Visiting the Isle of Mull is like stepping into a Scottish postcard- rugged coastline, mountains silhouetted against the sky, and free-roaming Highland cows and sheep grazing the moors. Known as the ‘Eagle Island’, there’s a good chance you’ll spot Golden and White-Tailed Sea Eagles soaring in the skies. Mull is also home to playful wild otters- get out on the water or wait by a loch to see these curious creatures pop their heads out of the water. It’s a playground not just for nature lovers, but for foodies, families, history buffs, beach bums, and art lovers. In truth, Mull and its neighbouring islands offer something for everyone- and it’s why I continue to return to the island again and again.
The Isle of Mull is the second biggest island in the Inner Hebrides, after the Isle of Skye. Where Skye is an island thrumming with tourists during the summer, Mull is much more laid back, and it’s easy enough to find quiet pockets of the island to have all to yourself.
Mull is an island I love to visit- it has a magical quality, which is perhaps why a vast array of wildlife choose to make it their home. Layers upon layers of mountains sweep across the horizon, providing jaw-dropping backdrops that provide excitement for photography enthusiasts- or anyone with eyes.
In this guide, you’ll find 12 practical tips to plan your trip. You can’t really talk about planning a trip to Mull without mentioning its neighbouring islands (some of which can only be accessed via Mull), and so I’ve included some tips on visiting these islands too.
Mull is truly worth a visit- and I hope you get to experience the same thrill I get when driving around the island.
About Mull: A Short History
Mull has been inhabited since the Mesolithic period (around 7000 years ago). Neolithic peoples left their mark on the land, and Mull is dotted with standing stones, stone circles and cup and ring-marked stones.
From a geological standpoint, Mull is fascinating and is a classic area that geologists study. It even has its own mineral named after it: Mullite.
In recent centuries, the Highland Clearances displaced many Muileachs from their homes; the shells of which can still be seen scattered around the island today. Much of Mull’s past can be discovered at the Mull Museum, located in the island’s largest town, Tobermory.
Today, Mull has just over 3,000 residents and attracts thousands of visitors every year to explore the wild and enchanting terrain. The vibrant colours and rich landscapes inspire artists from all over the world, who visit to sketch and paint Mull and its neighbouring isles.
Home to two distilleries, four castles, an array of sandy beaches and the single munro, Ben More, Mull has plenty to keep visitors occupied, and offers perhaps some of the best scenery of the Scottish Isles.
12 Tips for Visiting The Isle of Mull
1) Choose how you’re going to get to Mull
All ferries to Mull are operated by CalMac. There are three ferry routes to get from mainland Scotland to Mull- which ferry you take entirely depends on your starting point (or preference!).
- Oban to Craignure – This is the main route, and the ferry crossing takes around 45 minutes. You’ll sail past Duart Castle, home of Clan Maclean, and have spectacular views of eastern Mull as you approach the island. This is the best option if you’re travelling by public transport. I recommend sailing on the MV Isle of Mull if you can.
- Lochaline to Fishnish – This is a turn-up-and-go ferry (meaning you book your tickets online for the day you’re sailing, and then turn up and get the next ferry across). This route sometimes requires getting the 5-minute Corran Ferry from Corran to Ardgour, followed by a spectacular drive to reach the port at Lochaline. The ferry to Fishnish on the Isle of Mull takes just 10 minutes. Though the journey to reach Lochaline is longer, it’s a much more scenic route to take than the ferry to Craignure.
- Kilchoan to Tobermory – This is the most remote ferry, but handy if you are travelling around Ardnamurchan first and then plan on visiting Mull (or heading to Ardnamurchan after your visit to Mull).
My personal favourite route is Lochaline to Fishnish. If travelling to Mull from Edinburgh or Glasgow, it means that you’ll pass through Glencoe and have the fun experience of crossing Loch Linnhe on the Corran ferry.
If you’d rather get to Mull more quickly, then the ferry from Oban to Craignure is much quicker and the scenery is great too!
2) Book your car on the ferry in advance
Before you book your accommodation, you will need to check availability on the preferred ferry crossing. If you plan on taking a car over to Mull, it’s very important that you book your ferry in advance. There have been occasions where people have left booking the ferry too late, and struggle to get their car across on their chosen crossing.
When is the ideal time to book your ferry? Book your ferry as soon as you book accommodation.
Be sure to take out travel insurance as well in case of ferry cancellations!
3) Book a wildlife trip with Wild West Coast
One of the most magical experiences you can have on Mull is seeing Golden and White-Tailed Sea Eagles, otters and the abundance of wildlife available on the island. Rather than leave these encounters to chance, book a tour with Wild West Coast, which, as locals, know the best locations for wildlife on and around Mull!
Wild West Coast is owned and operated by Peter and Fraser, who are based in Lochaline and operate a variety of tours from Mull, ranging from a few hours to multi-day tours.
They also run wildlife photography workshops, where you get to spend five days (six nights) honing your photography skills and capturing a variety of wildlife on camera, including white-tailed sea eagles, otter, red squirrels, puffins and more. These experiences are suitable for beginners through to pro photographers. Click here to see a sample itinerary of a multi-day wildlife photography trip!
4) Stay a while
Each time I’ve visited Mull, I feel like I haven’t had enough time to fully experience the island. You could easily fill 2 weeks exploring Mull and its neighbouring islands!
Ideally, I recommend spending a minimum of four full days on Mull; two days exploring Mull, one day on Iona and another day to enjoy a boat trip to either Staffa, the Treshnish Isles and/or Ulva. This is a good amount of time to have a wee taste of what Mull and the surrounding islands have to offer!
If you don’t have that much time, Mull, Iona and Staffa can be done in just one day. West Coast Tours offer day trips by bus from Oban to Mull and nearby islands; their Three Isles Tour visits the aforementioned islands is a popular day trip from Oban. It’s a great taster tour of what the islands have to offer- and I can promise you it will make you want to return to spend longer here!
If driving, you can get an early morning ferry to Craignure or Fishnish, drive to Fionnphort, get the ferry to Iona, and from there take a boat trip to Staffa. Staffa Trips operates boat trips from Iona to Staffa, dropping you off at Fionnphort. You can then either drive to Tobermory to spend the night there, or get an evening ferry back to Oban. It’s a long day- but it can be done!
Read more: 10 things to do on the Isle of Coll
5) Be organised, yet flexible when eating out
Mull has some incredible restaurants, with many serving delicious locally caught seafood. However, popular restaurants and food experiences can book up in advance.
On my most recent visit to Mull, I was disappointed to find that some restaurants and food vans were closed- despite their Google listing telling me they were open. My advice for you is- either book a table (so you’ll know you’ll have a table) or have a backup plan in case the place you want to eat is closed.
Restaurants in Mull’s main town, Tobermory, have more reliable opening hours – restaurants including Mishnish, Macgochans and The Gallery are usually safe bets.
If you get stuck for somewhere to have dinner, you can always go for a takeaway. Some of my favourites include The Creel Seafood Bar at Fionnphort next to the ferry terminal, and the Fisherman’s Pier in Tobermory.
Grab my Scotland Food + Drink Map with 250+ recommendations throughout Scotland!
6) Fuel up when you can
There are limited petrol stations on Mull, so try and arrive with a full tank of gas if you can. The best places to fuel your car include Harbour Garage Fuel Station in Tobermory, the SPAR in Craignure, and MacDonald’s in Aros.
Make sure you bring a credit card with you (Mastercard or Visa) as most machines will not take contactless (tap) payments.
Yes, I was the numpty who left her credit card at home and had to pay a local in cash so I could use their credit card to fuel my car!
7) Visit the magical island of Iona
It’s my personal belief that a visit to Mull isn’t complete without visiting the ‘birthplace of Scottish Christianity’: the Isle of Iona.
I am not a religious person, but there is something special about Iona. It’s an island that just makes you…feel.
Iona was gifted to St Columba in the 6th century. Columba is known for bringing Christianity to Scotland. He established a monastry on the island, where Iona Abbey now stands.
There are 48 Scottish kings buried on Iona, and the Book of Kells (one of the world’s most famous religious texts) was created here. You can see the real Book of Kells at the The Book of Kells Experience in Dublin, Ireland.
Aside from its fascinating history, Iona is a gem of an island with crystal clear turquoise waters and crisp, white sandy beaches. It’s a haven for beach lovers who enjoy a bit of soul searching. I could easily spend a few days here just reconnecting.
8) Don’t want to drive? Book a tour to Mull
My first trip to Mull was on the Mull & Iona 3-Day tour with Rabbies! I was six months pregnant at the time and didn’t want to drive.
I had a wonderful time on this tour in July. I also got to see puffins when we took a boat trip to Staffa!
As a wee bonus, you can save 10% with the code KIWI10 on all Rabbie’s tours.
If you’d prefer a private tour, my husband, Craig, provides private driving tours of Scotland. Our tour company is called Kiwi and Haggis Tours – you can click here to view our website or email Craig at hello@kiwiandhaggistours.com to start chatting about your trip to Mull!
9) Visit between May and July to see puffins!
Now I want to make one thing clear: you cannot see puffins on Mull; however, to get to the islands that do have puffins, you mostly need to go via Mull.
It just makes sense that if you’re visiting Mull between May and July (when puffins make their nests in sea cliffs) to take a boat trip to Staffa or the Treshnish Isles to see the puffins.
I’ve written an entire blog post about how to see the puffins on the Isle of Staffa, which is located off the west coast of Mull.
10) Save 10% on car rental by doing this
Did you know that you can save 10% on your car rental with Celtic Legend Car Rental by mentioning me?
Simply mention WAYFARINGKIWI when you ask for a quote, and you’ll save 10% on your car rental.
The team at Celtic Legend are fantastic- they are locally owned and their customer service is the best in Scotland! They are my go-to car rental company in the UK, and if you are travelling with kids, they have car seat hire for just £1.
They have pick-up and drop-off locations all over the country, including Edinburgh, Glasgow, Inverness, and Stirling.
11) Get my 7-Day Ready-To-Go Scotland itinerary
If you’re planning a larger Scotland trip, I highly recommend getting one of my ready-to-go itineraries that include a visit to Mull.
I have two itineraries that include a visit to Mull:
- 7-Day Classic Scotland Itinerary (by car)
- 7-Day Classic Scotland Itinerary (by public transport)
If you’d like me to create an itinerary specifically for Mull and the neighbouring islands, feel free to leave me a comment below, and if I receive a few requests, I’ll create a Mull itinerary.
12) Get my workshop on visiting Mull
If you enjoyed these tips about planning a trip to the Isle of Mull, I highly recommend my fantastic online workshop, Planning A Trip To Oban + The Isles. This 90-minute workshop covers planning a trip to Mull and the island groups you can visit from Mull and Oban.
I created this workshop with my friend Kay, who travels using public transport (I drive), and we include lots of tips for exploring Mull by public transport or by car. We also cover day trips from Oban!
Recommended books to read about the Isle of Mull
Here are some books that I recommend you read before you visit Mull to give you an idea of the people and the island’s history:
- Wild Mull by Stephen Littlewood and Martin Jones
- Mull and Iona by David Caldwell
- Mull: The Islands and Its People by Jo Currie
- Exploring Scotland’s Islands by Terry Marsh
- The Last Girl to Die by Helen Fields
- Island Wife: Living on the Edge of the Wild by Judy Fairbarns
More tips for visiting Mull
I regularly post tips and advice from my travels around Scotland on Instagram and Facebook. Make sure you watch my reel about my most recent trip to Mull!
Are you planning a trip to the Isle of Mull? What are you most excited about for your trip to Mull?
