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Route · Knoydart · Small Isles · Mull

Roadless west

Suggested 8–10 nights

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Tailored to your dates. No package price.

A small green island in deep blue water off the Isle of Eigg
Isle of Eigg
A small CalMac ferry crossing from Fionnphort past a white sand shore
Fionnphort, Isle of Mull
Pale sand and long Atlantic swell on a beach on Iona in evening light
Isle of Iona
An old blue-and-white rowing boat pulled up on the grass on Eigg
Isle of Eigg
The basalt island of Staffa seen from a boat, its columns rising from a choppy sea
Staffa

Mallaig, the boat to Knoydart, the Small Isles ferry to Eigg and Rùm, Ardnamurchan, Mull and Iona.

The route

About this route.

Boats, not roads: Knoydart, Eigg and Rùm, then Ardnamurchan, Mull and Iona.

Where you’ll travel: Mull and Iona · The Small Isles and Knoydart

Nights 1–2

Knoydart

From Mallaig across Loch Nevis to Inverie. Two nights with no road to anywhere: walking from the door, the pub, and the light on the loch.

Illustration: no verified photograph of Knoydart yet

Nights 3–4

Eigg and Rùm

The Small Isles ferry to Eigg: the Sgùrr, the Singing Sands and a community that bought its island. A day across on Rùm for the deer and the shearwaters.

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

Nights 5–6

Ardnamurchan

Back on the mainland, round to Ardnamurchan: the lighthouse at the western point, the beaches at Sanna, otters in Loch Sunart and a boat for the sea eagles.

Illustration: no verified photograph of Ardnamurchan yet

Nights 7–9

Mull and Iona

The ferry from Kilchoan to Tobermory. Mull for two nights, then down the Ross of Mull to Fionnphort and across to Iona for a night after the day visitors leave. Oban by ferry to finish.

Tobermory's painted harbour front on Mull under grey cloud, the bay flat calm
Tobermory, Isle of Mull

Everything arranged

Every crossing, booked.

Where you stay

  • Knoydart[PLACEHOLDER] A guest house at Inverie
  • Eigg[PLACEHOLDER] A croft house or the island guest house
  • Ardnamurchan[PLACEHOLDER] A house above Loch Sunart
  • Mull[PLACEHOLDER] A hotel near Tobermory
  • Iona[PLACEHOLDER] One of Iona’s two small hotels

Crossings, in order

Mallaig Inverie, Knoydart Local passenger boat
Inverie, Knoydart Mallaig Local passenger boat
Mallaig Eigg CalMac
Eigg Rùm CalMac
Rùm Mallaig CalMac
Mallaig Kilchoan Road
Kilchoan Tobermory, Mull CalMac
Fionnphort, Mull Iona CalMac
Iona Fionnphort, Mull CalMac
Craignure, Mull Oban CalMac

Routes and operatorsverify pending a specialist check. We never quote timetables or fares; we book them.

Also arranged

  • Every boat and ferry booked
  • Luggage moved between islands
  • A private boat for the sea eagles
  • Staffa and the Treshnish Isles, with a spare day

Experiences on this route

When to go

Months and light.

Daylight on the 15th of each month at Edinburgh, computed from the latitude. Our favourite months for this route are marked.

Day length is sunrise to sunset. The dusk is long in summer and the north never gets fully dark in June.
MonthSunrise to sunsetDaylight
January08:34 to 16:107 h 37 min
February07:38 to 17:169 h 38 min
March06:28 to 18:1511 h 47 min
April06:07 to 20:1814 h 11 min
May Best05:00 to 21:1816 h 18 min
June Best04:26 to 22:0017 h 34 min
July Best04:48 to 21:4917 h 01 min
August Best05:44 to 20:5115 h 07 min
September06:44 to 19:3212 h 48 min
October07:44 to 18:1310 h 30 min
November07:49 to 16:068 h 17 min
December08:38 to 15:387 h 00 min

The map

The route on the chart.

Dotted lines are ferries and boats; solid lines are causeways and roads; dashed is the sleeper.

Change it in the Crossings

Map of the Roadless west routeMallaigKnoydartEiggRùmKilchoanMullIonaOban
Mallaig to Inverie, Knoydart; Inverie, Knoydart to Mallaig; Mallaig to Eigg; Eigg to Rùm; Rùm to Mallaig; Mallaig to Kilchoan; Kilchoan to Tobermory, Mull; Fionnphort, Mull to Iona; Iona to Fionnphort, Mull; Craignure, Mull to Oban. Approximate; not for navigation.

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Let’s plan your route.

Tell us your dates and who’s coming. A specialist will reply with questions, then a written proposal for Roadless west, changed to suit you.

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