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Inner Hebrides · Region

Mull and Iona

Eagles, basalt and the abbey at the edge.

Mull is big, wild and close to the mainland: forty minutes from Oban. Beyond it are Iona, with its abbey and white beaches, Ulva, with almost no one, and Staffa, the basalt island with a cave the sea goes into.

Plan this region Routes through it
Tobermory's painted harbour front on Mull under grey cloud, the bay flat calm
Tobermory, Isle of Mull

Mull and Iona

Close to the mainland, far from it.

Mull is the easiest island to reach on the west coast and one of the hardest to leave. Tobermory’s painted harbour is in the north; the south-west is the long road down the Ross of Mull to Fionnphort and the short ferry to Iona.

It is the best island in Scotland for white-tailed eaglesverify. We arrange a private boat out of the sea lochs for them, and for otters on the shore.

Iona is three miles long. Stay a night, after the day visitors have gone back on the ferry, and the island is quiet in a way that’s hard to describe.

Common questions

Mull and Iona, answered.

Read the full guide ↓

Can we take the car to Iona?

No. Iona is for residents’ cars only. You leave the car at Fionnphort and walk on to the ferry.

Are eagles guaranteed?

No, though on Mull the chances are good. A private boat with a skipper who knows the pairs raises them.

Routes

Routes through Mull and Iona.

All routes
Lagavulin distillery's white warehouses on the shore of Islay at dusk, seen across the bay
Lagavulin, Isle of Islay

7–9 nights · Kintyre · Islay · Jura

Whisky by sea

Four ferries · Two warehouses · No driving after tastings

  • Down Loch Fyne and Kintyre, with a night near Gigha
  • Four nights on Islay with a warehouse tasting at two distilleries
  • A night on Jura, under the Paps
  • The crossing from Port Askaig back to Oban

Suggested7–9 nightsTailored to your dates · no package price

View route
A small green island in deep blue water off the Isle of Eigg
Isle of Eigg

8–10 nights · Knoydart · Small Isles · Mull

Roadless west

Six boats · One peninsula · No car for half the trip

  • The boat from Mallaig to Inverie, and two nights with no road out
  • The Small Isles ferry to Eigg and Rùm
  • Ardnamurchan, the westernmost point of mainland Britain
  • The Kilchoan ferry to Mull, and a night on Iona

Suggested8–10 nightsTailored to your dates · no package price

View route

Experiences

Private days in Mull and Iona.

All experiences
Loch Muick in autumn, birches turning gold under low cloud
Loch Muick, Deeside

The Highlands and islands

An exclusive-use estate

A whole Highland or island estate house for a family or a group of friends.

A white-tailed eagle flying low over the water off Portree, Skye
Off Portree, Isle of Skye

Mull and Skye

Sea eagles and sea lochs

A private RIB on Mull, Loch Sunart or off Portree for white-tailed eagles and otters.

Where to stay

Stays in Mull and Iona.

Placeholders: the kind of place we would suggest, until our specialists confirm the houses and hotels we use.

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Illustration

Hotel

[PLACEHOLDER] A hotel near Tobermory

Within walking distance of the harbour.

Placeholder
Illustration

Hotel

[PLACEHOLDER] A small hotel on Iona

For the night after the day visitors leave.

Placeholder
Illustration

Self-catering

[PLACEHOLDER] A shore cottage on the Ross of Mull

Near Fionnphort and the Iona ferry.

Daylight by month, EdinburghJAN 7 h 37 min, FEB 9 h 38 min, MAR 11 h 47 min, APR 14 h 11 min, MAY 16 h 18 min, JUN 17 h 34 min, JUL 17 h 01 min, AUG 15 h 07 min, SEP 12 h 48 min, OCT 10 h 30 min, NOV 8 h 17 min, DEC 7 h 00 minJANFEBMARAPRMAYJUNJULAUGSEPOCTNOVDECLongest day17 h 34 minEdinburgh

Best time to visit

The Mull and Iona year.

May to September. Puffins on the Treshnish Isles from late April to early Augustverify. Daylight shown for Edinburgh, the nearest Light calendar station; the best months are in bold.

  • Puffins and seabirdsMay · Jun · JulShetland, Orkney, the Treshnish Islesverify
  • MidgesJun · Jul · AugWorst on still evenings on the west coastverify
  • Red stag seasonJul · Aug · Sep · OctHighland and island estates. Never part of our trips unless askedverify

Month by month on the Light calendar

Mull and Iona

Your guide to Mull and Iona.

Staffa

Boats run in summer from Fionnphort, Iona and Ulva Ferry, usually combined with the Treshnish Isles, where the puffins nest. Landing depends on the swell. We book the boat for an early day of your stay and keep a spare.

Ulva

A small island off Mull’s west coast bought by its community in 2018. A boat across on request, a walk, a café in season. Few people bother, which is the point.

Getting there

Oban Craignure, Mull CalMac
Kilchoan, Ardnamurchan Tobermory, Mull CalMac
Fionnphort, Mull Iona CalMac
Ulva Ferry Staffa Local boat operators

Visitors’ cars stay on Mull; Iona is on foot. We arrange the luggage. Routes and operatorsverify pending a specialist check.

Photographs

Mull and Iona, in pictures.

The coloured houses of Tobermory seen from the hill above the harbour
Tobermory, Isle of Mull
The basalt island of Staffa seen from a boat, its columns rising from a choppy sea
Staffa
Pale sand and long Atlantic swell on a beach on Iona in evening light
Isle of Iona
A ruined stone arch on Iona with the Sound of Iona and the hills of Mull behind
Iona
A small CalMac ferry crossing from Fionnphort past a white sand shore
Fionnphort, Isle of Mull
A small wooden boat crossing grey water off Mull
Isle of Mull
A ferry crossing the Sound of Iona under a rainbow
Sound of Iona
Oban harbour on a still morning, a ferry at the pier and the town reflected in the water
Oban

Speak to a specialist

Plan your trip to Mull and Iona.

Tell us when, who’s coming, and what you’re hoping for. One person plans it and looks after you.

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