Monday, July 13, 2009

Seeing Mull








Following a big breakfast at the B&B we drove back to Tobermory, the largest town on Mull, to get gas and to do some sight seeing. Most of the buildings in Tobermory are built on a narrow stretch of land between a hill and the harbor. They are painted different, vivid colors, so the town feels very bright and cheerful. We walked around for a while, had something to drink at the local pub and then drove south and then west across the narrow part of the island. The sun shone all day, and we saw some stunning scenery – rocky hills and water with many sheep and some cattle mixed in. We were on a one track (lane) road all day, so even though there was not a lot of traffic, we had to pay attention so we could pull off in a wide place in the road to let people pass. We found a tiny Scottish Episcopal Church, the first church of that denomination that we have seen.

We spent a couple of hours at Duart Castle, one of the oldest buildings on the island. It is notable because Oliver Cromwell’s men attacked it in the 1600s, and some of their ships and men were lost when a violent storm hit. It is also notable because it is still occupied by Lord Somebody or Other (I don’t remember his name.). It is notable to me because it was built into the rocks on the edge of a cliff. It looks like it is growing straight up, out of the ground.

The B&B where we stayed Friday night had a spectacular view from the front of the house of the water and more stunning cliffs. We saw sheep, cattle and small hills out the back window of our room. The weather was still perfect so we went walking after dinner. Tom took some pictures of the sunset around 10:30. I can’t really describe all we saw today because my words can’t do justice to it. Our pictures will have to suffice to give you a taste of the beauty.

Mull has been an unexpected delight. We only stayed here because we wanted to relax a bit before we went to Iona, our real destination, but we have discovered beautiful scenery, good food and wonderful people. I would come back here again if I ever had the chance.

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