It’s almost exactly 4 years since I last set foot outside Scotland but I can’t really be depressed about that when I’ve had so many great holidays. On our latest family trip – for my sister’s birthday – I didn’t even leave my local council area but still had an amazing time so here’s my favourite photos. You can see all the rest on my Flickr.
We stayed in Tobermory on the Isle of Mull and the house had this huge window to enjoy the views. It was better to watch than TV and I was lucky to be up early enough to see the sunrise one day.
Tobermory itself is extremely photogenic with all the colourful houses surrounding the water. I mean, this is stupidly pretty with the reflections. We’d visited before but it was nice to have more time to wander around and try the cafes and restaurants. Everywhere we went was excellent and I ate so much good food – and cake.
There was only one day with a good weather forecast so we used that for a day trip to Iona. It’s a long drive to the ferry but we did get to see lots of coos on the road, and the beach!
It turned out to be the hottest day of the year in the UK (in September!) and even though that was in England it was still plenty hot in Scotland too. It was possibly not the best idea to walk all the way over to the other side of the island but it was very pretty and we had a nice paddle in the sea.
We were a bit too hot and tired to do more than potter around and take photos but that’s the best thing to do on Iona anyway as it’s just a lovely peaceful place.
When we first visited The Glass Barn, only the shop was open (they make their own cheese and spirits) but we were able to come back the next day and try their cakes and scones. It really is a unique place with plants growing all over the building and mismatched furniture. Glad I got a photo while it was empty.
We had bad weather last time we went to Calgary Bay too, which is a shame as I’m sure it’s so much prettier in the sunshine. The sculpture walk (and cafe!) are still worth visiting on any day though. Just look at all those colours.
The highlight of the trip was definitely the Wildlife Adventures boat trip, even though it was a gloomy day. Four hours seemed a bit excessive beforehand but even just after leaving Tobermory, we’d glimpsed a few dolphins and had a couple of lighthouses to photograph.
It was absolutely worth 4 hours though as it was pretty much constant wildlife after that with a few minke whales and so many dolphins, plus some sea birds and eagles. The dolphins came right up to the boat and you could lean on the front and see them swimming underneath. I didn’t get any good videos (too short!) but both Nicolette and my dad shared some great ones (above it a screenshot from one). Highly recommended.
And one last photo of lovely Tobermory from the boat. It really was such a good trip.
