Tough call for inner islands and Mull

To be honest, as you are an islands and slightly off the beaten track person, I am more than a bit surprised that you are just trying to stay on the safe Rick Steve's forum beaten path.

Yes I am a big flag waver for the Isle of Gigha, and for very good reason, at least part of it is that it is a community owned island (like Eigg). To me it is a little gem of an Island which benefits from not being on the mainstream tourist trail.

And Campbeltown really is just a lovely town especially if you get somewhere lochside to stay. At least for me it also benefits from having an old time movie theatre.

In some ways it's a shame you can't connect straight there by air, but as you will be driving you can't start a road trip there, as only local rental companies. I could do that as I would be on the bus forward to Gigha, Oban etc.

I also personally actually prefer Bute over Arran.
There is a reason why Bute and Cumbrae were seaside resorts to Glasgow, if genteel ones. Both, especially Bute, also had (and Bute still has) an Italian influence, from the Italian diaspora who settled there.
The beauty of Bute is that there are three ways to get there, so the chance of weather stopping you is very small.
They are-
Wemyss Bay
Gourock (a standard diversion when Wemyss Bay is untenable)
Western Ferries from McInroys point then Colintraive

I would say Bute x2, Campbeltown x1 and Gigha x2. With an extra night you could add it to Campbeltown to sweep up the bottom end.

My personal island choice down there would always be, in order, Cumbrae, Bute, Gigha, Islay, Jura, Arran. The only reason Gigha isn't top is ease of access. Both Cumbrae and Bute (again in order) win out on that. Cumbrae really is a one nighter, unless you want to use it as a bolthole.

I've never seen a RS Guide, but I get your point.

I've always been a little hesitant about Arran since "Scotland in Miniature" isn't nearly as attractive as Scotland at full size. I hadn't experimented with no Mull yet, but I'll think on it. Thanks, Stuart!

Excluding Mull means a drive from Gigha to Mallaig. I wanted to include the Ardnamurchan from Kilchoan. I could take the Corran ferry to include it from Gigha, but it makes for a very long day, especially if I want to stop to se the Glenborrodale RSPB, the Natural History Center, and Tioram Castle.

Maybe replacing the second night on Gigha with a half-day, then finding a nice place just before Corran? Any suggestions?

I'd be thinking up around Ballachulish or Kinlochleven.

Maybe somewhere like the Creagh Mhor Lodge (one time private home of the Bishop of Argyll).
In saying that I am double thinking that you like to be in walking distance of a pub, which trends the thinking towards Kinlochleven.

Onich seems to divide the journey well (and has a pub). I wish there was a ferry farther down the Loch.

I must admit I had sticker shock when looking at the Onich hotel prices for now, but my pulse stopped racing when I looked off season. Chalk and cheese.
It's plus point is location, location, location on the shore of Loch Linnhe. And at the half way point plus or minus.

A minus for you seems to be a lack of regular live music. I don't know if that is a deal breaker. I haven't looked but expect that is more likely at Ballachulish.

Or what about Fort William? then either back to Corran, or drive round Loch Eil via Camusnagaul. After last year's Corran ferry outage that road is alleged to be much improved.
Another 10 miles or so each way on the Corran routeing.

The Onich Inn supposedly has Scottish trad on Thursday nights, but that's a very stale piece of internet. The Ben Nevis is also Thursdays.

The silly Small Isles ferry schedule, if I want to overnight(s) on at least three Islands without returning to Mallaig, locks the whole trip into a fixed start day, so there's no way to make the Onich area stay on a Thursday. I've tried getting OpenAI to analyze the schedule, but it's not smart enough - instead I have to do a complex spreadsheet. Someday, I hope to have a conversation with CalMac's scheduler. I've actually looked into chartering a sailboat.

Music isn't THAT big a deal.

3x Arran and 3x Mull would get my vote.I’m not a major fan of Bute though my opinion is swayed by Rothesay which - while better than it was -has always had a faintly run down, urban feel to it.That said, Mount Stuart House is outstanding and there are some lovely properties around Ardbeg as the road heads out of the small town.But compared to Arran, I don’t think the island it up there at all.
I spent many happy childhood on Arran (and Bute actually) given we lived in Glasgow so these were our bucket and spade preferences.My tow boys when young also spent some very happy holidays on Arran.

These islands in the Firth of Clyde have a different feel to Mull and those further west - there is of course wild land on Arran and a great mountain range (Bute is largely farmland though not entirely) but both don’t quite tick the boxes for me, having spent more recent years further west.

There is so much else to see on beautiful Mull too though a key road closure around Gribun may be on going for a long time given the unstable rock and the significant rock fall it has recently suffered twice.The north end of Mull and Loch na Keal are officially listed as one of Scotland’s 40 top National Scenic areas.

A sunny day out on the Small Isles (I’d opt for Eigg or Canna) will leave you feeling you have spent some time in paradise , perhaps particularly Canna.There is a very busy music festival on Eigg, very popular.

Tobermory to Mallaig via the little Kilchoan ferry is the quickest route.

jjgurley, I really enjoyed Arran, and I'm not sure why anyone would suggest that it is "a safe Rick Steve's forum beaten path." First, it's very popular among the Scottish, and I didn't meet a single American when I was there. The same with Mull. There were plenty of Scottish and English travelers there, but no Americans.

That said, I have not been to Bute, so I'm not sure how it would compare to Arran, but having 3 days on Arran would give you time to explore the island. That said, I think if it were me, I would go with 2 nights on Arran and 4 nights on Mull. But Mull was very special to me and I really loved my time there. Would this be your first visit to Mull? And if you go, are you planning to include a trip to Iona? If your answer to both is yes, I would definitely opt for 4 nights. But if not, I think 3 would be fine.

All sorts of interesting opinions!

Mardee- We've been on the Westcoast Three Islands tour (Lunga, Staffa, Iona), so I think 3 nights is enough.