free to be able to rate and comment on reports (as well as access 1:25000 mapping).
Date: 09/11/2021.
Distance: 4 km.
Ascent: 130m.
Time: 2 hours, 30 minutes.
Weather: Windy with a couple of showers.
Plus 5 miles of cycling.
Early October was a low point for us - Jackie had been struggling to do much walking over the summer and we had been out less and less, culminating in her pretty much giving up on exercise aside from a little bit of cycling. As everyone else has gradually got back to meeting up and going to the pub, she has felt pretty vulnerable as infection levels soared, so we haven't really been doing much other than moping around the house. We decided to have a week away from home, but book accommodation rather than camp (pretty unusual for us) and take it easy rather than try and do much. It would be nice just to have some different walls to look at! We decided Mull would be good as we like islands but it is much less hassle to reach than the Outer Hebrides. A cottage way up the west coast overlooking Ulva looked perfect, and we had arrived a couple of days earlier, taking a leisurely stroll around Calgary Bay and doing very little the following day as the weather battered off the house.
There weren't really many promising days in the forecast - it was the west coast in November after all! But despite some fresh breeze, Tuesday didn't look too bad for a trip over to Iona. It's a long drive down to Fionnphort from Kilninian (only 47 miles but almost 2 hours of driving( but the scenery is top class. After stopping briefly at the Eas Fors (a few miles down the road from our cottage), we trundled onwards to the Ross of Mull.
Upper Eas Fors 
Ulva from Eas Fors We arrived in time for the 11:15 ferry and took our bikes over - there are only a couple of miles of road on Iona but it made life slightly easier. The journey was a bit rough with wet feet all round getting off at Am Baile. Hopefully the later ferries back wouldn't get cancelled!
Iona ferry 
Am Baile and the abbey 
Bit wet getting off the ferry on Iona I had been over here in 2018 and really enjoyed the beaches, so we cycled up to the north end of the road and walked out to Traigh Bhan. Pretty windy but absolutely lovely! From here we made our way slowly around to Traigh an t-Suidhe, where we clambered onto a boulder before finding somewhere sheltered for lunch.
Traigh Bhan 
Ross of Mull from Traigh Ban 
Traigh an t-Suidhe 
At least she's finally taken her cycle helmet off... 
Scrambling 
On the beach 
Lunch break view Now I broached the prospect of going up Dun I. Would this be a good idea or lead to Jackie not being able to do anything else this week? We waited out a rain shower behind a crag then decided to go for it, ignoring my previous memory that there was quite a lot of bog on this side of the hill.
Heading for Dun I 
Ulva and Treshnish Point in the distance 
Bac Mor (Dutchman's Cap) in the distance 
Almost at the summit of Dun I We made it between showers, and we were glad we had. Quite some feeling of space for a summit only 100m high!
North from Dun I 
Looking across Kintra 
Across the Sound of Iona to Fionnphort 
Iona Abbey Dropping back to the road we completed the circuit to the bikes then cycled back to Am Baile via a shop and the ruined nunnery.
Closer to the abbey We thought we'd manage to cycle quickly out to the golf course to look at another bit of coast at Shian. This was nice but the southern tip of the island would have to wait for another time.
Coastline at Shian 
Waiting for the ferry home Back on the ferry, the crossing was less rough than the way over and we were back at the car before 4pm. Just enough time to take a brief diversion to one of the many beaches along the Ross of Mull. We picked Uisken to the south of Bunessan for a short stroll before the light left completely.
Port Uisken