Welcome to HOLIDAY West Highland - Discover the West Highlands

Mull & Iona - so much to offer

Author Holiday West Highland

TO VISIT Mull and Iona is to have, literally, a true taste of the West Highlands. With Iona being almost a stone’s throw from the foot of Mull the two islands are inextricably linked. A visit to both will give you a detailed insight into early Celtic Christianity and local history and culture. Mull particularly is well-known for its local produce, including cheese, and its wildlife holidays.

Children will love Mull for it is here that the television series Balamory was set - at Tobermory.

The ferry trip from Oban to Craignure, near Tobermory, doesn’t take long. They’’ll be thrilled to be in Balamory with its gaily-coloured houses. Tobermory also has plenty of bars, restaurants, cafe’s and hotels offering superb locally grown food. Any idea of dieting will go out of the window when you see the mouth-watering foods you can taste or buy. Mull and Iona are a foodie’s paradise and calorie counting will simply be a ‘waist’ of time.

If you want to sample all that’s best about the islands’ foods you should visit at the end of summer when a food festival celebrates all that is good about Mull and Iona’’s produce– the cheeses, meats, seafood and bread are a gastronomic delight. With its rugged high mountains, Mull is rapidly being recognised as one of the places to go for a wildlife holiday for there is much to be seen. Birds include the recently introduced white-tailed sea eagle.

Other rare birds you could spot are merlins, hen harriers and ‘incomers’ such as the bee-eater. Wildlife abounds on Mull and Iona and round their shores as well and if it’s an all-round experience you want this year’s festival of wildlife will be right up your alley. The islands of Mull & Iona are internationally recognised as areas of outstanding scenery, biodiversity and geology, and are home to some of Scotland’s leading wildlife tour operators.

Countryside Rangers will lead visitors to see the chicks of world famous White Tailed Eagles of Mull. Experienced tour guides offer close encounters with otter, deer, golden eagles, whales and dolphins, as featured on the BBC programmes presented by Bill Oddie. More recently the isles have also become known for the quality of produce on off er, from succulent seafood and award winning local cheese to smoked Þ sh and hill reared lamb, showcased in the Taste of Mull & Iona Food Festival. If this were not enough for the discerning visitor, Mull & Iona off er a varied programme of activities organised by the island’s numerous arts, culture and heritage organisations.

These include the unique Ionad Eachdraidh an Rois Mhuilich, and An Tobar. This year An Tobar are hosting a special programme celebrating 10 years of providing arts and cultural activities from their centre in Tobermory. A brand new comprehensive ‘What’s On’ website at www.wildisles.co.uk lists all the activities and organisations involved with contact details and a new e-booking facility for many events. Apart from whales, dolphins, seals and other sea life there’s plenty to discover about the seas surrounding the islands, including the supposed wreck of a Spanish galleon with its cargo of gold beneath Tobermory harbour.

You didn’’t know Mull had a railway? Well, an ideal family trip on a summer’s day on Mull is to take the Mull Rail from Old Pier Station at Craignure to Torosay stately home. This 10 ¼ inch gauge line operates steam and diesel engines and allows you to take in breathtaking views across to the mainland as you’re chugged along. You’’ll see Ben Nevis; Britain’s highest mountain, Glencoe, the island of Lismore, Ben Cruachan and the island’s own Duart Castle, making it an unforgettable experience.

This really is a unique trip, equal to any similar one in Europe, with the railway climbing steep gradients through woodland, with primroses and rhododendrons lining the route. The train can be chartered for large groups and there is limited accommodation for wheelchair users. Once you arrive at Torosay you will see it is a fabulous Victorian house set in 12 acres of beautifully landscaped gardens and woodlands. If you’re a history buff a visit to Duart Castle should satisfy you.

This 13th century seat of the Chief of Clan MacLean is visited by people from all over the world. It has everything you could wish for: dark dungeons, exhibitions, state rooms and there’s also a tearoom. You and the family can also play boules or do some kite-flying here. An artist’s mecca, Mull and Iona are also popular with craftsmen and women who’ve sett led here inspired by the islands’ beauty to create fine hand-crafted wares. There are plenty of retail outlets where you can Þ nd their goods. A prestigious new arts and craft s complex has been created on the charismatic isle of Iona with the idea of providing a sustainable future for island businesses and boosting the economy.

Two years in the building, St Columba Steadings arts and crafts complex was conceived by local artist Mhairi Killin in partnership with The National Trust for Scotland. Mhairi’s aim was to provide affordable, well-equipped workshop and retail premises in an ideal location for local artists and crafts people. Working to exacting standards of renovation, given the location’s proximity to one of Scotland’s biggest tourist attractions, Iona Abbey, local stonemason Colin MacDougall has lovingly restored the ruined farm steadings.

With internal features by Scottish artists the buildings themselves are a beautiful addition to the architecture of the island. Various organisations have helped with funding and offered vital support. They include Argyll and Islands Enterprise, The Highland Fund, The SJ Noble Trust and, through the auspices of The National Trust for Scotland, The Russell Trust. More than ten percent of the island’s population will benefit economically from the St Columba Steadings project by encouraging islanders to develop their creative and business skills. It offers an economically sustainable future for 11 micro businesses and has created a diverse and lively centre of activity on Iona. The businesses are Mhairi’s own, Aosdana, a craft co-operative of nine small businesses, Oran Creative Craft s and a knitwear business, Issy on Iona.

This exciting project will be a sure addition to the Iona visitor itinerary. Aah, Iona ancient burial ground of Scottish kings and the cradle of Celtic Christianity in Scotland. The island is dominated by its abbey and the story of St Columba who landed here from Ireland to bring Christianity to pagan Scotland. For such a tiny island Iona has a huge Christian reputation and is visited by tens of thousands of people each year. As well as its religious side, Iona has plenty of bed and breakfast and hotel accommodation and shops selling paintings of local seascapes and landscapes, books and other items.

With its air of spirituality and its interesting shops, Iona will draw you back time and again, as will the delights of Mull with its varied offerings for young and old. Mull Theatre, based just outside Tobermory, is one of the top professional touring companies in Scotland, and has been producing high-quality and innovative theatre for more than 40 years. Each year, a selection of drama, comedy, children’s shows and workshops from Mull Theatre can be found in venues all over Mull and Iona.