HOME WATERS MAGICAL MULL

Wildlife encounters, unrivalled scenery and challenging pilotage await Brian Black as he circumnavigates the second largest island in the Inner Herbrides

- Brian Black

For too long I have sailed through the Western Isles of Scotland on my way to somewhere north. Last season I tarried amongst them, re-living delights of earlier years, bringing back memories and making me wonder why I had spent so long away.

Any sailor cruising in these waters will have tales to tell: headwinds, no winds, a sense of entering a magical world of islands and anchorages. How many, I wondered, took the time to explore Mull, the island a few miles north of Oban well within visual contact? In recent years I have pottered about Mull and maybe, just maybe, have got to know its ways and hidden places.

WEST INTO LOCH DON

For me, the starting point is Oban, ideal for crew arrivals with train, road and plane links. An overnight or two on the transit pontoon along the town’s seafront is convenient for loading stores and getting your boat ready for the days ahead.

Across the bay is the marina at Kerrera with pontoons, swinging moorings for long stay, a bistro and all the services you would expect. So now comes the first decision, will you go westabout or up the Sound of Mull towards Tobermory? With a fair tide, the passage up the sound is spectacular. Duart Castle, the ancestral home of Clan Maclean dominates the entrance. It was restored from ruin in 1912 and is one of the few Scottish castles still in private ownership today. From seaward, it reminds the sailor that this was once a disputed coast where clan wars, rebellion and foul deeds were common place. Off to starboard is the Lismore Light and Lady’s Rock. Ahead are vistas that seem to say ‘you’re in the Highlands now’.