Map 47 A Treshnish Adventure

15-16 May 2021

According to the owner of The Tobermory Hotel we had arrived in “Paradise” on our first venture out of the south west of England since the latest lockdown. This was a deferred adventure since cancellation in the first lockdown in 2020. In fact we had managed to rebook fortuitously for the first available moment and we were the sole paying occupants of the hotel for the first two nights – it was just reopening. Somehow although staying in a hotel was not possible in England until 17th May, it was legal already to cross the border and stay in Scotland.

As if this was not exciting enough, we were blessed with excellent dry, warm weather so we certainly intended to make the best use of our time. Although I knew we were already in paradise, I was keen to book a boat trip to see Fingal’s Cave on Staffa and then go on to the Treshnish Islands to see the seabirds. Clearly the success of such a voyage depended on dry weather without too much wind. My husband decided that Sunday looked better than Saturday and suggested a couple of shorter walks for Saturday. In fact the second of these has turned into part of my adventure as it included views of the islands we were planning to visit the next day.

The walk was much better than I had thought it would be and definitely a fine expedition not to be missed during a visit to Mull. As a prelude to what was to come there were indeed superb views over the Treshnish Isles. However the walk around Treshnish Point revealed a plethora of interest and excitement – fascinating coastal scenery with stacks and sea arches, evidence of an ancient Dun and a Fort, sheep accompanied by gambolling lambs as white as snow, ruined villages, colourful flowers and even sight of a pair of otters swimming in the sea. It was indeed paradise and I only wished that I had my tent, as I imagined the high possibility of seeing otters on land, most likely at dawn or dusk.

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Sunday arrived for our sea expedition. We were at the pier next to the Sound of Ulva in good time and were soon clambering aboard the boat along with a small group of other enthusiastic visitors for our day out with Turus Mara. Even before we had stepped aboard, some keen-eyed visitors had spotted a sea eagle soaring high in the sky. The voyage was interesting with multiple sightings of shags, gannets, divers, oyster catchers and puffins. We even passed a salmon farm where the salmon were jumping out of the water.

The first real highlight approached as we reached Staffa and the boat moved close beside the amazing Fingal’s Cave consisting entirely of hexagonal basalt columns.

The tide was too high to land, so we circuited the island, passing multiple puffins flying between their island burrows and the sea to catch their food. However by this time the tide allowed a landing and we climbed to the top of the island, looking down on the cliffs, as well as watching birds including puffins.

All too soon it was time to clamber back down the steps to the waiting boat and travel to Lunga, the largest of the Treshnish Islands. Here we were able to land again. If puffin watching at Staffa was good, that at Lunga was stupendous. We lay down on the grass to reduce the risk of causing collapse of the burrows. There were puffins everywhere. In addition we were able to pass within feet of nesting shags, at times so well hidden in their nests between the rocks that they could be entirely missed. The cliff with nesting guillemots was a veritable seabird city, also occupied by many razorbills. We saw fulmars and kittiwakes too. Birds were everywhere.

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Given all that there was to see and the addictive nature of puffin watching – what would they do next and how close could we get – it was amazing that everybody returned to the boat on time. There was plenty more to see on the return voyage – seals, a castle and the sharp eyed boat owner spotted a sea eagle on the island of Ulva just before we docked.

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These two days constituted a superb adventure and an amazing introduction to Mull and some of its neighbouring small islands. I definitely recommend Turus Mara.