Mull Autumn 2013: Day 3

Easy start to the day, hotel breakfast was good and we were soon on our way to Oban to catch the ferry. The previous day I has seen signs warning of roadworks on the Erskine Bridge, in the end there was no problem, just a bit slow over the bridge. We were guided around the complicated motorway system south of Glasgow by our latest Sat Nav girl, she made it sound easy. We named her "Margot" (think of the TV show the Good Life).

A1 pic ready to go

I always like the Erskine Bridge as it is the start of the roads getting quieter as you head North. The journey up past Loch Lomond and over to Crianlarich was pleasant and we were making good time for our ferry so we stopped at a pub just outside Oban for a Beer and for our first piece of Scottish Tablet. (This is a pure sugar cross between fudge and kendal mint cake). This is how holidays should be.

We were first in the queue for the ferry and had time to wander around Oban for a bit. Oban is not my favorite place as it is a busy town but we were entertained by the local fisherman showing us live crabs and some of us tasted some great local prawns in a sandwich while others ate chips. After a quick wander round the town we returned to the car to await the ferry trip. A ferry always indicates getting away from it all. As we were out of school holidays the ferry was quiet and the trip across to Mull was a smooth one if not a little cold on deck.

A1 pic of bird at ferry terminal

A1 pic of crab at ferry terminal

All that remained was the 30 or so mile trip from Craignure to Fionnphort. At this time on true English fashion we were pronouncing our destination as Fion-Port. Good job we didn't have to speak to any locals for a while .. they would have laughed.

As you drive South West the carriageway soon turns into a single track road with passing places. As a novice you will probably find the journey to be slow, but as you are on holiday just relax and pull over to let oncoming traffic pass and let anyone behind you pass if they catch you quickly. We soon got into the swing of a single track road avoiding all manner of oncoming traffic including the local Bus that passed us on the way to Fion-Port and on its way back. The trip took over an hour and so there were various reasons to stop at Bunessan to have a quick beer in the pub and to check where the local SPAR shop was. The pub was open for beer and food and we noted that it was only open for a few days during our holiday as it was end of season, We quickly formed a plan to return one night for a meal.

A1 pic of heron at Bunessan

The last 5 miles to Fion-Port passed quickly and we headed into the cottage just in time to unpack before dark. We were gob-smacked. The location was amazing, the cottage was amazing. We had views of Iona, the ferry and our own beach (well you know what I mean!) We were hungry. So stroll to the local pub 3 minutes or so (the Keel Row) book into the restaurant (a waiting system in place as its popular), have a beer and relax as the holiday proper has started. Food excellent, prices very reasonable, staff very friendly. A great start. Back at the cottage we pinch ourselves to check its no dream and feel pretty happy.