We awaken to another moody, misty morning:
We’re going to pay a visit to Ulva Boathouse Café, which is the site of Banjo and Ro’s Grand Island Hotel – a popular BBC series that’s a favourite of our fellow guests.
They suggested we pop down this way, and we’re quite glad we’ve done so. Yesterday’s cruise was truly stellar.
We’ve arrived right at open:
We pick up some Victoria sponge cake:
And a cappuccino:
They have a lovely spot upstairs:
We take some time to just sit, and read, and relax. (And – I must admit – to catch up on some long-overdue e-mails.)
Then we head down to pet their dog, Grampa:
We then take a brief wander out toward Ulva house, spotting the Ulva ferry as we go:
If you look closely, it says ‘Ulva Ferry’ atop that boat
It’s a scenic walk:
Through a lovely forest:
And we spot some highland cattle:
We just catch a glimpse of Ulva House in the distance, but we don’t have a tremendous amount of time – and we are mildly concerned by the highland bull in the field – so we decide to head back. (It later turns out that you can pat the bull on the head. Ah, well.)
So we head back:
Time to head out – Peter had initially hoped to head north through the narrows toward Tobermory, but then the weather closes in. He’s all but set to head south, until it opens up once more. North it is!
My wife and kids spot an otter – sadly I am downstairs when it comes by, and I miss it! (So sadly no photos.) But wild otters have been on their list for a long time – since we went to the Orkneys, if not earlier – so I’m glad they spotted one.
The scenery makes up for it:
I do manage to spot a seal on an island, doing its best impression of a banana:
And there are plenty of cormorants:
And did we mention the stellar landscapes?
We carry on northwards. Peter is a bit concerned that we’re going to hit rougher weather, so we all take our seasickness meds. Thankfully it never gets past about a half-metre swell, and we all feel fine. But better to have and not need than to need and not have.
We spot some goats and sheep in the distance:
No fear of heights here
Lunchtime! Sausage sandwiches today:
I’ve never had those before, but they are truly delicious
We then arrange for our daughter to do a spot of fishing:
We use some of the leftover sausage as bait – but though hotdogs have worked brilliantly in Canada, we are not able to catch anything here.
More stellar scenery as we loop around the north of Mull:
And past Lunga once more:
We spot another seal:
And some sea birds:
As well as some dolphins, which are unfortunately too fast to photograph.
We round the corner toward Tobermory, and Peter slows down – this bay is a known nesting ground for sea eagles.
My eagle-eyed wife spots one through the fog. Can you spot the sea eagle?
Here’s a closer look:
What a treat.
There’s another bit of motoring, and Tobermory comes into view:
What a beautiful town.
We’re at the dock tonight so Zuza can take on water and pick up some food and other supplies. This will also give us the chance to take long, hot showers – provided that we’re willing to part with pound coins at the rate of 2 GBP per 6 minutes.
We initially decide to have showers later in the evening, but then spot signs that say showers close at 5 pm. So we plan to head back and shower early.
But first – we stop at the local chocolate shop for some treats:
Photo Credit: Tobermory Chocolate
The Isle of Mull has some of the best scallops in the world, so we keep an eye out for a spot where we might be able to try some.
The Galleon Café looks promising – and the reviews look good, too.
But it doesn’t open till 6 pm, so we’ll come back after we shower.
The street is packed due to the Highland Games, which start tomorrow. It seems unlikely that we’ll be around that late – particularly if we want to visit the nearby Aros Park, and the Aros Waterfall – but you never know.
There’s also some filming going on:
Filming was for the children’s show Balamory, which apparently has a catchy theme song
There’s also a lovely little bookstore:
Photo Credit: Tackle and Books
No room in the luggage, sadly! But this would be another great place to come back and spend a few days.
Back to Zuza to grab sandals and towels, then off to shower. Thankfully they have a change dispenser that takes 10 GBP notes.
I’d like a nice, long shower so I put in 4 GBP for 12 minutes – only to find that I’m done in less than 5 minutes. Guess I’ve become accustomed to a life at sea after all. Ah, well – it’s a good excuse to take a long, lingering shower.
(There is some room for improvement – the facilities seem to have some black mold, and there’s no place to put toiletries. But the water is hot and plentiful, so I won’t complain.)
Back into Tobermory to visit the Galleon:
Tonight’s menu:
And pick up some scallops:
And a trout cake for good measure:
As well as a nice local beer:
It’s all fabulous. Our daughter tries the scallops too, and loves them.
But we can’t linger long, because we’re due at the ship for dinner. Caroline has made her favourite dish, beef ragout with mashed potatoes:
It’s been simmering for hours. It smells so good that people on dock are sniffing the air, trying to figure out where the delicious aroma is coming from.
Then there’s Isle of Mull ice cream and Scottish strawberries and freshly-crushed cardamom for dessert:
Going to need another walk after this…
We discuss our plans for tomorrow. We could have a lie-in if everyone agrees, but we’re all keen to get back into town – so we opt for an 8 am breakfast.
Our fellow guests head out to a local pub after dinner – the Mishnish comes highly recommended – but we are content to sit in the cabin with a beer and a glass of white wine:
Time for bed!