Reluctantly leaving Fionnphort the next day in decidedly drearier weather, we began the overland trip to our next lodging in the north of Mull near Tobermory.
Climbing over the hills the cloud became more dense and visibility was down to 50 metres or so which made for a challenging drive on a single lane road with sheep 😉
As we came back down to the loch level again it was along this stretch that we had been told to keep an eye out for otters and golden eagles but the weather was just not conducive to wildlife spotting.
Our BnB host had recommended lunch at The Boathouse on tiny Ulva Island (five minutes by foot ferry) but when we arrived at the ferry ramp there was no sign of life and we could barely see the island just across the narrow strip of water.
Eventually we spotted the means to signal the ferryman and after another 5 minutes huddling under a shed in the rain we saw him setting off from across the water.
Luckily The Boathouse was well worth it and we had a delicious ragu pasta and by the time we headed back over to Mull the weather was improving slightly. From there it was a fairly slow drive in drizzly rain (I’m sure the scenery is great on a dry day) and I was glad when we finally saw the sign to Glengorm Castle.
Glengorm is a 19th century building offering a variety of accommodation options in the castle as well as other estate buildings and we were staying in a first floor self-catering apartment in the old stable building called The Steading.
We had two nights here and despite the rain that persisted until late afternoon the next day, with a washer and dryer on hand it gave us a good excuse to attend to some domestic chores.
The estate has some wonderful walking trails and when the rain stopped we headed out to explore.
We met some new friends, tried to find Jamie (unsuccessful) at the standing stones …
… and then strolled back to enjoy a pizza and wine in front of the fire.
The nearest village ,Tobermory, is the main town on the Isle of Mull and the local Co-op Grocery store saw us stocked up with provisions for our onward trip the next day.
Its colourful buildings have been the setting for many films and TV shows and a very popular British children’s show filmed here apparently sent the price of real estate sky high!
Tuesday morning saw us checking out early enough to be number three car in the queue for the Tobermory – Kilchoan ferry which would take us back to the Scottish mainland, albeit only for a few hours.
We were loaded at the front, sandwiched between the ramp and a black transit van, our little car looks like a toy car here where you can just see the bonnet. It was fairly rough and for the first time in our ferry travels, today it was our alarm going off. Fortunately I had just watched a YouTube video about how to deactivate the alarm (just in case) so we did that and all was well.
Disembarking an hour later we continued on to the tiny settlement of Kilchoan where Google told us we could get fuel. Despite the state of the pump when we pulled up, that is true – although because of the remoteness of Kilchoan (the most westerly village in Britain) purchases are limited to ten litres so that’s what we got.
We continued driving basically northwards but had time in our schedule for a short diversion to Glenfinnan to view the historic Glenfinnan Viaduct. Built between 1897 and 1901 it is a railway viaduct that forms part of the West Highland Line and is the longest concrete railway bridge in Scotland.
It is pictured on some Scottish bank notes but attracted worldwide attention as a filming location for four of the Harry Potter films. This association has led to hundreds or thousands of tourists each year putting a significant strain on the small hamlet of Glenfinnan.
Coincidentally we arrived just before a train was due and the large car park was almost at capacity, a few minutes later it was and cars were refused entry.
After the parking attendant told us a train was due “any minute” we scurried down to a large lawned area with everyone else (cleverly edited out of photo😉) just in time to see a train passing through. Unfortunately it wasn’t the famed steam Jacobite train but it was still a train !
Jumping back in the car we had a relatively short drive to Mallaig where we would catch our next ferry to Skye. Arriving right on schedule we were told that due to unforseen circumstances there had been a schedule change and our ferry was just leaving, no room for us! The next ferry was not for two hours but had “plenty of room” so we parked in line ( second this time) and strolled down to the high street.
As we were finishing a delicous fish and chip lunch the Jacobite train that we had missed at the viaduct pulled in, we had a quick look, Russell found a book shop and before we knew it, it was time to board.
Next, we reach Skye.
Â