Day 42: Macquarie's Mausoleum to Aros Castle, Mull

Virtual Walk: Scotland 2021

15th February 2021: 103.88km walked today taking the total to 4322.89/8868km. 10.5% of 129 entries submitting 989.38km.

Today we continue round the Isle of Mull, visiting the west and the north of the island before visiting Tobermory, the capital.

Route 14: Isle of Mull

We walk the B8035 for a short time before leaving the road at Gruline to visit Macquarie’s Mausoleum. I have never heard of this man, but he played a significant role in history. Major-General Lachlan Macquarie was born on Ulva in 1761. Labelled the ‘Father of Australia’, he was Governor of New South Wales, from 1810-1821, where he greatly improved the infrastructure and morale of the colony. Macquarie was the first to use the name ‘Australia’. Macquarie retired due to ill health and returned to Great Britain in 1822, passing away in 1824 and, according to his wishes, was buried here. A mausoleum was built in 1851 where he, his wife and their 2 children are interred. In 1948 the site was gifted to the people of New South Wales and is managed jointly by National Trust for Scotland and National Trust Australia.

Moving on around the head of the Loch, where the River Ba flows into the sea and Killiechronan Woods fills the slopes, we follow the winding road along the north shore, around the headland on to the Sound of Ulva. There is a minor road here which takes us to the west shore where we catch the ferry to the island of Ulva. I say catch, but we really summon the ferry; uncover a red panel on the pier and once the ferry is on the move, re-cover the panel - basic but it works!

Ulva is the largest of the islands around Mull, its name is Norse meaning ‘Wolf island’. Community-owned, transport is by foot or bicycle only, the wildlife is abundant, and people are not. It is connected by a bridge to Gometra and there is a tearoom by the Ulva Pier called The Boathouse. We’ll grab a bite here before we have a wander around the island briefly. How about some Ulva oysters and potted crab?

Feeling pleasantly stuffed, we head through woodland along the south shore. We find basalt columns on the shoreline and an old fort near Livingstone's Cave where there are traces of occupation dating back to 6000BC. Following the trail northeast, we pass the ruins of Dr David Livingstone’s grandparents' croft, who moved on to live in Blantyre. The family are descended from the Beaton family of doctors, from Pennyghael, who attended the Lord of the Isles, the MacDonalds. We progress past more ruins and a standing stone to join the Minister’s Road, which takes us back to the east shore where we pass Ulva Church and Sheila’s Cottage (named after the lady who lived here till 1950), now a reconstructed thatch cottage which displays Ulva’s history through time. Beatrix Potter came to the island often and is said to have given her inspiration for her books. The ferry is in the dock, so we clamber aboard; on landing, we head back to Mull's main road.

Our route continues north along remote winding cliff tops for 19 kilometres; the landscapes we see in this area are some of the most beautiful in Scotland. The roads flatten out, then undulate, sometimes with sheer drops to Loch Tuath. We share the narrow road with buses and cars, at some points hardly room to pass each other!! We skirt Laggan Bay, through the settlement of Lagganulva, watching out for white-tailed sea eagles who are often seen soaring high above along this stretch of the coast. This and the golden eagle are well established on Mull, so the chances are high of catching a glimpse of these wonderful birds of prey. 

Heading round Ballygown Bay, we leave the road to see the upper falls of Eas Fors Waterfall; featuring 3 drops it is the most spectacular on Mull. ‘Eas’ and ‘Fors’ both mean ‘waterfall’ in Gaelic and Norse respectively, so its name is ‘waterfall, waterfall, waterfall!! We leave the road, crossing a small bridge and follow the track up to the upper falls. The middle falls is below the road, and then the final drop is over the cliffs to the sea. You can't see this unless you walk the beach from the Ulva area; peering over the sheer drop is exceptionally dangerous. Nonetheless, we get fantastic views across the Loch and Ulva from the upper section.

We continue through the settlements of Kilbrenan and Ballygown, Eanmore and Normann’s Ruh, constantly eagle spotting! Reaching the Torloisk settlement we pass the impressive Torloisk House, which stands out in such a remote area. The existing house, built in the 1770s by the MacLeans of Torloisk, was altered during the 19th-century to create the mansion house we see today. The MacLeans made their money in the kelp industry which was harvested for fertiliser and iodine. Today the property is for hire, combining its historical elegance with 21st-century comforts.

A little further along the road, we pass Kilninian Church standing in a settlement of the same name, looking south over Loch Tuath. This church was built in 1755 but there has been a church building here since the 14th century. Today it belongs to the Romanian Orthodox Church and is known as the Orthodox Monastery of Saints Ninian and Cuthbert or the ‘Mull Monastery’; a multi-national community living in 2 separate houses on the island.

We follow the road north inland now through more settlements to reach the coast once more, where we walk around the south side of Calgary Bay into Calgary, which has the best sand beach in Mull. Fort Calgary was named after this place by Colonel MacLeod, who had visited this area on vacation; in time it became the city of Calgary in Alberta, Canada. The small village is settled in a glen with interspersed woodland. There is a machair plateau near the beach area and a river runs across the sands into the sea at low tide.

We leave the bay up a steep hill road to walk 5 kilometres east on a minor road; a twisted, hilly route, through dense forest at times. We then turn north to visit a fishing harbour on the north coast 2 kilometres away. Croig sits on Loch a’Chumhainn and it feels like time has stood still here. An old fishing hut sits at a pier on a rocky inlet with fishing tackle and a few boats. Peaceful! We explore for a time, before returning to the ‘main’ road then pressing on to Dervaig at the head of Loch a’Chumhainn. Dervaig means ‘good inlet’ in Old Norse and began life as a settlement around 1200; the village we see today was established by 1799. Here cattle relax on the beach but the first thing that catches your eye is the unusual pencil-shaped church spire of Kilmore Church peeking through trees on a lochside hill. The current church, an upgraded version of the previous church on the site, was completed in 1905. The area is a popular base for tourists and wildlife watchers with paths through woodlands to the coast.

We follow the minor road along the eastern shore of Loch a’Chumhainn to the north, then following tracks and trails through woodland, moorland, and farmland for 12 kilometres to reach Glengorm Castle, ‘blue glen’, (also known as Castle Sorn). The castle sits at the northern tip of the Mishnish area of the Aros Peninsula. It is part of a vast estate surrounded by diverse wilderness, looking out from the headland over the Atlantic Ocean. Completed in 1860 in the Scottish Baronial style, its owner, John Forsyth of Quinish, never lived there. There was a settlement called Sorne on the land, cleared for the owner to build. It is said that those who were cleared cursed him, saying he would die before he could live in it. He fell from his horse and died - curse or no? The castle is now a guest house and wedding venue. We follow the path past its former stables, now a coffee shop, to take the winding Glengorm Road southeast through Ardmore Forest for 8 kilometres, to arrive in Tobermory, the island's capital.

Tobermory sits on Tobermory Bay near the Sound of Mull; you are still in the Mishnish area on the Aros Peninsula. It was founded as a fishing port in 1788, designed by engineer Thomas Telford. Its name means ‘Mary’s Well’, after a well dedicated to the Virgin Mary nearby. It is famous for its pretty, colourful houses which helped the BBC choose it as a location for a children's series called ‘Balamory’; they produced 254 episodes here between 2002-2005! A womble was also named after the town, second in command in the burrow and an engineer; we might see him sitting outside one of the local shops enjoying a bit of sunshine! There is a Spanish Galleon lying at the bottom of Tobermory Bay; she had sought refuge here en route home after a defeat in battle with the Royal Navy in 1588. No one knows for sure what happened; she either exploded or was blown up! Legend has it that she was laden with gold. Attempts were made to find it in the17th century, and again in 1950, with no positive result. During World War 2, the village was home to the Royal Navy’s HMS Western Isles.

We walk north of Tobermory along a steep, wooded coastal path for 2 kilometres. This path was once used by the lighthouse keepers and their families, and we walk it to see Rubha nan Gall or ‘strangers point’ lighthouse, built in 1857 and automated in 1960. As always, when a lighthouse is involved, there are great views over to the Ardnamurchan Peninsula and Calve Island at the entrance to the Sound of Mull. Calve Island is mostly uninhabited, privately owned with a summer residence in situ. The waters around the island are popular with divers. Looking left along the coast we see Bloody Bay, so-called because a brutal sea battle took place there in c1482 between the current Lord of the Isles and his son, which saw the tide turn red with blood.

Retracing our steps, we walk along Tobermory’s main street passing the Mull Museum, which offers an insight into the history, geology, and culture of the island. We pass a prominent Clock Tower (1905) at the end of the pier, which was funded by traveller and author, Isabella Bird, in memory of her sister who died of typhoid here in 1880. We reach Tobermory Distillery, founded in 1798, then known as Ledaig, famous for Black Bottle, single malt and Ledaig, a peaty whisky. Heading along the shore path we pass the Mull Aquarium (2015) who operate a ‘catch and release’ system. This means the creatures are only held in captivity for 4 weeks, after which they are returned to the sea and replacements sought.

We now take a 40 kilometre-coastal walk south to return to the ferry at Craignure. Following a scenic path south of Tobermory we walk through Aros Park, a recreational woodland with a loch maintained by Forestry and Land Scotland. The woodland is set in the grounds of Aros House, now demolished, which was developed by the Allan family, Liverpool shipowners, between 1874 and 1959, who purchased the estate in 1874. We re-join the main road and continue for 8 kilometres along cliff top roads, single track at times, undulating and winding along the shore with great sea views. At Aros Castle, also known as Dounarwyse Castle, we leave the road to pass the 13th-century ruin, sitting on a rocky headland looking out over the Sound of Mull just north of Salen. Initially a stronghold of Clan MacDougall, it changed ownership a few times before falling into Campbell hands in the 1600s. The castle was reportedly in bad shape by the late 1600s, so it was abandoned. We don't go too near to the ruins as there are hidden sheer drops covered by vegetation and the stonework is very fragile, but we had to take a peek!