Unmissable and Unusual Things to Do on Isle of Mull

Jordan Campbell

3 hours ago

Two weathered wooden boats lean against each other on a muddy shoreline beside calm water. Their peeling green and white paint and broken frames show years of decay with low hills stretching across the background beneath a cloudy sky.

Where To Stay on the Isle of Mull

The Isle of Mull doesn’t have a lot of options, accommodations-wise, and you have to make sure you book early to nab a decent place – like the Inn at Port Nan Gael. It’s located smack-dab in the middle of Mull, so it’s the perfect stop if you want to take your time to see the whole island.

It features a nice restaurant with savory, classic meals like roasts and steak pies. The inn is also situated right next to a campsite for those more interested in roughing it, without roughing it too much. Or at least, for those who want a backup in case they burn their dinner over a campfire.

A bright twin bedroom with two single beds covered in white linens and plaid throws. Folded towels sit on each bed beside a wooden dresser and wall mounted television with a window bringing natural light into the room.

A cozy double bedroom with a large bed dressed in white linens and a plaid runner with folded towels at the foot. Floral wallpaper frames the padded headboard while bedside lamps cast warm light and a window seat overlooks the hills outside.

A vibrant dining room with deep blue walls and wooden tables and chairs arranged around a large fireplace. Framed artwork and portraits decorate the walls while warm lighting and natural wood details give the space a cozy traditional feel.

A white countryside inn with dark trim stands beside a road and low stone wall surrounded by green grass and leafy trees. A blue roadside sign reads "THE INN AT SLEAT. Food served all day." Rolling hills rise in the background beneath a cloudy sky.

A cozy dining room with deep blue walls and wooden tables and chairs arranged beside tall windows. The windows overlook calm blue water and leafy trees creating a peaceful waterfront setting for guests.

PHOTO CREDITS: INN AT PORT NAN GAEL VIA HOTELS.COM

PLANNING A TRIP TO THE ISLE OF MULL SOON?

Below are some of the best tours, hotels, and more to kickstart your plans!

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Things to Do on the Isle of Mull

Ready to start plotting out your Mull misadventures? The map below shows where to find all the things to do on the Isle of Mull covered in this guide, from Tobermory and Salen Bay to Ben More, Duart Castle, and the slightly cheating-but-totally-worth-it Isle of Staffa.

Use it to get your bearings before you hit those winding island roads and start questioning every turn you’ve ever made.

Tobermory Waterfront

Tobermory is the one place we did get to visit, and we had a lot of fun exploring the colorful little fishing village. It’s very picturesque and has a lot of cute boutique stores perfect for some souvenir shopping. It also has a nice distillery with a fun little whisky tour, just in case Islay’s distilleries left you thirsting for more.

The only con was driving there. It’s a one-lane, windy, 10-mile road that you have to drive at a snail’s pace. You’ll be taking so many curves you’ll start to feel seasick. But if you’re taking the bus instead of a rental car, at least you won’t have to tackle the curves yourself.

A colorful waterfront village curves around a calm blue harbor with brightly painted buildings and boats along the shore. The still water reflects the hillside homes and trees beneath a clear blue sky.

A hillside view over a coastal village with slate roofed houses descending toward a bright blue bay. Several boats float on the water with green islands and rolling hills stretching across the horizon.

A vivid pink building with hanging flower baskets and a white picket fence stands along a sunny street lined with traditional cottages and parked cars. Signs on the building read "HARBOUR VIEW" and "VICTORIA STREET" while a Scottish flag flies above the entrance.

PHOTO CREDIT: DepositPhotos.com

The Landlocked Boats of Salen Bay

The header makes it sound like a haunted tourist trap, but really, it’s just a couple of abandoned boats in Salen Bay. Cool, impressive-looking boats!

It’s more of a mini-attraction – I wouldn’t spend more than ten minutes here. But they’re right next to Tobermory and make for some great, spooky pics. If you’re going to Tobermory and have a little extra time on the way out, it’s worth it to stop by.

Several decaying wooden boats rest on a rocky tidal shore beside calm water. Green hills and a small cluster of houses rise in the background beneath a dramatic blue sky filled with clouds.

PHOTO CREDIT: Ray in Manila, Flickr CC BY 2.0. DeFacto, Wikimedia Commons CC BY-SA 4.0.

Best Off-Beat Things to Do on Isle of Mull: Calgary Art in Nature

I love alternative art. From street murals painting city walls to gorgeous garden structures, these outbursts of human creativity are what I live for.

Calgary Art in Nature presents a perfect example of stunning sculptures. They’re made from all different materials – driftwood, string, twigs – all set in breathtaking landscapes. It’s not as clean and cultivated as a botanical garden, but more like a wild adventure smashed with a series of unique art pieces. It’s a one-of-a-kind place, definitely not something you want to miss.

A rocky beach with pale sand and gentle waves stretches along a calm blue bay. Dark coastal rocks frame the foreground while grassy cliffs rise across the water beneath a clear blue sky.

A large carved wooden whale sculpture rests on a pile of rounded stones in a paved courtyard surrounded by stone buildings. The whale is shown with an open mouth and detailed fins and tail beside blue picnic tables and white framed windows.

A colorful human shaped sculpture made from tangled rope and netting stands on a grassy hillside overlooking a green valley and small bay. Bare branches frame the view with dark hills rising behind scattered white houses.

PHOTO CREDIT: Peter Evans and Malcolm Neal, Geograph CC BY-SA 2.0. DepositPhotos.com.

Duart Castle’s Step Back into History

Like many places in Scotland, Mull has a castle. Duart stands proud as a peacock on a cliff overlooking the Sound of Mull. (Not to be confused with the Sound of Music or the Sound of Mulling It Over.)

It was originally built back in the 1300s, fell into ruins by the 1700s, and was completely rebuilt in 1911. So, it’s not an old-old castle, but the walls themselves still have a good century on them. And that 700-year history makes for a nice tour of some really impressive architecture.

Big Red Exclamation Point, though: this castle is typically only open from April until mid-October. If you’re traveling outside of those months, you can still walk the grounds outside the castle.

Two old cannons sit on wooden supports beside the curved stone wall of a historic building. Green grass surrounds the fortification with water and misty mountains visible beneath dramatic clouds in the distance.

A historic stone castle stands on a bright green hill overlooking the water. Rugged mountains rise in the distance beneath a partly cloudy blue sky.

A quiet courtyard enclosed by historic stone buildings with small windows and steep tiled roofs. Tall chimneys rise above the walls while a neatly kept green lawn fills the center beneath a bright blue sky.

PHOTO CREDIT: DepositPhotos.com

Looking for Adventurous Things to Do on the Isle of Mull? Head to Ben More

You want stunning views of the island? Look no further than Ben More. It’s quite a hike getting up there, but well worth it if the weather’s good. You can see the dramatic peaks and valleys of the land, and some reviewers even mentioned being able to see the nearby islands of Staffa, Lunga, and Treshnish.

The hike will take up a good half-day at about three to six hours, depending on how far up you want to go. You’ll also want to pack a good pair of boots and a coat since it can get pretty muddy in parts and the winds high up are chilly.

A rugged coastal landscape with calm blue water winding between rocky green shores and dramatic mountain peaks. Warm sunlight highlights the hills beneath a bright blue sky with scattered clouds.

A wide green valley stretches toward rugged mountain peaks beneath a bright blue sky. A narrow stream winds through the grassy landscape beside rolling hills and a small forest.

An aerial view of a rugged green peninsula surrounded by bright blue coastal water. Forested hills rise behind rocky coves and scattered homes with winding tracks crossing the open grassland.

PHOTO CREDIT: DepositPhotos.com. Andrew, Flickr CC BY-NC 2.0.

Perfect, All-Natural Hexagonal Rocks at the Isle of Staffa

Okay, this one’s cheating a little since it’s not technically on the Isle of Mull, but you can only get there through Mull, so I’m counting it.

The Isle of Staffa has some seriously impressive geological wonders – namely, the hexagonal basalt columns formed by volcanic lava flows millions of years ago. Fingal’s Cave is also very cool and acts like an echo chamber for the surrounding sea waves.

If you’re lucky, you might even catch sight of a dolphin or two while you’re there.

Dark basalt columns form the walls and ceiling of a dramatic sea cave with turquoise water flowing through the narrow opening. Jagged rock formations rise from the water and create a striking natural pattern inside the cavern.

A low grassy island rises from calm blue water with dramatic cliffs formed by vertical basalt columns. Dark sea caves cut into the rocky coastline while waves break against the shore below.

A steep coastal cliff with tall vertical basalt columns drops into churning blue water. Green grass and small coastal plants cover the clifftop while waves break against the dark rock below.

PHOTO CREDIT: Morpheus Graeme, Wikimedia Commons CC BY-SA 4.0. Josi~commonswiki, Wikimedia Commons CC BY-SA 3.0. Aspérule, Wikimedia Commons CC BY-SA 3.0.

Love Plants and Art? Lip na Cloiche Garden and Nursery Is for You

Like Calgary Art in Nature, Lip na Cloiche melds art into natural surroundings, but that was more of a wild, avant-garde take. Here, the focus is more on the plants and cultivated gardens, and the art is used to prop them up. That’s quite literal in some cases, like a vase made out of old pipes. They crafted the art mostly from “found” materials. It comes together to create a peaceful but slightly quirky atmosphere.

You can buy plants there, too, but transporting them might be a pain if you’re traveling from a long way off. Option two is to check out their crafts, which you can just straight up order from their online store. They also host a fundraiser every year for local charities, so if you happen to be in the area during one, it’d be nice to stop by and show your support.

And drop a comment if you’ve ever been! I’m curious.

Ready to Tackle These Things to Do on Isle of Mull?

So, yes, I managed to write an entire guide to things to do on the Isle of Mull after barely seeing the damn place myself. But honestly? That just means I have an excellent excuse to go back. Between quirky outdoor art, abandoned boats, dramatic castles, wildlife, and enough ridiculous scenery to murder your phone storage, Mull deserves way more than a rushed visit.

Before you make the same ferry-booking mistakes we did, figure out how to get to the Isle of Mull by ferry and lock down your plans ahead of time. Then start plotting where you’ll eat because the best restaurants on the Isle of Mull give you plenty of excuses to stuff your face between adventures.

And don’t spend the whole trip charging around checking attractions off a list. Make time for some of the best beaches on the Isle of Mull, where you can slow the hell down and enjoy those wild Scottish landscapes you came all this way to see.

Mull can also slide nicely into a bigger Scotland adventure. Steal some ideas from this epic Scotland road trip itinerary if you’re bouncing around the country, or keep the island-hopping chaos going with an Isle of Skye day trip packed with castles, coastlines, and more scenery your camera is absolutely going to lose its shit over.

Basically, don’t do what we did. Give Mull the time it deserves. And when we finally make it back, I’ll be right there trying to cram every single thing on this list into one wildly overambitious itinerary.