Mull and Iona in One Day On Our Own, Suggestions?

I don't think it is doable in a day; at least not without really pushing it. First of all, by late October, CalMac will be starting the winter schedule, which has not yet been posted so you won't be able to book anything yet or know what the times are (and keep in mind, the winter schedule will definitely be more condensed that the summer.

The ferry itself (counting check in time) will take around an hour and a half (and another 90 minutes for the return trip). Then it will take at least an hour and 15 minutes (if not more) for you to get to Fionnphort. The road is single track almost the whole way and you will need to go relatively slowly.

Once you get to Fionnphort, you will need to wait for the ferry to take you across to Iona, and that could take a bit of time, depending on when you get there. Then after your time on Iona, you will need to come back and drive back. If you are planning on seeing anything else, you would head back to Craignure then up to Tobermory, which would probably take you 2 hours. If you eat dinner there, you could get back depending on when the ferry leaves Craignure. It's a good 45 minute drive between Tobermory and Craignure.

Keep in mind it's not the walking that will do you in, it's the driving. You will be in the car for at least 4 hours (or more), and some of that driving will be stressful. You will be on the ferry (or waiting for it) for another 3 1/2 hours (counting the Iona ferry). I would not even attempt to do what you are doing.

Someone recently posted here about a day trip to Mull but she was being a bit more realistic and realized that Iona was off the table, due to the distance. Instead she was planning to focus on Tobermory, Fidden Beach and Calgary Beach.

If your heart is really set on Iona, I would strongly suggest spending the night on Mull or Iona.

Also, if the weather is bad does anyone know if there is the possibility of returning on a ferry earlier than reserved, Mull-Oban?

It's a possibility but only if they have room. Those with reservations for that particular ferry will have priority, and only then will you be given a chance to take the earlier one.

Thank you, Mardee, I really appreciate this. Actually I was mistaken, we will do this trip late September, so I think ferry service will have several times to offer. We had a look at the website and there are lots of crossings to choose from I believe.

To stand any chance of making this week you really want to be on the first boat over from Oban to Mull. Bearing in mind that sunset is around 7pm at that time of year you really want to be on either the 6.30 or 7.30 boat, which doesn't really lend itself to dinner on the island.
I think you will find it a tiring day. The island is bigger than many people expect. I think most people, like Mardee effectively says, would choose to do either/or Iona/Tobermory but not both in the day.
If you are on Iona by 10 that is leaving at 1, back on Mull by let's say 1.30. Tobermory at very, very best is a 3.30 arrival. You then have at tops an hour before turning back for the queue for the 6.30 ish ferry. Hummm...
If the weather is bad then you need to keep a very close eye out on Calmac during the day, in case they go into cancellations mode.
Particularly relating to the smaller vessel (sailings marked 'A') as that ship is more prone to cancellation. She has a lower 'significant wave height' classification than the big ship.
If they are on yellow or especially amber warning the previous evening be very willing to rethink.

There will be more ferries using the summer timetable, but I'm still telling you that logistically it will be a very long and tiring day, and I would really recommend spending the night if you want to visit Iona.

We were on Mull for 3 days last June and I can confirm that driving will be slow and so most of your day will be in transit. We never got to Iona. We drove to Fionphort on a perfectly nice day but the ferry was cancelled while we waited due to wind. It apparently didn't take too much wind to make the trip risky.

Hi, Beth,

If you want to visit Iona, then by all means you should. I'm assuming that you're staying in Oban the night before your departure to Mull, and the night of your return from Mull.

If that is the case, and if the current CalMac schedule does not change, there is a 6:45 ferry out of Oban, arriving Craignure at 7:35. I realize that this is really early, but if you want to maximize your time on Iona (and Mull), this would be your best option. Again, if the schedule holds true, the next ferry would depart Oban at 8:35, arriving Craignure at 9:35.

If you take the early ferry, you should not encounter too much traffic on the way to Fionnphort. If you take the early ferry, you could have a leisurely drive to Fionnphort to catch the 9:55 ferry to Iona. If you take the 8:35 ferry, you'd be able to catch the 11:45 ferry to Iona.

Coming back, you'd need to take the 4:15 ferry from Iona, at the latest, in order for you to take the 6:45 ferry back to Oban. As others have pointed out, you're not going to have a lot of time for sightseeing on Mull. However, if you can limit your time on Iona to about three hours, you should have time to visit Duart Castle (closes at 5:00) and take the 7:25 ferry back to Oban.

Again, as has been pointed out above, a lot has to do with the ferry schedules. With the current ferry route fiasco, schedules can switch from week to week, and of course weather can play a factor in sailing times or cancellations.

If you're in Fionnphort at lunch time (noon to 2:30), you could have lunch at the Keel Row. Or you could pick up some snacks at the Spar market on Iona. As you may be pressed for time, I'd recommend having your evening meal back in Oban.

Count on 90 minutes from Craignure to Fionnphort. It could take less, depending on traffic, but as the scouts say, "be prepared".

Jut so you know, I'm a wee bit older than you, and I'd have no problem following the above schedule if I wanted to visit Iona badly enough.

Good luck, and best wishes,

Mike (Auchterless)

Am I missing something - but I would have thought it perfectly reasonable to stop in Oban and do a day trip to Iona on the ferry, especially if you have a car. I would have thought the main issue would be making sure you have a reservation for the car on the oban/Criagnure ferry...

The nunnery will only take 15minutes as there isn't a lot left and you will pass it on your way to the abbey. Three hours will give you enough time to see both.

The main iussue might be weather - if it is raining hard that day, you may want to give iona a miss and head to Tobermory (distillery tour, museum etc) or Duart Castle instead.

I am missing something here as well if the OP does either Tobermory or Iona, not both. I question the doing everything approach, not doing either/or.

Iona as a day trip from Oban is something lots of people do either by car or by service bus. The 0645 ferry mentioned by Mike only runs on a Monday- other days (except Sunday) it is a slightly more civilised 0725, arriving at 0815 (in line at Oban by 0655).
As far as I am concerned you should get the 0955 Iona ferry from the 0725 Oban ferry. At the end of the day the connecting service bus leaves Craignure at 0830 and gets to Fionphort at 0945. You will drive straight off the ferry and be away, so are ahead of the bus- are you going to drive so slowly that the bus then overtakes you?
I am also missing something in that, if adding on Duart Castle (closes at 5pm) I don't see why you would be on the 1925 ferry back to Oban (rather than the 1845/1825/1835 (depending on the day of the week) ferry. You only need to be in line at Craignure 30 minutes ahead of departure.

Please be aware that from 19 October a single vessel service will be operated on the Craignure route using the MV Loch Frisa- quite a small vessel. Thus car space will be very restricted, as may foot passenger space.
Thus either needs to be booked without delay.

This is due to lack of vessel availability as the winter overhaul programme commences.

Here is a possible alternative. Take a tour with West Coast Tours and leave the car behind. I think it will probably cost less and give you a more pleasant trip than worrying about driving on mull. Certainly designed and can be done in a day.
https://westcoasttours.co.uk/book-tour/tour-mull-iona-and-staffa/

Thank you for your reply. Our trip date is drawing closer so again I am considering our best options for touring those islands near Oban. Sept. 27 is our only available day for touring Mull and/or Iona. After considering everyone's suggestions here, I am thinking we do the West Coast Tours with the group bus across Mull then foot passenger ferry to Iona. There will be 4 of us traveling together, and now I am thinking to not book ahead yet, but to wait and see what kind of weather we are likely to have. If we wait until two days before I wonder if we'd risk space being available. Also, do you think if we go ahead and do this Mull/Iona tour with the bus across Mull, if it is a very rainy day, especially for walking on Iona, would we regret it?

Well, it is all up to you and your clothing and attitudes about whether you would regret walking in the rain. Have appropriate clothing, embrace the weather and have fun.