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What's the Story in Tobermory...?

Finally, after a very busy two weeks, I have found time to write a blog post about one of the many things I did on my fabulous tour around Scotland.
Our week started with the drive up to Scotland. Okay, so I think we all knew this wasn't going to be the highlight of our trip but I can't think ANY of us imagined how long the journey would take us. Usually, London to the place we were going to be staying for a while in Scotland takes approximately 7-8 hours- quite a long time, yes? Well, our journey took us over 13.5 hours... Nearly DOUBLE our expectation! And that was all because of a (huge) bit of traffic in Birmingham. Although I normally love Birmingham, on that day, I had a particular hatred towards the place...

Despite the fact that we'd had a pretty horrendous drive up, we had not been put off doing another long drive to the Isle of Mull the day after we arrived. Yup, back in the car we all got; suitcases repacked and sleeping bags re-stacked.
We were off to find out what truly was the story in Balamory.

The Isle of Mull is home to only 3,000 people and is situated off the western coast of Scotland. The 'capital' of the island is Tobermory, more commonly known as Balamory. Yep, believe it or not, that children's TV programme you watched when you were younger isn't actually filmed in a place called Balamory and Miss Hoolie isn't really the local nursery teacher. However, the multi-coloured houses are definitely real and it truly is a very pretty place.
The colourful houses of Tobermory
Our accommodation whilst in Tobermory was a small (like everything else in the town) youth hostel and our room had a sea view! That brick-coloured building in the picture above- that's where we stayed. I would definitely recommend it for an affordable break away. 

Tobermory is pretty quiet. No, actually, it's VERY quiet. As much as I liked it there, if you're planning on going, I would not stay there for more than two whole days because, as I said earlier, it is very small. That said, the trip would be a very worthwhile one if you do what we did when we were there: we went on a wildlife and whale-watching boat trip. 
Okay, okay, unfortunately, we didn't see a Minke whale, nor did we see any Bottlenose dolphins, but we did see seals, an eagle, porpoises AND lots and lots of puffins- still a pretty impressive bunch of animals for a day trip out!

At 7 hours long, the boat trip is definitely not for people who feel slightly uneasy out at sea but the boat felt very secure and was not fazed by the waves. Unknown to us when we left, the boat takes you to 2 magnificent islands: Lunga and Staffa. 

The first of the two islands we visited was Lunga- a wildlife photographer's haven!

                                                               So many pretty flowers!

 Lunga provided us with the most picturesque views across the sea- and these photos weren't even take from the top!
Why didn't I go to the top you ask? Erm, something to do with my fear of heights...


                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                   Lunga is an animal's paradise,with the main focus being the absolutely adorable puffins!



 This photo just makes you realise how HUGE Sea Eagles are!
The second island we visited was Staffa. Famous for its unusual rock shapes, the island has recently featured on the TV programme Coast, and is visited by people from across the globe. Two people I met on the boat trip had flown all the way from America to visit Scotland and Staffa was one of the highlights of their trip across the pond.


 An extraordinary sight: the basalt columns of Staffa

 A main feature of the Isle of Staffa is Fingal's Cave. Formed naturally, the cave measures 230ft in depth and 60ft in height. The island is cared for by the National Trust and they have fortunately provided handrails so that visitors can walk on a thin path into the cave without feeling too much like they're going to take the plunge into the crystal-clear waters that lie feet below.


Although perhaps not as attractive for wildlife as Lunga, the island is still home to hundreds of puffins

After taking in the spectacular sights of Lunga, Staffa and the coast of the Isle of Mull, our boat took us home. Overall, the day was exhausting but tremendously enjoyable and definitely a thing that you must do if travelling to the Isle of Mull. For more details about our boat trip, visit www.staffatours.com.
Thanks so much for reading; I hope you've enjoyed looking at these pictures as much as I enjoyed taking them! 
Florrie x
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