5th June 2012 – Isle of Mull and Iona (part 1)

My long overdue week off work had finally arrived. It had been a long haul since my last break but at last I had a few days off with the family and some time to relax and unwind. The weather forecast for the Solway looked dreadful so I was determined to get away somewhere for a few days. I’ve always had a thing for ‘island’ holidays, mainly because we’ve had some terrific holidays in the past on the Isles of Scilly, North Uist, Benbecula, South Uist, Lewis, Harris, Skye, Shetland, Yell and Unst, but the Isle of Mull is somewhere we’ve never managed to get to – until now that is. Every year we say we’re going to go but something always prevents us from going. Well this year I was determined to make it happen regardless, and my brother and nephew were keen to join us on the adventure too. As it was a short break and more of a family holiday rather than a full-on birding and wildlife break I wasn’t expecting to see everything the island has to offer, but nevertheless we managed to catch up with pretty much all the species I was hoping for. But first we had to get there, and that in itself was a pleasureable experience – the drive up through Callander, Crianlarich, Loch Awe and through to Oban takes you through some breathtaking scenery, and so far the weather was being kind to us. Soon we had checked in for our 45 minute sailing across to Craignure aboard MV Isle of Mull…