Our holiday - the first week

[wellinghall]

Our departure on Friday evening was rather rushed. Creatrix was late home from work because the trains were playing up. Then, we thought we should allow plenty of time to get to London, in case the trains were still playing up. Of course, they weren't, which meant we got there with plenty of time to spare.

After a while in the lounge, our sleeper train was called. Pleasant cabins, and a lounge car where I could get a whisky and a hot chocolate. The journey was more comfortable than the previous one on a Spanish / Portugese sleeper - I managed to sleep most of the night. We were woken with breakfast (including an entirely adequate bacon roll) when we arrived at Glasgow Central station. Then a short walk to Queen Street station - passing a blue police box on the way, which we photographed.



The train to Oban on Saturday morning took about three hours, going through increasingly pleasant scenery. Then a very short walk to the ferry, interrupted by a mad dash to the booking office for tickets. A 45-minute journey, threading between the mainland and the islands, and we were in Mull! We picked up our hire car - an old and fairly grotty Vauxhall Corsa - then a sandwich - then we headed off northwards. Within a few minutes, we had seen both a buzzard and a white-tailed sea eagle.

We first went to Glengorm Castle, a very Scots Baronial place, with a walk to some stnding stones. It also had a cafe (tea and cakes) and a farm shop (provisions for the week). Then to Tobermory, to find our flat. It was on the top floor of an old whisky distillery - the contents had all been cleared out, though :-( The flat was spacious, comfortable, and overlooking the harbour. It also had satellite TV, which meant I could watch M*A*S*H and The Avenegers :-)

Unfortunately, there was a music festival on when we arrived in Mull. This meant that the place was very crowded, and a disproportionate number of the attendees seemed to be very drunk. Still, it didn't really spoil our holiday.

We bought more provisions, unpacked, watched Dr Who, and then went out to dinner at a nearby hotel restaurant. Very good it was too.



We had booked a wildlife tour on Sunday, setting off from Tobermory. We had a pleasant chap as our guide, who seemed very well-informed, and who was certainly a keen bird-watcher. He took us on an extended trip round the northern part of the island. We saw:

otter
red deer
rabbit
common seal
grey seal
hebridean sheep

golden eagle
white-tailed eagle
great northern diver
cormorant
shag
grey heron
greylag goose
shelduck
mallard
eider
red-breasted merganser
goosander
pheasant
oystercatcher
lapwing
curlew
common sandpiper
common gull
greater black-backed gull
lesser black-backed gull
herring gull
cuckoo (heard only)
skylark
sand martin
swallow
house martin
meadow pipit
pied wagtail
robin
whinchat
stonechat
wheatear
blackbird
song thrush
mistle thrush
willow warbler
great tit
hooded crow
raven
starling
chaffinch
greenfinch
siskin
yellowhammer

We were dropped back at Tobermory about 6 o'clock, tired but happy. A dinner of local lamb - very strong, very gamey, very good - and bed.



Monday was a day for castles. We went first to Torosay Castle - a nineteenth-century Scots baronial place. Very pleasant, some interesting memorabilia, and a large, light, varied garden. Then off to Duart Castle - far older, far more forbidding.

After that, to a bird of prey centre. We had a look round their aviaries, then saw an eagle owl flying.



Tuesday was another tour, this time by boat. We headed off to Ulva Ferry, from where Turus Mara took us to Staffa - where we saw, heard, and went into Fingal's Cave - and Lungha - where we saw a lot of very friendly puffins. I like puffins! :-) We also saw their black rabbits, and a razorbill in his usual elegent plumage.



Wednesday was another wildlfe day. We drove down to Craignure, where we saw two different minibuses collecting people. After amoment's panic, we worked out which one was ours. This tour went round the central part of the island, and concentrated more on the "big three" - otters, red deer, and espcially eagles - although we did see some smaller birds as well.



After all this dashing about, we had a quieter day on Thursday, staying in and around Tobermory. We took a couple of walks along a coastal path, through woodland, to see a waterfall.



Friday was our last full day in Mull. We drove over to Ulva Ferry again, and took a tiny passenger ferry to the island of Ulva. The ferry-man pointed out two otters that had come to have a look at us! After a walk, we had lunch (oysters and guinness, mmm!) Creatrix then had another walk, while I sat and read. And back to Tobermory.

Comments

[dreiviertel.livejournal.com]

Sounds like a dream holiday to me!

[wellinghall.livejournal.com]

It was pretty good. My only real complaint is that I was so wound-up and knackered beforehand that it took me a while to relax and start enjoying the holiday (if that makes any sense).

[the-marquis.livejournal.com]

Gosh, that all sounds great. Do you think you could get a job making up holiday packages for people?

[wellinghall.livejournal.com]

Hey, that's an idea ;-)

[mrkinch.livejournal.com]

Oooooh! A wheatear and a razorbill! I'm always especially interested in species I've dreamed over in my bird books for forty years, incidental to bits of North America that I've never visited. I'd love to see Duart Castle, too. And black rabbits.oO

[wellinghall.livejournal.com]

I'll try to dig out the picture of the razorbill I took on Papa Westray a few years ago.

[the-marquis.livejournal.com]

Is Duart the castle that has the 16th Century warship wreck in the bay nearby?

[wellinghall.livejournal.com]

That's the one.

[wellinghall.livejournal.com]

Apparently there's another one somewhere else just off the west coast of Scotland, where the locals claim that cows will occasionally wander into the shallows, and wander out again with C16 Spanish gold coins stuck in their feet.

[bouncy-elf.livejournal.com]

Me as a naturalist/biologist is so, so envious. Although I saw a grey heron in the river when I was waiting at the bus stop once! Eagles AND sheep!!

[wellinghall.livejournal.com]

It's definitely the place to go for wildlife! We've got some nice sheep photos for you.

[wellinghall.livejournal.com]

Highland cattle, too :-)

[tree_and_leaf]

Sounds great!

I know the Buchannan St phone box. Last time I past it, there was a small boy walking hopefully round it and knocking when he thought no grownups were looking...

[wellinghall.livejournal.com]

*corpses uncontrollably*