Just thought I would share the details of a short trip we had to the Isle of Mull last week. We set off on a whim on Saturday 17 Sept and drove up to Loch Lomond intending to stay at Luss C&CC site but this was full so we drove round to Arrochar and stayed at the Glenloin Campsite there (56.206533, -4.744279). Handy site next to the Loch with views over to Ben Ime. £5 per person plus £5 for EHU if required. Reasonable toilets and shower (not tested) Interesting smells from the chippy in the village that doubles as a hand-made soap shop! No wifi , 2G or 3G signal. Large carpark opposite that a couple of MH availed themselves of.
Sunday morning set off on A83 around the loch, over the Rest & be Thankful pass eventually to Inverary where we turned onto A 819 through the forests to Loch Awe where we found a large pull-in for lunch overlooking the Loch and then joined the A85 to Oban as we wanted to collect a ferry timetable as we had left ours at home! Quick look around Oban and then back along the A85 to Connel and over the bridge on the A828 to Balcardine and the C&CC site there. 56.527005, -5.310973 This is a lovely site in a Victorian walled garden with the excellent facilities you expect from the C&CC. £15.50 for the night including EHU. Friendly staff at the site and nice walks through the forest that surrounds the site. There was 2G signal but no 3G. There is wifi available at the site. There is also a handy camping supplies shop at the Garage in Ledaig for anything caravan or MH related. 56.488575, -5.404412
Monday morning back into Oban having booked the 1230 ferry from Oban to Craignure. £25.50 single(for MH under 8m plus two passengers) Last minute supplies and fuel at Tesco and on the ferry. Quick 50 minutes and landed at Craignure. Drove straight to site at Sheilings Holidays 56.469131, -5.698622 about ¼ mile from the ferry terminal hoping to get one of the pitches on the lochside but no luck! Got a pitch on the campsite proper at £20 per night (£18 if 2 nights or more booked) EHU a further £4.50 if required. Free wifi, 2G but no 3G signal. Craignure Inn is just around the corner if required. Reasonable showers & toilets onsite.
Tuesday morning set of along A849 towards Fionnphort but then turned off onto an unclassified road at 56.412234, -5.754489 to Lochbuie. There is a mussel farm just before the turnoff but I don’t know if there is a retail outlet there. This is a very narrow road down to Lochbuie but with some lovely views over the hills & lochs eventually you arrive at a dead end at the sea where two or three MH were wildcamping and there is a little honour store on the lochside but not much else. Had a long lunch here then retraced our steps back to the A849 and turned left to Fionnphort. Stopped at a carpark at Bunessan 56.316248, -6.234918 where we had coffee with views down the loch to Staffa. There is a Spar shop and a charity shop with loads of books if you need to top up on reading material. There are toilets near the car park with an outside water tap. Then went to Fionnphort and turned left to a site at Fidden Farm 56.308868, -6.363610 This is a field directly on to the beach with close cropped grass thanks to the sheep.(watch out for “maltesers”!) Very firm ground and pitch where you want. No EHU. £8 pppn with new toilet, showers and washup block. Drinking water and Elsan point near the beach with a couple of portaloos if required. Great views but exposed and very windy when we were there. Boat trips to Iona and Staffa from Fionnaphort.
Wednesday morning back along the A849 and turned left onto the B8035 described as a scenic route to Salen. Very nice views over the hills and down the lochs and tried to find a site at Killiechronan 56.498703, -5.999974 but all there was, was a rutted field with a sign advertising camping at £5pppn without even a water tap in sight so we moved on to Salen and turned left towards Tobermory on the A848 and then shortly turned left again onto an unclassified road to Dervaig. At this junction there is a sign advertising the Crannich touring site about 2 miles down the road. We drove there to find the site at 56.534474, -6.034263, although nicely laid out with about 12 hardstanding touring pitches with EHU with toilet and shower, they were full. Details of the site are at www.crannich.co.uk/ We drove on to Dervaig and then turned right back towards Tobermory. Worth mentioning at this point that if we turned left at Dervaig on to Calgary Bay there is an area on the beach that is actually advertised by a notice as suitable for wildcamping but boulders restrict entry to smaller vans. As we approached Tobermory we found the Tobermory Campsite at 56.614432, -6.088089 . This is in the course of construction with about 12 hard standing pitches already there together with Elsan, drinking water and grey waste points insitu. There are rudimentary toilets and showers on site. Couldn’t find wifi and there is no 3G and limited 2G. £8 pppn and £4 EHU if required. The hard standings have a large piece of astroturf on them that you can move to suit your door position. About two miles walk or cycle into Tobermory.
Thursday morning drove down into Tobermory for cash and a few provisions from the Co-op and then a drive along the only 4 mile stretch of dual track road, as opposed to single track, on the whole of the island to the ferry terminal at Fishnish 56.514544, -5.809595 for the ferry to Lochaline. You pay on the ferry (£14.85 for MH & two passengers) for this 15 min crossing back to the mainland. Once at Lochaline we turned left onto an unclassified road towards Drimnin and about 4 miles down this road found a Forestry Commission Car Park where we had a pleasant lunch right on the lochside and watched a Fish Eagle soaring above us. We retraced our steps to Lochaline and turned left onto the A884 to Strontian. This has got to be one of the most scenic drives in Scotland! and one of the highlights of the trip! Turned right onto the A861 back towards the Corran Ferry. Again you pay on the ferry (£8.50 single for MH & occupants) and turned south on the A82 to the CC site at Bunree 56.712811, -5.236383 where there are the usual very good facilities but at £23 pn one of the most expensive! Managed to get online via wifi (No 3G but good 2G) and found that there was some bad weather on the way.
Friday morning decided to head home via Glencoe and Rannoch Moor. Had lunch at the Loch Lomond steamer car park at Tarbert after that awful bit of road down the side of Loch Lomond and then via the mate and M74 back home. Bit of a shock to the system back on the A82 with traffic coming in both directions at speed after the single track roads of the previous few days!
All in all a good trip and I think that my only gripe would be the lack of stopping places on Mull where you can get off the road for a brew! There are passing places by the thousand but not may actual pull offs unless you are in a village. Favourite site without doubt is Fiddan Farm for the free & easy atmosphere and spectacular beaches!
Got back home to Nature’s Bounty. Anyone want any apples?
Sunday morning set off on A83 around the loch, over the Rest & be Thankful pass eventually to Inverary where we turned onto A 819 through the forests to Loch Awe where we found a large pull-in for lunch overlooking the Loch and then joined the A85 to Oban as we wanted to collect a ferry timetable as we had left ours at home! Quick look around Oban and then back along the A85 to Connel and over the bridge on the A828 to Balcardine and the C&CC site there. 56.527005, -5.310973 This is a lovely site in a Victorian walled garden with the excellent facilities you expect from the C&CC. £15.50 for the night including EHU. Friendly staff at the site and nice walks through the forest that surrounds the site. There was 2G signal but no 3G. There is wifi available at the site. There is also a handy camping supplies shop at the Garage in Ledaig for anything caravan or MH related. 56.488575, -5.404412
Monday morning back into Oban having booked the 1230 ferry from Oban to Craignure. £25.50 single(for MH under 8m plus two passengers) Last minute supplies and fuel at Tesco and on the ferry. Quick 50 minutes and landed at Craignure. Drove straight to site at Sheilings Holidays 56.469131, -5.698622 about ¼ mile from the ferry terminal hoping to get one of the pitches on the lochside but no luck! Got a pitch on the campsite proper at £20 per night (£18 if 2 nights or more booked) EHU a further £4.50 if required. Free wifi, 2G but no 3G signal. Craignure Inn is just around the corner if required. Reasonable showers & toilets onsite.
Tuesday morning set of along A849 towards Fionnphort but then turned off onto an unclassified road at 56.412234, -5.754489 to Lochbuie. There is a mussel farm just before the turnoff but I don’t know if there is a retail outlet there. This is a very narrow road down to Lochbuie but with some lovely views over the hills & lochs eventually you arrive at a dead end at the sea where two or three MH were wildcamping and there is a little honour store on the lochside but not much else. Had a long lunch here then retraced our steps back to the A849 and turned left to Fionnphort. Stopped at a carpark at Bunessan 56.316248, -6.234918 where we had coffee with views down the loch to Staffa. There is a Spar shop and a charity shop with loads of books if you need to top up on reading material. There are toilets near the car park with an outside water tap. Then went to Fionnphort and turned left to a site at Fidden Farm 56.308868, -6.363610 This is a field directly on to the beach with close cropped grass thanks to the sheep.(watch out for “maltesers”!) Very firm ground and pitch where you want. No EHU. £8 pppn with new toilet, showers and washup block. Drinking water and Elsan point near the beach with a couple of portaloos if required. Great views but exposed and very windy when we were there. Boat trips to Iona and Staffa from Fionnaphort.
Wednesday morning back along the A849 and turned left onto the B8035 described as a scenic route to Salen. Very nice views over the hills and down the lochs and tried to find a site at Killiechronan 56.498703, -5.999974 but all there was, was a rutted field with a sign advertising camping at £5pppn without even a water tap in sight so we moved on to Salen and turned left towards Tobermory on the A848 and then shortly turned left again onto an unclassified road to Dervaig. At this junction there is a sign advertising the Crannich touring site about 2 miles down the road. We drove there to find the site at 56.534474, -6.034263, although nicely laid out with about 12 hardstanding touring pitches with EHU with toilet and shower, they were full. Details of the site are at www.crannich.co.uk/ We drove on to Dervaig and then turned right back towards Tobermory. Worth mentioning at this point that if we turned left at Dervaig on to Calgary Bay there is an area on the beach that is actually advertised by a notice as suitable for wildcamping but boulders restrict entry to smaller vans. As we approached Tobermory we found the Tobermory Campsite at 56.614432, -6.088089 . This is in the course of construction with about 12 hard standing pitches already there together with Elsan, drinking water and grey waste points insitu. There are rudimentary toilets and showers on site. Couldn’t find wifi and there is no 3G and limited 2G. £8 pppn and £4 EHU if required. The hard standings have a large piece of astroturf on them that you can move to suit your door position. About two miles walk or cycle into Tobermory.
Thursday morning drove down into Tobermory for cash and a few provisions from the Co-op and then a drive along the only 4 mile stretch of dual track road, as opposed to single track, on the whole of the island to the ferry terminal at Fishnish 56.514544, -5.809595 for the ferry to Lochaline. You pay on the ferry (£14.85 for MH & two passengers) for this 15 min crossing back to the mainland. Once at Lochaline we turned left onto an unclassified road towards Drimnin and about 4 miles down this road found a Forestry Commission Car Park where we had a pleasant lunch right on the lochside and watched a Fish Eagle soaring above us. We retraced our steps to Lochaline and turned left onto the A884 to Strontian. This has got to be one of the most scenic drives in Scotland! and one of the highlights of the trip! Turned right onto the A861 back towards the Corran Ferry. Again you pay on the ferry (£8.50 single for MH & occupants) and turned south on the A82 to the CC site at Bunree 56.712811, -5.236383 where there are the usual very good facilities but at £23 pn one of the most expensive! Managed to get online via wifi (No 3G but good 2G) and found that there was some bad weather on the way.
Friday morning decided to head home via Glencoe and Rannoch Moor. Had lunch at the Loch Lomond steamer car park at Tarbert after that awful bit of road down the side of Loch Lomond and then via the mate and M74 back home. Bit of a shock to the system back on the A82 with traffic coming in both directions at speed after the single track roads of the previous few days!
All in all a good trip and I think that my only gripe would be the lack of stopping places on Mull where you can get off the road for a brew! There are passing places by the thousand but not may actual pull offs unless you are in a village. Favourite site without doubt is Fiddan Farm for the free & easy atmosphere and spectacular beaches!
Got back home to Nature’s Bounty. Anyone want any apples?
