After reading RS Scotland, blogs and forum here is my first draft.
Please critique, offer suggestions of activities/places to stay/etc. We (4 adults 39-71) are willing to risk weather over crowds but can not leave until June 10 (teacher). We want to hit the Ceres Highland Games the last Saturday in June. We enjoy hiking, local culture, food and drink, history. Flying from Seattle and Portland. 16 nights
Edinburgh - 3 nights. Day 4 Pick up rental car. Oban - 2 nights, Isle of Mull - 3 nights- (maybe Puffin boat trip?) - Glencoe - 3 nights, St Andrews - 2 nights (Ceres Highland Festival), Edinburgh return car/overnight, Fly home.
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Duluth, MN🌲
12369 posts
Hi Renee, I think your itinerary looks pretty well thought-out, and you should have a wonderful trip!
That said, I think that you will really enjoy Mull. In fact, I would consider adding an extra night to Mull and taking one away from somewhere else (I really do love Mull, lol!). Mull (and Tobermory) are wonderful places to base yourself, and there are so many things you can see and do there. And with 4 nights there, that would give you 3 full days, instead of the 2 days you would have with only 3 nights there. You could spend 1 day exploring Tobermory, 1 day on a Staffa tour, and 1 day visiting the Isle of Iona.
Tobermory itself is very charming and there is a lot you can see and do there. I stayed 4 nights in one of the harbor B&Bs and parked in one of the free car lots on the harbor. It's lovely to be able to walk down through the shops and restaurants that line the harbor. Bring your camera as it's very photogenic. You can visit the Isle of Mull Cheese Shop (Sgriob-ruadh Farm), which is about a mile from the harbor. There are self-guided tours to meet the farm animals and learn about traditional cheese making. There is also a cafe and a farm shop.
Also, there is a short walk from the harbor car park along the wooded hillside to Aros Park with woodland trails, a lochan and really nice waterfalls. A walk from the other end of Main Street leads along a coastal path to the Rubha Nan Gall Lighthouse. There are amazing views out over the Sound of Mull. And another short walk up the hill towards Baliscate leads to the Baliscate Standing Stones. Nearby is the site of the Baliscate Chapel, the subject of a BBC archaeology dig.
You also might want to stop at Isle of Mull Pottery, which is just beautiful. They sell some in the shops along the harbor but the main shop is in the town up above Main St. (you will pass it if you go to Calgary).
The Tobermory Bakery is wonderful—definitely stop here for one of their delectable pastries, take-away sandwiches and coffee or tea. Their Millionaire's Shortbread is incredible! There is a shop at the end of the harbor that is farthest from the ferry terminal that sells handmade chocolate with a tea room, and along the way are some very nice gift shops - I bought half my souvenirs in Mull (and I'm picky about stuff like that). Lots of nice restaurants, too. There is also a catch-and-release aquarium that is interesting, too.
And don't miss Calgary Beach, which is about a 40 minute drive from Tobermory. It's very narrow and the single track roads run through the mountains with some switchbacks, so you will need to go slow through much of it, but it's well worth a visit to see the beautiful beach.
And of course, there is the Isle of Iona, the birthplace of Christianity in Scotland and filled with so much history. It makes for a wonderful day trip from Tobermory. You can drive to Fionnphort, then take the 10 minute ferry over to Iona, see the ruins and the history there, have some lunch, walk on the beach. It's an amazing day. And as you mentioned, taking a Staffa tour is definitely something that you should try to see the dolphins. If it were me, I would schedule the Staffa/puffins tour for the first day I was there, because sometimes they have to cancel because of the weather and how it affects the water. That way would still give you another couple of days to reschedule if necessary.