At the end of my visit to Ulva I was a bit wet and decided not to rough it for a couple of nights and drove across to Mull to Craignure on the east coast where the ferry from Oban comes in.
There is an excellent campsite there, friendly, well run, free WiFi in the reception area (more of that later). The only downside is the food at the local pub is mediocre. I was able to clean myself up and dry things out at Craignure. They have invented drying tents made of laminated sailcloth - see www.shielingdryer.co.uk – I had come across one on Arran and was impressed with it. As long as you position is against the prevailing wind you can leave your washing drying in the wind even when it is raining (well, not always..) And you can hire laminated sailcloth tents to stay in.
It was at Craignure I spent hours in the evenings trying to sort out the problem with my blog which blocked the uploading of photos. On the third (and continuing to be unsuccessful) evening someone came into the reception area where I was working on my laptop and said “Wasn’t that great?” What was great, for them, not me - I had missed it altogether - was a family of otters playing on the shore in front of the campsite. I gave up trying to sort out the blog for the rest of my time in Scotland at that point.
Looking back at the mainland from the campsite
RAF display
Ben Nevis
No trains, so I’ll have to cycle
Duart Castle
This was owned by the MacLeans, but was confiscated because they supported the Stewarts. The Duke of Argyll took it over in 1691. It fell into disrepair. It was bought by the 26th MacLean Chief in 1910 when it was restored into an Edwardian home (a bit like Lindisfarne castle).
Another major restoration took place in the 1990’s and it is now open to the public. Sadly no photos were allowed but I managed to sneak taking a couple!
I had the worst cup of tea in Scotland in the Castle cafe. I was outraged by being given a cup (small) of hot water with a tea bag on the side to put in myself.
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