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Isle of Mull, Morvern & Ardnamurchan

"Single track roads with passing places, very beautiful. "

"The Isle of Mull is the second largest of the Hebrides, lying just off the west coast of Scotland about half-way up. It is an island of peninsulas which give it a long and varied coastline offering the visitor endless days of exploration and discovery. The economy is a mix of farming, fishing, and tourism giving the visitor a view of genuine island life while providing lots of interest.The mountains which stretch across the middle of the island rise to over 900m and are well loved by hill walkers. Mull has just one Munro (hill over 3000 feet), Ben More and it is visible from much of the island. The off shore islands of the Treshnish Isles and Staffa are bird reserves and boat trips are available. These will land you on the islands if conditions are suitable.

Tobermory originates with the British Fisheries Society and their search for places for fishing communities in western Scotland. The Society’s agent, John Knox, visited Mull in 1786 and proposed making use of the superb natural harbour now known as Tobermory for such a community. Construction began in 1788, the community grew quickly, and today the capital of Mull has a population of 700. Tobermory faces the Sound of Mull. Main Street hugs the harbour, with more recent development on the hillside behind. Tobermory’s Main Street is probably one of the most photographed groups of buildings in Scotland. At the west end of Main Street, where the road into the village descends to the harbour, is Tobermory Distillery. This has been back in production since 1989. There is a visitor centre and guided tours of the distillery from April to October. It now also offers a 10 year old single malt. Earlier output from the distillery is labeled as “Ledaig”, Gaelic for “Safe Harbour”. Other attractions in Tobermory include the Mull Museum on Main Street. By the harbour itself is the small Clock Tower, while hidden away just off Main Street is The Tobermory Chocolate Company with a factory and a shop. A slightly harder walk takes you to An Tobar, on the hillside behind the harbour. This is an arts centre, gallery, and cafe housed in an old schoolhouse on Argyll Terrace. Another draw to Tobermory may not actually exist. The remnants of the 1588 Spanish Armada finished up in various places. It is said that after navigating its way around northern Scotland, one of the ships ended up in what is now Tobermory Harbour, then called Ledaig. The story goes that having stocked up for their onward journey, the Spaniards started to leave on 5 November 1588 without paying for their goods. Donald Maclean of Duart boarded the ship and ignited its powder magazine, sending 350 Spaniards, their ship, and himself to the bottom of Tobermory Harbour. The ship may have been the treasure ship Almirante di Florencia. Over the years the possibility of treasure in shallow water has led to many attempts to find the wreck, all so far unsuccessful.

Ardnamurchan today is a peaceful and remote corner of Scotland. However this peninsula was in the past an important strategic base for overseeing activities in Mull, Skye, the Argyll coast and even as far as the Western Isles. The Vikings landed here and stayed for over 500 years - the names Placaig, Acarsaig, Ormsaig and Grigadale are all Norse in origin. But they were not the first settlers on the peninsula - there is evidence of ancient settlers going back 4,000 years. The Vikings left Ardnamurchan in the mid 13th century. The geology of the Ardnamurchan peninsula is of both national and international significance. In particular, the area has important sites illustrating igneous (volcanic) rocks produced about 60 million years ago, during the early part of the Tertiary period of geological time, and also rocks from a sequence known as the Moine, produced around 1000 million years ago. "

"For most people this will be a two or three day cycle ride. The route is circular with two ferry crossings. The scenery will be spectacular but the roads are hilly, particularly so between Dervaig and Tobermory. Most of the roads in this route are single track with passing places (see MAP). Another Mull route is described in this website (see RELATED ROUTES). It would be worth while combining them to spend a week in the area. The ferry operator, Caledonian MacBrayne offers discounted multi-trip tickets, bikes often travel free on these whereas they are charged for on single trip tickets.

The route begins at the junction of the A861 and the B8043, six miles south-west of the Corran ferry. There is nothing at this junction except possibly a few sheep. The Corran ferry is ten miles south-west of Fort William. Morvern is surprisinly quiet and quite beautiful. The B8043 climbs over a hill initially, passing some lochs then descends to the shore of Loch Linnhe (see PICTURE). It runs past long gravel beaches for a time then passes the little church at Kingairloch before it begins a climb inland. The church is of historic interest and is worth a few minutes before you begin the climb. There is a further climb after the B8043/A884 junction but you are soon flying down the hill towards Lochaline. The road levels off eventually and you cruise through oak woods by the river. There's a final climb then a steep descent to Lochaline which has a shop, a hotel, and in summer a fast food stall by the ferry terminal. Ferries are frequent in summer.
There is a small climb to the A849 from the ferry terminal on the Fishnish (Mull) side. Turn right on to the A849. This is a normal road but beyond Salen virtually all the route is on single track roads with passing places. The village of Salen has a hotel doing bar food, a supermarket, a tea room and numerous B&Bs. There is no source of food on the B8073 between Salen and Calgary Bay. There is another small climb to get from Salen to the west coast of Mull then you turn right to the B8073 to cycle round the north side of Loch na Keal, there are spectacular views of the cliffs on the other side. The ferry to Ulva is at the most obvious point, the farmer on the island also runs a restaurant and there is some excellent mountain biking. You are not allowed to cycle on the adjacent island of Gometra.

On Mull itself as you work past Ulva going west you pass an impressive waterfall plunging over the sea cliffs - take care not to fall over! The road winds up and down then begins its major climb over to Calgary Bay. There is a short cut but this is fiendishly steep and in any case misses out the beautiful bay. As you descend to Calgary Bay there is a panoramic view of the islands of Eigg, Rum, and the Cuillin Mountains on Skye. Linger on the sands or visit the gallery and restaurant just beyond which offers a wide choice of food. After Calgary Bay the climb over to Dervaig is easy enough. The climb after that between Dervaig and Tobermory could not be called easy. There is a pub in Dervaig just before the start of the climb. After that there are more ups and downs before you finally plunge into Tobermory. Tobermory is one of the most photographed places in Scotland. We catch the ferry to Kilchoan here. There are all kinds of places to eat, drink, sleep etc, see also ABOUT THE ROUTE.

If you are intending to cycle from Kilchoan to the Corran ferry in one day you need to catch an early ferry from Tobermory. This ferry is summer only. There is a tea room and a hotel shortly after disembarking but no refreshment stops after that until you get to Salen. As usual the route begins with a climb, at the top you get a splendid view of Rum, there's an undulating section, then a descent towards Loch Sunart with amazing views. It's probably best to stop if you want to admire the scenery! Fairly soon you arrive at sea level but if you think the hills are over you will soon be disillusioned. The road winds up and down keeping close to the shore of the loch much of the time. There is lots of woodland, Scots pine, rhododendron, birch and oak with frequent views across the loch to Morvern.

There is a shop and a hotel in Salen. The hotel has tables outside overlooking the loch. Strontian has a supermarket, several hotels and numerous B&Bs. At this point you finally leave Loch Sunart and climb over Glen Tarbert to get to Loch Linnhe. The last section to the ferry at Corran is definately flat! "

Features:

• B&Bs / Hotels Nearby
• Bike Shop Nearby
• Camping Nearby
• Children's Attraction
• Circular Route
• Island Route
• Route By Loch
• Route By Sea
• Route To Link Up With Others
• Route With Bar Meals
• Route With Bike Hire
• Route With Place To Visit
• Route With Tea Room
• Several Day Ride
• Train Station

Additional Features:

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