The Isle of Mull by campervan: top things to do and see

Read on for some of the favourite things to do and see on the Isle of Mull!

We’d heard good things about the Isle of Mull before visiting. It’s close to the mainland, so not too far to drive and then take a ferry to, compared to some other Hebridean islands, it has a vibrant, colourful port town in Tobermory and it is known to be one of the best places to get up close to some of the UK’s rarest and most famous wildlife

While exploring the island, you can find yourself spotting seals swimming the sea, deer leaping between fields and birds of prey such as eagles flying through the sky and, if you’re very lucky, you may catch a glimpse of an elusive Otter too*

We visited Mull for four days, and wished we stayed longer. If you get a good spell of weather, we’d recommend staying for at least a week.

Here’s some of the favourite things we did – (and if you prefer video, you can check out our Mull travel film here!)

Calgary Bay

Our first stop on Mull had to be a beach, right? And what a beach it was to get our journey started. Calgary Bay is wild and windswept. Backed by sand dunes, the beach was beautiful for sunset walks despite the inclement Scottish weather

We also paid £10 into a donation box, to stay in the car park nearby. A fair price to pay to be so close to the sea!

Art in Nature 

If you’re in Calgary Bay and the wild, wet and/or windy weather gets too much, we’d recommend walking towards the woods nearby.

The Art in Nature trail is a sheltered piece of woodland, with various art installations set within nature that you can walk around and discover at your own pace. If art isn’t for you, there are also spectacular views back out across the bay. In amongst the trees are sculptures made by local artists and at the end of the trail is a rather lovely café – Calgary Farmhouse – which did great coffee and cake (including some vegan options, too!)

Tobermory

If you’re a 90s kid, or a parent or grandparent of one, you may recognise the colourful houses that look out across the bay of Tobermory

Used as the film set for CBBC’s Balamory, you might find yourself singing the tune as you walk along the sea front

Tobermory is small but quaint, with some fantastic gift shops and cafes selling artisan wares produced on the island. We picked up some handmade soaps, bought some Gin from the local distillery (which of course sells Whiskey too), while we also ate at the local pub which had an incredible Vegan, as well as regular, pub menu at MacGochans

Take a boat trip to see Puffins!

This was the creme de la crème of our Mull experience. We booked a tour through Staffa Tours and loved every second of it, despite the rough seas!

The best bit about it was that we could also take our dog Frank with us!

Leaving at 10AM you get about 5-6hours in total, this includes a boat trip to Fingal’s Cave on the Isle of Staffa, a famous basalt column cave. As well as a few hours on the Treshnish Isles which is rich in seabird life and home to a colony of beautifully cute Puffins

During the boat ride, the super knowledgeable staff there will try to point out any wildlife they see. Unfortunately, due to the choppy conditions on the day we sailed, we were more likely to be sea sick than spot a seal!

Thankfully the weather cleared and we were able to land on the Treshnish Islands and get very close to some cute Puffins. Who, rather than be scared of us, are happy to have us humans around, as we ward off any would-be predators. Again, binoculars are a must. A long lens for your camera also helps. Check out 1% of the total photos of Puffins I took!

Park on a farmers field for cheap!

Mull is a popular island to visit, and as a result, wild or free camping can be difficult, and not that tolerated with locals. While there are a few spots – like Calgary Bay – where you can park for the price of a donation, there are also a number of wide and grassy farmers fields that you can camp on for a small fee. For our second night on Mull we stayed on Killechronan Campsite, with lochside views for just five pounds per person (pictured below). And, with the sun coming out, we made the most of the island’s white sand beaches by staying on Fidden Farm campsite

For just 20 pounds a night, we parked up with a sea view and enjoyed the sandy grassland with walks along the coast.

Take a day trip to Iona

And if you’re down this far, we’d highly recommend a trip to Iona. 

Accessed by a gorgeously retro Calmac Ferries from Mull, the ten minute boat ride is worth it alone, as it takes you across calm, blue waters to Iona

Iona is a small island with a big reputation; it’s the birthplace of Christianity in Scotland, and the final resting place of many of Scotland’s early Kings. The island used to be home to 1000s of stone Celtic crosses made in the 8th Century, but only a few relics still remain 

No cars are allowed on the island, unless you have a permit, so pack your hiking shoes ready to explore its beautiful sandy beaches, green, sheep filled hills and viewpoints. All are connected by a well signposted trail and map, which you can pick up in the tourist centre

On a bright sunny day like when we visited, these beaches are incredible; our favourite was White Beach for the colour of its sand, which looked beautiful against the tropical looking blue seas

Oh, and the Martyrs Bay café also does a mean vegan pasty

We arrived early and spent a day exploring this beautiful island, before getting a boat back to Mull and the mainland

(*We were not lucky and did not spot Otters :(! )

Want to Check out more from Mull? Check our our full Mull video here: