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Original poster

cheap ferry to mull?

29 replies

shelsco · 25/07/2010 19:21

Hi. Need some advice about cheapest way to get over to Mull from mainland Scotland. We're going to fort William in a couple of weeks and planned to take kids to 'Balamory' on Mull. The thing is there's me, DH and 4 DCs. All the ferry info i can find online says that you pay for the car and each passenger as well so the prices are coming up at about £65 plus just for the ferry over.
Our budget is pretty tight and this seems really steep for a day trip. I've looked at going from Oban and a couple of other places but even though one is only a 15 minutes crossing it's still coming out at about £65. Any tips on where to look/travel from etc would be very much appreciated!!

OP posts:
EssieW · 25/07/2010 19:29

No that sounds like the cost. Presume you've also looked at the ferry from Lochaline btu I think that was the same when I looked.

Would ferry and bus work? Then it's only the foot passenger fare. Not sure of availability of public transport on Mull but that would be cheaper I'm sure.

Also, bear in mind that driving on Mull is not a speedy affair. Distances look short but single track roads in some bits mean it's a slower than you'd expect. Having said that, the road from Craignure to Tobermory is one of the better ones.

TartanKnickers · 25/07/2010 19:31

Calmac have a monopoly on ferries to Mull so I don't think you'll get it any cheaper. If you go from Oban on foot, you could get a bus to Tobermory. If you drive to Ardnamurchan you can cross on foot straight into Tobermory - that's about £12 per adult and half fare for kids, but the fuel to get you round to Ardnamurchan will cost you just as much. Sorry, but there isn't really a "cheap" way

TartanKnickers · 25/07/2010 19:34

Oh, and tbh when I was last there, a few of the houses from Balamory were being painted different colours so the kids might be a bit disappointed. It's still a beautiful island and one of my favourite places in the world, but the Balamory thing is much over-rated

Original poster
shelsco · 25/07/2010 19:40

Hmm. I read all the stuff about island hopping and it sounded so easy and free(!) somehow! I did consider leaving the car and going across as foot passengers as a cheaper option but was a bit worried about ending up stuck at the opposite end of Mull to where we wanted to be! Will have a look at google maps to see where Ardnamurchan is.
I thought we were opting for a cheaper holiday but i suppose that all holidays are expensive (sigh). Thanks anyway.Will see if i can get any info on buses on Mull. Might be worth a look.

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Original poster
shelsco · 25/07/2010 19:42

Yeah, i know.A couple of people have said do i REALLY want to go to Balamory as it's a bit of a let down and the answer is no but the kids do! Wonder if you can see Tobomory from one of the sea trips. DH and DS1 fancies one of these to look out for dolphins etc. Maybe DS3 could look out for the coloured houses at the same time!!

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Lilymaid · 25/07/2010 19:44

Bus from ferry terminal to Tobermory

Original poster
shelsco · 25/07/2010 19:49

Thanks Liliymaid. That's saved me about an hour trawling the internet!

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WilfShelf · 27/07/2010 20:55

We've just come back from Mull! Wonderful place...

You can get a very quick and cheap ferry from Lochaline to Fishnish if you're willing to drive to Lochaline. It cost about 20 quid for the car and 5 of us (we got this one only because the Oban-Craignure ferry broke down!)

Don't go to Tobermory just for the Balamory thing: do go for the Chocolate Shop, the mad little museum, the island brewed beer in Magochan's, the Harbour visitor centre with crazy looking lobsters, fish and chips on the quay and a fantastic boat trip!

And if you can get as far as Calgary Bay, do go to the Art in Nature walk and to the gallery/tearooms: marvellous...

Original poster
shelsco · 28/07/2010 19:11

Ooh feeling much better now I've read that. On the website the Lochaline to fishnish ferry is quoted as about £50 plus. Don't know if I've misunderstood something though. It's a bit hard to get exactly the info you need online sometimes!
Thanks for the tips. Saw something about the chocolate shop and did quite fancy it. Which boat trip did you get? We have 4 DSs, oldest 11 and youngest just one so we are a bit unsure as to what to go for. How safe are the boats for toddlers? Dare we risk a 2 hour trip? And is a half hour one worth it from the point of view of seeing dolphins etc?
Sorry, off on a bit of a tangent there! Would be good to get any first hand advice though, if you have any Wilfshelf!

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OrmRenewed · 28/07/2010 19:13

Oh oh oh! No it's expensive but so worth it. Lovely lovely place. Haven't been for years as it's a horrible drive from here. Calmac are it I'm afraid. Lochaline is cheaper but adds a lot to the journey beforehand

OrmRenewed · 28/07/2010 19:14

Cars are very helpful IMO. There are so many beautiful places that you can't reach by bus.

Original poster
shelsco · 29/07/2010 16:25

Yeah think might be stuck without car as buses look like they only run every couple of hours. From what everyone says does seem worth it though!

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OrmRenewed · 30/07/2010 10:49

Yes! It is

oricella · 30/07/2010 10:54

Just to add that if you're staying in Fort William it is actually a shorter drive to Lochaline than it is to Oban

Original poster
shelsco · 30/07/2010 13:48

Well thanks. I didn't think Lochaline looked that far on the map when I looked but didn't really trust my own judgement as I'm pretty crap with maps/directions and don't know the roads etc. Got the general idea that Oban easier but depends where you are coming from, i suppose! Think Lochaline is the way to go! Getting quite excited now...

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nuttysquirrel · 30/07/2010 20:48

If you want to avoid even more ferry costs there is another ferry crossing at Corran to get to Lochaline the quick way, otherwise you have to drive around Loch Linnie.....

Original poster
shelsco · 30/07/2010 22:43

Thanks. Corran ferry came out on google maps as the easiest way. Was really cheap as well which was a relief as was getting a bit panicky that Corran ferry might add another £30 to the journey!!
Does anyone know what the beaches in mull are like? Iknow its not going to be a beach holiday but, with little ones, then if we fit one in then all all the better! Mostly shingle beaches around fort william by the sounds of it but am assuming mull is lovely and sandy!?!

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oricella · 31/07/2010 09:47

Calgary Bay on Mull is fab...

From Fort William it's also nice to head to Morar Silver Sands - combine with a day trip to Mallaig and view the Harry Potter bridge at Glenfinnan

And DP says Sanna beach on Ardnamurchan is also really nice; you could also do that for your day trip and then take the little passenger ferry over from Kilchoan directly to Tobermory for a few hours - that would also significantly reduce your costs

Original poster
shelsco · 31/07/2010 20:09

Great, thanks. Have looked up Silver Sands and looks great. Less than an hour from Fort William too.
Have just checked ferry price from Kilchoan to Tobomory though and, although much shorter ferry trip than Lochaline, for some reason its far more expensive. Nearly £36 for the car (£20 from lochaline). Think would also pay for each passenger as well as price of car as it says each passenger, including driver is £6.95!
Calgary Bay looks fab though. worth a visit definitely.

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oricella · 31/07/2010 20:14

Sorry, wasn't clear - meant that it's cheaper if you just hop over as a foot passenger and explore Tobermory for a few hours. You'd miss out on the rest of Mull though...

Original poster
shelsco · 31/07/2010 20:34

Oh, I see what you mean. Yeah, it might be worth doing it that way actually. If we got some decent weather, it would be a lovely way to see Balamory. Hmmm.. now I'm wondering whether it would be worth doing that one day and going over with the car on another day from Lochaline and seeing some of the rest of Mull then.
Will have to see how things pan out and how far the money stretches, I suppose. Thanks for the tip though. I feel like I've got much more idea now. Hopefully that means I'll avoid our usual holiday scenario of spending until about mid day each day deciding where to go!

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roisin · 31/07/2010 20:34

Lochaline-Fishnish ferry is a quick one and has the advantage that you don't have to book: you just turn up. (Some of the other Mull ferries can get busy in summer).

It is quite a drive from Fort William though - further than you think. Quite a lot of it is single track, if I remember rightly.

Similarly, it is a long drive from Fishnish to Calgary Beach. And on a nice day in summer it's hard to find a space to park the car there.

I love Mull, but popping over for a day and dashing around trying to see stuff is really not the best way to appreciate it!

Original poster
shelsco · 31/07/2010 20:58

Oh Maybe we should have just booked a holiday in Mull!
Google maps said about 1 hour 20 to get to Lochaline which is a bit of a drive but then, to be fair, most places in the highlands do seem to be a bit of a drive! Maybe I am being a bit ambitious, trying to fit in too much. 40 minutes to Calgary Bay from Fishnish sounds okay but whether we would feel like driving it after driving to Lochaline then getting a ferry etc I don't know. Seems a shame to go up as far as Mull though and not see more than just Balamory!

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oricella · 31/07/2010 21:09

Just do the Balamory/Ardnamurchan daytrip and come back to Mull for a proper holiday next year .. I've always fancied the ferry crossing to Tobermory, much more interesting I think than the Lochaline one - and if you're not with a car, you can just really treat it as part of your day out

leahbukharan · 01/08/2010 12:28

If you nip across the Corran Ferry to Ardgour (5 minutes) it should take about 45 minutes (unless you stop to watch eagles) to Lochaline to catch the ferry to Fishnish on Mull. There's a good cafe now at the Dive Centre in Lochaline for coffee/lunch, a small licensed hotel with good dining room (book ahead), the excellent but small Whitehouse Restaurant next to the village shop, and a snack bar on the quay by the ferry. If you have to wait for ferry there is a good stroll along the lochside.