A trip to Edinburgh with 3 nights on Isle of Mull and 2 nights in Loch Lomond

Have you got accommodation and ferries booked yet? There is limited accommodation on Mull and much of it may already be fully booked.... Also there is limited space on the Oban to Craignure ferry and again that gets fully booked. If you turn up without a booking there may be a lo g wait . The alternative is to drive to Lochaline and catch the ferry to Fishnish - you can prebook this but it is a turn up and go ferry. In summer there may be long waits if there is a lot of traffic.

Definitely allow the full time on Mull, rather than spending time in Oban

Leaving Mull, think about taking the Tobermory to Kilchoan ferry. This lands you on the Ardnamurchan peninsula. It is a lovely but slow drive along narrow roads to to Ardgour to pick up the Corran ferry. (No need to book.) Follow the A82 through Glencoe to Luss. This is a superb drive through some spectacular scenery.

Again make sure you can find accommodation in Luss or failing that Balloch /Alexandria at the end of Loch Lomond.

If you haven't already got accommodation booked then you may find you have to rethink your itinerary....

Also a bit further up Loch Lomond there is the Tarbet Hotel (no longer a coach holidays hotel) and the Ardlui hotel.
Or just down the A83 the Loch Long hotel in Arrochar village.

There are ongoing severe capacity issues with the ferries to the Isle of Mull up until 29 June currently so crossings have to be booked concurrently with accommodation. Or you end up potentially having one, but not the other.
It remains aspiration, not confirmed fact, that normal service will restart from 30 June.

Actually asking for advice on similar situation. We will be on Mull for 3 days before heading to Skye. I have the ferry booked at 5.30 ish on June 2 from Mallaig and was wondering which route you guys would recommend? Also, of course depending on weather which island day trip would you recommend. We will have a car and interested in birding and hopefully seeing puffins. Thanks so much.

There are several route options from Edinburgh and all offer beautiful scenery.

If you weren't returning via Luss I would suggest heading for Drymen after Stirling on the A811, on to Loch Lomond, making for Inveraray and over the hill road (good road, winding) to Dalmally and on to Oban.

Seeing Glencoe on the return is definitely worthwhile as is the drive over Rannoch Moor.It does leave you with the very twisting , narrow section of road from the Drover's Inn on the A82 to Tarbet on Loch Lomond but it's only around a 20 min section - just take your time.

Places to stop - Duck Bay Marina on Loch Lomond has a lovely outdoor terrace lapped by the loch.Luss is a pretty Conservation village and the Coachhouse Coffee Shop is good.The Tree Cafe and Loch Fyne Oyster Bar (near Inveraray)are good for food, the former for simple light lunches and excellent home made cakes.I'm always on the look out for these!

Inveraray itself is a nice small town in a lovely location - Brambles Bistro is always busy.The Castle there is stunning too.

Mull punches well above its weight for nice eating out places and lovely walks.

Don't miss a trip over to Iona though it's a long way from Tobermory.We were there last month and often have two bases on Mull.Most driving is on single track roads.A walk to Iona's North End beaches would get my vote if it's sunny weather and you manage that trip.The Argyll Hotel is very good for tea and cake/lunch with a lovely garden terrace.
On Mull itself, at the ferry at Fionnphort, is the Creel Seafood Bar which is top notch for carry out Lobster and Chips, Langoustines etc.They won the Best Seafood Place in Scotland award 3 years running.

Glengorm Cafe out by the spectacular cafe, about 4 miles north of Tobermory, is the start of a glorious little walk down to the shore and an ancient Dun - Dun Ara.Check walkhighlands for details - it's a great walk resource.Stunning coastal views.The cafe is excellent for lunch and snacks.Lovely food.

Duart Castle is well worth an explore even round the grounds, great location and good cafe.

We've eaten very well in the Western Isles hotel's lovely conservatory though Cafe Fish gets good reviews - but book ahead.

Calgary Beach is well worth a visit - you can continue to beyond the beach to the beautiful coastal path which winds its way out to the point.Very easy walking, one minor short uphill for less than a minute then all on the flat.Stunning views.Go as far as you wish.Calgary Art Cafe is up there with Glengorm Cafe in terms of food quality.Delightful place.

You can also go over to Ardnamurchan for the day/half day using the Tobermory- Kilchoan ferry. A 5 mile VERY winding drive (it's ALL twisting, winding and narrow on lovely Ardnamurchan but not so difficult if you only have a few miles of it.It will take you to Sanna Beach, a gorgeous series of shell sand beaches with fantastic views if clear to Rum and the Small Isles.Returning near Kilchoan you can then do another 5 mile drive to Ardnamurchan Point which is the most westerly point on the British Mainland.

It's a tough choice between heading down Argyll's coast or seeing Glencoe - weather might influence your final decision.There are no 'non scenic' routes back!

Just to add, Mull is wildlife central with frequent sightings of star species such as Golden and Sea Eagles and Otters.If you're not experienced in looking for them however it would be best to do one of the wildlife day tours or boat trips on offer (dolphin and whale central too.)

For puffins, the Staffa trip or even better, the longer day trip to include Lunga/Treshnish Isles are the ones to book. The latter will have you surrounded by hundreds of puffins pretty much around your feet - I've never seen anything like it.

Thanks everyone for the great advice - we do have the accommodations already booked - 3 nights in Tobermory and 2 in Luss - luckily we had those booked a few months ago. The ferry advice was very helpful because I hadn't been aware of the issues with limited capacity for ferries, especially since we're taking a car rental - however I was able to book Oban-Craignure both ways with car, though a part of me is now tempted to maybe go one way through Ardnamurchan after the recommendation from scotlandmac.

We are definitely going to drive through Glen Coe now and take some time there and may in fact do that on the way out. And looking possibly into the Treshnish isles as an alternative trip to Staffa if weather turns out ok. The beach walks north of Tobermory also look great and we definitely want to check out Dun Ara and Calgary Bay now. We booked a reservation for dinner in Inveraray on the way back to Luss. This was really helpful, not sure we'll have time to check out too much of the Argyll coast but there's always reason to come back!

I would stick with your Oban - Craignure crossings unless you are up for the VERY narrow, twisting, short sightlines drive to or from Kilchoan on Ardnamurchan.Beautiful yes but just a warning about that drive.It will take up to 2 hours to get from Ardgour to Kilchoan, though google maps suggest 1hr 25 - we've never done it in that as it is stop start in season and over 40miles.So - LONG!

We just returned from 3 weeks in Scotland, and the trip to Lunga was one of the highlights of our trip. Seeing loads of puffins up close, as well as razorbills was incredible. We got amazing photos.

We did the drive to the Kilchoan ferry and thought it was nerve wracking. It is single-track, and you can’t see far ahead. At each curve, we prayed someone wasn’t going to come flying around the bend. My husband was so focused on driving he didn’t see any of the lovely scenery.

Other thoughts I'm having - with three nights in Mull, is it better to get as much quality time on the island as possible or maybe linger additionally in Oban and take a late ferry on the way out/earlier ferry back?

I agree that Mull deserves as much time as you can give it. Tobermory is 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. 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 30+ minute drive—probably more like 40—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. 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 if you have time. 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.

I had an incredible meal at the Galleon Bistro in Tobermory. The food was wonderful and it is definitely worth eating there. I also stopped at Glengorm Cafe that @scotlandmac mentioned and concur with the recommendation. The food and tea were quite good and it was in a very lovely setting. I walked around the gardens and then down to the sea. It was a lovely afternoon.

I was able to book Oban-Craignure both ways with car, though a part of me is now tempted to maybe go one way through Ardnamurchan after the recommendation from scotlandmac.

If it were me, I would just stay focused on Mull. That route will be tricky and take much longer than you anticipate, and there is so much to see on Mull that 3 nights will really only give you about 2 days to see so many things.

Here are a couple more thoughts:

In terms of driving itself, driving on the left is fairly easy as you probably remember from your last trip, but just in case, here are a few tips. After the first couple of minutes, you'll get the hang of it. Just remember when you first start up the car to think to yourself, "Go left." That's the time when you forget. Some folks put little notes on the dash, although I've never felt the need to do so. The first time, I messed up leaving the parking lot but after that I was fine (and so was the other driver who politely waited for me to come to my senses and get in the correct lane).

The hardest part of driving involves the single-track roads. Not only are the roads narrow, but there is no shoulder, so you have to be careful not to veer too quickly to the right or left, as you can ruin a tire by going off the road. Keep in mind there are plenty of passing places, and you'll get the etiquette down pretty quickly. Here's one video that is helpful: Driving on Single Track Roads

Really appreciate those additional tips @scotlandmac, @digby, and @mardee - will plan to use the Oban ferry and stick to activities and drives throughout the isle itself. Based on the information given, it sounds like there will be plenty to do, even just around Tobermory. Can't wait for it!