This small but impressive island is definitely a must see for any hikers, adventure seekers, photographers & videographers alike. The landscape is so dramatic & rugged, it’s perfect for drone shots and with it only being a 2.25 hour drive from Glasgow to Oban (where you can get the ferry across to the island) it’s a perfect weekend road trip. Here’s what we discovered in just 3 days.
I knew nothing about the isle of mull and discovered it looking at the map (when me and Connor were looking for somewhere to go on our second week in Scotland).
Before you go
First things first, if you plan to go, book. Your. Accommodation. Early. We found this the hard way, although we were going in peak time (August)🙄. As everything was booked, we only had one option – to camp. Luckily, we discovered Shieling Holidays, a campsite which featured a ‘glamping’ option, so we went for that purely because we couldn’t be bothered with lugging all our camping equipment up to Scotland.
The tent we stayed in was a 4 person ensuite, made by scaffolding and plastic canvas material. It had two sleeping sections, a section with a table & chairs, a kitchen area (which had a camping stove with 2 hobs & grill, and a sink with running hot water), and also a bathroom area (which had a shower, toilet & sink). Being someone who grew up ‘wild’ camping (no electric/running water/only a portable toilet etc) this was absolute luxury. And when the weather turned bad, I was so glad we weren’t stuck in a little tent. The only downside is even in summer, it was very cold at night, so bring a lot of layers to sleep in and a blanket. I would happily stay in one of these again & 100% recommend this accommodation as a great cheap alternative. Another option I would recommend looking into is airbnb, this is always such a great option. (Click this link for £25 free airbnb travel credit) As soon as you have your accommodation booked make sure you book your ferry too, this can fill up pretty easy if you’re taking a car (which I recommend).
Second tip, make sure you stock up on food before you go, there is a spar & coop on the island but depending on where you’re staying it can be an hours drive. There’s plenty of supermarkets and shops in Oban (where the ferry terminal is) to stock up from & get fuel. *shout out to Outside Edge in Oban, best shop ever (tons of outdoor equipment & clothing at good prices)*
The island
The main ferry port on Isle of Mull is Craignure, which is where Shielings Holidays are. It has a small spar, a pub and a small tourist information – don’t expect a lot! The same goes for most of the island, if you want to go for the shopping experience and nightlife give Edinburgh a go instead 🤣 at times the island almost looks deserted as the locals seem to hide away somewhere (probably avoiding us tourists 😂).

The roads around are mainly single track roads which means if another car comes you have to pull over to let them past. The exception to this is on route to Tobermory (the main town) there are some two lane sections. Also, expect to pull over for highland cattle too, they have right of way (I wouldn’t like to question it anyway).
It takes just over an hour to drive from Craignure to Fionnphort on the other side of the island, to get the ferry to Staffa island (Fingals cave). Staffa tours takes you out to Fingals cave, and moors up so you can walk around the impressive island which was formed by 3 layers of volcanic eruptions. The island is also home to many puffins who nest here between April – July. They move on early August for winter.

Moving on from Fionnphort heading up the island, you can take the coastal route to up to Calgary. The landscape is very impressive with big rugged hills & mountains, a rocky coastline and also driving past some of the lochs.
We discovered the most beautiful waterfall (Eas Fors Waterfall) along the B8073 between Kilbrennan and Lagganulva. This spot is a must see so don’t miss it! Thanks to my photography assistant/stunt artist (Connor) we managed to get some great shots from both sides of the waterfall. We must have spent a good hour here getting so many shots.

Calgary bay is a beautiful white sandy beach, with bright blue crystal clear water. Even in bad weather (which we were blessed with 😐) the water is still so vibrant. The water looked fairly shallow in the bay so it would be good for children too,
Heading across from Calgary towards Tobermory is not for those who get car sick easily, it’s very twisty making you long for a straight road, but the dramatic views are so worth it. Tobermory is the main town on the island, with a colourful high street (used to film the children’s tv series Balamory) and a small harbour.
We discovered a gem of a place for food – The Gallery. The building used to be a church, which has been converted into a restaurant/cafe, and a gift shop inside too. We got the lamb burger and my god, it was the best burger in the whole of the UK. We ended up eating there twice, and had a great experience both times, and the staff were very friendly too. If you’re just looking for coffee & cake (or just coffee if you’re sugar free like me 😅) then I definitely recommend you head to Tobermory Bakery which i’m almost certain it was the best coffee on the island.

Heading back down from Tobermory to Craignure is a beautiful route, with majority of the drive overlooking the Sound of Mull (separating Mull from the mainland). This was also the nicest section of road to drive because of the smooth roads & mainly single carriageway as opposed to backroads.
Although our time on Mull was short, it was definitely somewhere I would recommend going, and would love to return. Have you been? Or are you heading there? let me know in the comments below 🙂
Here’s a video from our time in Scotland, spent in both Loch Fyne area & Isle of Mull: