Fingal’s Cave, Staffa

Instead of going back on the ferry to Mull, I had been able to arrange for us to go by local boat to the island of Staffa. Staffa is a beautiful, uninhabited island, home to hundreds of sea birds and set within waters teeming with marine life. But the island is best known for its magnificent basalt columns – not unlike the ‘Giants Causeway’ in Ireland. The captain of the boat had to ram it against the stone pier so that we could land to visit Fingal’s Cave (Musical Cave).

We had to walk along a cliff face, with only a handrail to stop us falling into the wild sea. Needless to say, the boat we came on had notices warning that we did so at our own risk! However, the tricky journey was well worthwhile because we were able to climb into the cave itself, which was an amazing experience.

Torosay Gardens

Buses are a very useful means of transport around island like Mull. We chose to visit Torosay Gardens at the southeast corner of Mull. The journey took us along the coast overlooking the sound that we had travelled along yesterday. The view was breath taking and we could see the yachts sailing up towards Tobermory.

The gardens were slightly disappointing because they were neglected. They probably get insufficient visitors to justify the high cost of upkeep. We stopped for tea in their coffee shop and were waited on by an excellent Polish waitress. She was obviously a long way from home and I find it strange that local people are not more willing to do these jobs in an area that can’t have a surplus of jobs.

We were able to sit outside and before we had finished our tea and carrot cake, we noticed that we were getting attention from the local finch population. These birds were so tame that they would sit at your feet for crumbs and even raided your plate if you sat still for a while.

Leaving Oban Marina

We have had a lot of rain since we arrived back in Scotland. However, we had been told that Kerrera Islands has had insufficient rain and now have a water shortage! As a result, we were unable to fill our water tanks and therefore chose to leave today and move on to Tobermory, Mull.

The journey took us along the Sound of Mull and, unusually, the weather was fine. To enter the sound we had to go past Duart Point and the famous castle. The castle, high up on the cliff, is creepy enough. However, the tide was coming out of the sound and swirling over underwater mountains that caused the surface to eddy in small whirlpools. The journey along the sound itself was magnificent and we passed one of the Caledonian MacBrayne ferries, which travel between the many islands off the west coast of Scotland. The harbour, which is featured in many children’s TV programs, is very attractive with its multicoloured houses. We were able to find a pontoon berth and they seemed to have plenty of water on Mull so we gratefully filled our water tank.