Journey No 32
Thursday, 1st to Monday 5th September 2016
This journey covered 5 days, 410 km / 256 miles.
Our route was Carrick Castle, Argyll to Oban, ferry to Craignure, Isle of Mull then Duart Castle, Dervaig, Tobermory, Ardmore, Glengorm, Tobermory, Dervaig, Calgary, Ulva Ferry, Ardmeanagh, Glen More, Craignure, ferry to Oban and home to Carrick Castle.
Thursday 1st September 2016
Carrick Castle to Oban and ferry to Craignure – Departed home in Harrie to do shopping in Oban before taking the ferry to Craignure. Refuelled in Oban (47.04 l = £52.67 at 127,395 km). Arrived in Craignure to use a motorhome site for the first time since we purchased Harrie in 2009 at Sheiling Holidays, Craignure (£18 pn). Facilities were good with a pitch facing the sea.
Friday 2nd September 2016
The main reason for coming to Mull was to attend a “Woods of our Own” event run by the Community Woodlands Association and where Liz gave a talk to the meeting on our community woodlands – Cormonachan Woodlands and managed by the Cormonachan Woodlands Association of which Liz is the Chair and Douglas the Secretary – http://www.cormonachan-woodlands.co.uk and Facebook/cormonachan for further information. This was an all day meeting with a site visit in the afternoon to Tiroran Woodlands, SW Mull. After a very useful meeting we returned to stay in Harrie for a second night at the same site in Craignure.
Saturday 3rd September 2016
Our first visit of the day was to Duart Castle an impressive 13th century fortress built on a high rock overlooking the sound of Mull and Firth of Lorne and home of the Clan MacLean. After spending a couple of hours looking round the castle we had coffee in their cafe before heading off to Dervaig. Nearly all the roads on the Isle of Mull are single track so in a motorhome you have to be very well aware of where passing places are. We found nowhere in Dervaig to stop so we drove on to Tobermory and had a walk around the town. Parking was easy in the marina area car park. We then drove to the Ardmore forest and had an 8 km walk staying in the second car park overnight, wild camping for free that we usually do.
Sunday 4th September 2016
In the morning we drove on to Glengorm Castle and had a walk there to the standing stones followed by coffee in their cafe. We then returned to Tobermory and drove through Dervaig again to Calgary where we visited the Art in Nature walk with 24 sculptures around the woodlands walk.
After that visit we had another walk to the old pier at Calgary beach. This is a lovely sandy beach and the walk is full of interesting geological rocks from millions of years ago. Leaving there after an icecream at the beach we drove on to a car park on the north side of Loch na Keal where there were eagle spotters watching sea eagles in the forest trees. We saw them fly but lots of those who stopped only saw them perched in the trees. We stayed there overnight.
Monday 5th September 2016
In the morning we drove round the loch to the Ardmeanagh peninsula. Spectacular views but very few places for motorhomes to stop and admire the panoramas. The car parks with the best views had bars at the entrances so motorhomes cannot stop – not good for tourism.
The narrow single track roads around this west area of Mull are not really suitable for motorhomes with not so many passing places and the driving is fairly stressful as a result. We visited Burg, a National Trust for Scotland area where if the weather was fine there is a good long walk of 10 miles round trip to the fossil tree but the weather by then was misty and very damp so no views. So we decided to head off home and catch an earlier ferry from Craignure than planned for the following day. The drive along Glen More was much better even though it was still single track as the road was fairly straight with plenty of passing places. We did not go to Bunessan, Fionphort or Iona by ferry as we had already been to that area many times whilst sailing in our yacht. On arrival at Craignure, there was a ferry just arriving and CalMac changed our booking with ease and we heading over to Oban in 50 minutes.
At Oban we did some more shopping and refuelled (25 l = £28.99 at 127,598 km). We then drove home to Carrick Castle.
Summary
We had mixed weather, dry for the walks which was a plus. Although we are used to driving on single track roads as we live down one 11 miles long, the roads on Mull are are fairly stressful for driving on in a motorhome and perhaps even in a car. The island needs to look at increasing the passing places and to having good parking places to admire the views that are worth going to see. We had a good meeting which was the original object of going to Mull however there are not many places to visit and of those that are there some don’t open at weekends!
Total mileage for the trip: 410 km / 256 miles.
Total mileage in our ownership: 17,215 km / 10,765 miles.
Total mileage to date: 127,701 km / 79,813 miles.
