons inside, an impressive great hall full of ancient weapons, a museum to Clan Maclean and spectacular views from the ramparts. You’ll discover stories of great clan chiefs, as well as some less than respectable characters.

There’s the first ever clan chief, Gillean of the Battle Axe who never let his trusty weapon out of his sight. Later, Lachlan Lubanach MacLean gained Duart Castle as the dowry for marrying the Lord of the Isles’ daughter. Or my favourite, Red Hector of the Battles who faced duel challenges from travelling swordsmen looking to prove their skill.

Stretch Your Legs On Golden Beaches

Scotland’s islands are famous for their beaches and Mull is no exception. With so many deep inlets forming a large and varied coastline for you to explore, there’s plenty of choice!

Calgary Beach is probably the most famous, showing up on most people’s Mull itinerary. Being so well known and very accessible, that means it’s also one of the busiest. For those not up for a swim, help yourself to ice cream from Robin’s Boat during the busier months.

If you want to avoid the crowds then just go a little off the beaten track. Remember that most people won’t put in the effort so the further you walk, the quieter it will be. Here are some of my recommendations for beaches on Mull:

Langamull Beach is around 2 miles each direction, but does give you the added option to visit a clearance village.

Traigh Ghael is a beautiful stretch of white sand, but is a little further at 3 miles each way.

Fidden Beach is much easier to get to, just a short drive from Fionnphort. You’ll find pink granite outcrops and a whole range of smaller beaches worth clambering to.

Ardalanish Bay is another easily reached beach, with a vast expanse of sand and spectacular views to Jura in the south!

Bag A Munro By Climbing Ben More

Sadly, one of the main things to do on Mull that I couldn’t fit into my trip was a hike up Ben More. This is one of Scotland’s Munros, a collection of the 282 mountains over 3000ft high and Mull is the only island apart from Skye to have one. Not high in the grand scale of worldwide mountaineering, but don’t be fooled into thinking it’s a leisurely stroll.

You can find the route here (along with lots of great walks), it takes around 6 hours to hike to the summit and back. The views of Mull’s rugged interior are incredible, it suddenly makes sense why driving around the island takes so long! On a clear day, you might even spot some other mainland Munros worth bagging.

Do Go Chasing Waterfalls

I love a good waterfall. The crashing roar that fills the air, showing off the sheer power is always worth hunting out. While there are plenty of waterfalls around Mull for you to go chasing, there are two that make for easy visits.

The first is in Tobermory’s back garden, the wide and rocky Aros Park Waterfall. You can either walk here from town or quickly stop off in the car park and enjoy the wander through the woodland. Don’t miss a visit to nearby Aros Castle as well, although there’s very little left to see there.

If you’re looking for height, then don’t miss Eas Fors Waterfall, so good that they named it three times. Eas is Gaelic for Waterfall, Fors is from Old Norse meaning Waterfall and of course we know the third one. It’s a big one, but when I visited a group were putting up with the roar to camp on a plateau right next to it!

Ponder Mysteries At Lochbuie Stone Circle

Mull wouldn’t be the perfect Scottish island without a standing stone or two. Thousands of years ago, early islanders left these mysterious monuments for us to gaze at and ponder their purpose. Standing stones aren’t unusual on Mull, but Lochbuie is the only known complete stone circle.

Nine large stones, still incredibly well preserved, standing in a field and often surrounded by hairy coos. It’s a bit of a bumpy drive to reach them, then you’ll need to plod your way through probably mud. Bring sturdy shoes and just follow the white stones.

It was clearly an important location for generations of Mull inhabitants, with cairns and other standing stones found along the way. We might never find out what they were used for, but hopefully we never stop wondering.

Find An Australian Connection In The Woods

One of the more surprising things to do on Mull is owned by the National Trust of Australia! That’s the mausoleum of Lachlan Macquarie, otherwise known as the Father of Australia.

Macquarie was born on the small Isle of Ulva, just a short hop from Mull which we’ll come to later. Working his way up through the ranks of colonial Britain, he become Governor of New South Wales in Australia. He played a huge part in transforming a penal colony into a thriving settlement and was the first to use “Australia” in an official capacity.

Lots of Australians have Scottish ancestry, after the Highland and Island Emigration Society assisted thousands to reach Australia instead of the easier destinations like Canada. Many of those descendants visit Mull without ever knowing this is here! When Macquarie died, his body was shipped back for burial and his mausoleum makes a beautiful, quiet, woodland stroll.

Ferry Over To The Holy Island of Iona

There’s nowhere on Scotland quite like the Holy Isle of Iona, known as the birthplace of Scottish Christianity. It’s a special place, crammed with history including the final resting place for dozens of ancient Scottish Kings. Seems like I’m cheating, mentioning another island on a list of things to do on Mull, but the two really do go hand in hand.

St Columba and his followers landed here in 563, established a monastery and began converting the mainland Picts. Ever since then, Iona has attracted pilgrims to walk along the Street Of The Dead to this historic church. It’s not been plain sailing with Viking raids and the Reformation to deal with, so the Abbey we see today isn’t exactly 1400 years old.

Some of the enormous Celtic Crosses though are almost contemporary with Columba’s day. Each cross, dedicated to a different saint, indicated somewhere for travellers to pause, pray and reflect as they reached their final destination. They’re truly awe inspiring and the one I’m gazing at is the enormous St Martin’s. It’s still standing where it was first placed over 1200 years ago.

Make sure to get the earliest ferry possible over to Iona and visit the Abbey as soon as it opens. By the time we finished our guided tour, several more boatloads had arrived and the peaceful feeling was gone! A good excuse to explore the museum round the back as well as the rest of the small island.

Discover Giant Legends On Staffa

Another island well worth visiting from Mull is the tiny, rocky, island of Staffa. It looks otherworldly, with soaring black basalt columns and an ominous, gaping cave looming on approach. I’d class Staffa as a bucket list location, home to a colony of tiny puffins as well as one giant legend which you can listen to here!

There are other companies that visit the island, but we used Staffa Tours which has trips from April to October. Unfortunately, due to stormy weather the night before, we were unable to land and explore the cave. That just gives me a good excuse to go back! You can also book a longer tour to add in the Treshnish Isles, giving an even better chance of getting close to puffins.

Hop Over To The Isle Of Ulva

The third island worth a trip while visiting Mull is the little Isle of Ulva. This is a bit different than the other two, much closer and entirely community owned! Access is by the tiny, privately owned Ulva Ferry, called by sliding open a red board to inform the ferry master you’re waiting. Be aware that the ferry only runs for visitors from April to October, operating around the local school run outside that.

Once you’ve arrived, fantastic food can be found in the Boathouse before heading off on your adventure. There are no vehicles allowed, so visitors will feel a little closer to Ulva’s beauty on foot. A couple of bothies are available to rent, but wild camping away from houses is also welcomed. Enjoy the peace and quiet!

Watch Out For Wildlife

Wherever you travel, keep your eyes open for glimpses of the island’s fantastic natural inhabitants. There are people who visit Mull purely for wildlife watching, you’ll see them with telescopic cameras set up on tripods. Most will be searching for either Golden or Sea Eagles, since this is one of the best places in Scotland to catch a sighting.

On my visit, I spotted shy fallow deer which are rare in Scotland and a pod of very curious dolphins. As our boat was heading to Staffa, dozens of them suddenly appeared around us. Both our small boat and the large Iona Ferry ignored their destination for 10 minutes, creating waves for the dolphins to play in. That has to be one of the highlights of my year.

Don’t be surprised if seals (or are they Selkies) pop up around Mull as well as the obligatory Highland Coo. If somehow you miss all of that, there’s always a chance you’ll be ambushed by a local dog!

Where To Eat In Mull

You won’t be short of places to eat in Mull, it’s a foodies paradise. Down by the ferry at Fionnphort, you’ll find great seafood cooked up an impossibly small shack called The Creel. We enjoyed it so much, we went back a second day, sampling scampi, crab cakes and dressed crab in the shell!

Around Tobermory we ate at Macgochans the first night, which offers outdoor seating in good weather and occasionally live music. The next night was across the bay to Mishnish for a fish dish, definitely worth booking ahead if you want a table.

Probably the most impressive place to eat in Mull is the Glass Barn Cafe, part of Isle of Mull Cheese. Full of climbing vines, it looks different depending on the season and might well be the best coffee on the island. If you’re looking for supplies then there’s home grown produce, meats and of course some outstanding cheese!

Wondering where to head after Mull? Consider taking the time to journey around Loch Awe, not far from Oban. If it’s another island you’re looking for then the Isle of Bute is small but perfectly formed, perfect for a weekend away!

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