To strongly suggest you all consider the Isle of Mull for your family holiday next summer

[mrsmaturin]

Just back from our fortnight there and it's such a brilliant family holiday place that I feel the need to enthuse......

Lovely beaches, clean sea

Wildlife watching that even young children can join in with - and some fantastic sights. A White tailed Eagle landed about 50 ft from our car as we were driving to the ferry this morning...

The ferry - fab fun and v child friendly way to travel

Iona and Ulva - really lovely opportunities for a day trip that involves a ferry ride

Swimming pool - for wet days

Lots of options for family bike rides and walks

AND we've come home with tans too

I don't really like taking my kids to the pub. Funny that.

Can you go whale watching?

We are planning a trip to Scotland because DS1 wants to go whale watching, so we were going to go to Gairloch, but Mull sounds fabulous too.

Shetland is equally fab plus no one else comes so you get whole beaches /islands to yourself.
I am afraid I liked Mull, but Shetland beats it.

Isabella, yes - we went with the Hebridean Whale and Dolphin Trust in Tobermory and saw minke whales. We also saw porpoises from the ferry and dolphins from the shore by our cottage!

oops sorry (can I plead too early and not enough cups of tea!)

Here, I've just put the kettle on ACED
Love all the Scottish islands, and the Highlands too.
Spent a summer on Islay back in the day ....
Remember visiting Mull and Iona as a child.
So remote and beautiful Magical, especially on the beaches

We love the isle of Mull cheese.

The cheese farm where they make it is just outside Tobermory and the cafe there was great when we visited. We got loads of cheese from the farm shop to take home with us.

Oooh we're going on Friday! Am very excited now! And so going to have hot salmon sarnie!

Mull is indeed beautiful, but the midges were like something from a horror film!!

Is there anything you can do to scare off the midges?

And how did you get there? We live in the Midlands so it would be a long drive. Did you stop over somewhere?

Avon Skin So Soft for the midges

I want to go to Shetland now too!

I went with my DPs when I was 14 and spent the whole week saying, "I'm BORED" (although I secretly enjoyed bits of it).
I'd probably love it now.

We had a week in Tobermory this summer, our third time there. It is my favourite island, a lovely place.

The only place we had bother with midges was Aros Park. DS could have spent the whole time on Calgary beach!

Love Mull. Beautiful place.

A friend of mine has recently moved there... :) Seem I may have to pop in for a visit.

I'd love to go there again (went briefly as a child) but am a bit put off by the rubbish weather we had when we went to Skye two years ago. Maybe we'll try May half term one year.

YANBU.

But I also like Islay and Gigha (perfect place to go and do nothing but eat and drink)

Midges - this year we only saw some once - 7pm on Calgary beach when some sheep wandered near. Skin so soft is good. Generally though anywhere fairly open and dryish is ok. Wooded areas or swampy patches are where you get problems.

Things to do when it rains - first thing to know is it's quite a big island so if it's raining in one place it may be fine somewhere else - so you can get in the car and drive to find nicer weather. We saw our first otter years ago on a waterproof wearing walk (at Garmony). You could visit Duart Castle, shop in Tobermory (where there is a tiny Mull Museum which is fantastic). You could go to Calgary Art in Nature which is a wood with art installations as well as a tea shop and gallery. Because it's sheltered it would be bearable even in the rain. For adults there is also a spa at the Isle of Mull hotel pool. The Cheese Farm does tours atm a couple of times a day. You can eat - lovely coffee shop for lunch at Glengorm Castle (not an open to the public type castle) and by the time you've done that it might have stopped raining. Take board games and books and chill. The weather - even the rain - is a spectator sport in itself.

Yes you can whale watch - I recommend sealife surveys

We are going in May next year as the girls are getting big and are keen to try somewhere else just once. My younger two have never holidayed anywhere else. Apparently May is often very dry. I will be honest and say August is mixed - but still you can't argue with the tan!

Isabella - we are from Yorkshire and we overnight at DH's parents who live in Perthshire on the way up. Coming from the Midlands I would overnight near Glasgow on the way up but bite the bullet and drive all the way home in one. It took us about 7 hours yesterday, catching the 12.45 ferry off the island and getting in at 9pm with one stop.

You do need to BOOK your ferry crossing. At peak times you cannot just turn up and definitely get on.

Mull is very beautiful and fascinating but can get busy in school holidays. As other posters say, there are lots of wonderful Scottish islands to explore.

For Hebridean islands travel (inc Mull), the ferry website is CalMac:
www.calmac.co.uk/

To get to Mull, you drive to Oban, or catch a train from Glasgow Queen Street Station to Oban; there are coach services form Glasgow bus station too. Then you catch the CalMac ferry to Mull.

For Shetland: visit.shetland.org/getting-here
For Okney: www.orkneyferries.co.uk/getting_to_orkney.php

Sorry - cross posted. There are lots of Mull ferry sailings, especially on peak tourist day, Saturday, but as msmaturin wisely says, booking is absolutely essential.

Midges.

It's a beautiful place but our holidays have been ruined by midges ... never again.

North & West Wales has no midges

Oohhh. Jealous.

We're thinking of the Scottish Islands for next summer. Where did you stay? Any accommodation recommendations?