Mull (or similar) without a car

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I have seen mixed views on this, and what buses are like, and most information is from a few years ago. Is Mull doable without a car? We aren't bothered about fancy or seafood restaurants. We will have an 8 year old with us, we all fairly patient and able to walk reasonable distances. We can all ride bikes if they can be hired.
We like being outside, beaches, wildlife.
It doesn't have to be Mull but we did like the idea of one of the islands and were thinking of getting the train to Fort William, so Mull looked maybe the best option.
Any suggestions at all are welcome, including prices to stay. DD wants a caravan if possible but I haven't found any yet. Orkneys sounds great but maybe too far. We are in North West England.

Take a look at Kyle of Lochalsh. It has a train station and is on the water. You can get a bus to Plockton which is lovely and a bus/cycle over to Skye.

It takes a bit of planning but Mull is very doable without a car.

West Coast Motors buses meet some of the ferries from Oban to Craignure - look up their website and cross reference with the Calmac timetable.

From Craignure you can either get the bus north to Tobermory or south to Fionnphort and Iona.

There are lots of campsites on Mull, some have pods and the Tobermory one has caravans. There are campsites on Iona as well.

Tobermory is a good base. From there you can get a bus to Calgary beach (also West Coast Motors for timetable). Or take a boat tour to Staffa or a whale watching trip. There are land based nature trips that will pick you up from your accommodation.

If doing the whole journey without a car you need to get the train or bus from Glasgow to Oban. Fort William to Mull is possible but involves a long bus journey to Kilchoan then a ferry to Tobermory.

There are several taxis based in Tobermory too.

This website might be helpful https://visitmullandiona.co.uk/ and there is a tourist office in Craignure where the staff can help plan your trip if you call or email them (Google Visitscotland Craignure iCentre)

Mull is my favourite island. So much to see - completely beautiful. I wouldn’t recommend visiting without a car. It’s not easy to get around - not on bikes. Roads aren’t great and distances are far. Public transport isn’t reliable and the tourist offices aren’t manned regularly.

As PP said, go to Skye. Much more accessible. Train to Kyle of Lochalsh and bus to Skye. Buses on Skye are pretty reliable although you could get a taxi from Kyle station. Plockton is a good shout for a trip - think there is a bus from Kyle.

Public transport isn’t reliable and the tourist offices aren’t manned regularly

Nonsense! The tourist office is open all year round. And the buses are very reliable.

Skye has the same road/cycling issues as Mull - except it's busier.

Orkney is a long way… but it is fantastic and definitely doable without a car - I know because we’ve done it!

I'd not recommend Mull without a car. You can hire a car at Fort William if you got the sleeper up.

Skye is better for public transport.

Thanks for the replies everyone really helpful. Never heard of Kyle of Lochalsh so will look that up. Skye definitely appeals too.

Most of the mainland is doable

You could look at the small Isles Rum Eigg, Muck or Canna. You can get to Mallaig where the ferry goes from very easily - either the Glasgow or Fort William sleeper then change onto the incredible West Highland line to Mallaig. Only locals can have cars on the ferry so no point in driving.

One of the most spectacular places I've ever been (preferred Eigg to Rum but both have their charms)

We were planning to be car free in Orkney but cracked and got a car for a couple of days because we couldn't make the public transport journeys work. I was annoyed with myself because we usually manage buses or trains wherever we go. In summer, though, Orkney is rammed with cruise passengers and day trippers from John O groats so you have to book timed slots for big attractions like skara brae (bus only goes Thursday)

Second half of the holiday was bus and inter island ferries though and that was great

The larger islands such as Mull, Harris & Lewis, Skye etc all have public transport - but the distances are quite large, the transport is focussed on getting into the towns & ferry ports often and there may be one or two buses a day. It can be hard to get to the beaches or end of the singletrack road places where there are nice places to visit, hills to climb etc. At the end of the day you are in a very rural place - and public services are not always as plentiful as you may want.

I would say Orkney is well set up - it is more populated, there are more buses and more ferry options. You may have a few early starts - I was on a few buses at 7am to make a ferry and day out....But there are ace days out with bikes on the closer islands and you can connect the dots with bus and ferry easily. Best to stay in Kirkwall - and there are then days out to a few islands by walking down to the ferries in the harbour...

Mull does work - but you would be more restricted to the 'main road' between Tobermory, Craignure and Fionnphort I think. It is years since I used public transport on Mull - and I don't know what they are like with bikes.

Caravan: do consider all sorts of self catering, and in the bigger towns to then access the buses. A campsite place out of town may mean that the bus timetables do not add up to get you into town and then back out to where you are going - whereas being in town and walking distance from a single bus and/or ferry would work better.

We visited various West Coast of Scotland places around 20 years ago and pre kids. Skye was doable, so long as you accepted that taxis were part of the equation and some pre planning was needed. This was pre smart phones and in places where there was no mobile phone signal. We travelled to Skye by train to Mallaig then ferry.

Regarding Mull - we haven’t stayed there. It was relatively simple to visit Mull for a day trip or 3 when we stayed in Oban. Ferry trip across and then bus. There were also day trips to Staffa and Iona available.

Arran was nice as was Arrocha and various Loch Lomond locations.

Thanks everyone. I've been reading about Skye being over run with tourists and pleas for people not to use holiday lets as second home ownership is a problem, also that there's too many cars and people drive like idiots on the single tracks. I want to be as responsible as possible and not piss off the people who live there.

Don't be too worried by this - the average tourist is great - they bring income, culture and people to the place. They, on balance, contribute more than they take. You would be really, really welcome.

The few numpties who leave a mess or cause issues are few and far between.

The inner Hebrides are also ace for a public transport and bikes trip - Glasgow to Arran, Islay, Jura, Gigha, Colonsay (and Oronsay) to Oban and back to Glasgow is all doable by public transport with a move of accommodation each night or everyother night.

Have you considered Aran? Its Scotland in miniature as it has almost everything.
http://www.donthibernate.co.uk/summer-trip-to-the-west-coast-of-scotland/

Hi, look at The Chaotic Scot - a Scottish blogger who travels by public transport and shows off the country.
For rail travel Seat61.com is a great resource to research your options. Good luck.
I agree with your comments re Skye. I went on a 3 day Rabbies tour Oct 2022. It was overrun. The driver had to do 9 pickups across Portree to get the 16 passengers on the two mornings.
A bit of a conundrum as keen on the NC500 next.

Arran used to be very feasible by public transport but I’ve not checked logistics for a few years. Or Largs is right on the coast and you've got easy access to Great Cumbrae and Bute. It’s on the train line and has a bus service that trundles along the coast.