Fionnphort Beach

Our second day on Mull was primarily taken up with a visit to Iona. Fortunately we left the hotel well after all the coach parties had departed from the ferry terminal so we did not get caught up with too much traffic on the narrow single-track road to Fionnphort where you catch the ferry to Iona. We had been well-warned as my stepson had tried to do this journey in the height of summer and got so badly caught up in traffic that they gave up and abandoned their plans to go to Iona. The journey there is quite interesdting as you go through a variety of terrain - on mountain roads, through forrests and along sea lochs.

Iona was probably the business part of Mull on our travels as there were two or three coach parties there but even though it is a small island it is possible to get away from the madding crowd.

We enjoyed our tour of the Abbey, partly because Scottish Heritage have done such a good job of display and exhibition material but also because we had a personal link with George McLeod, who set up the Iona Community. For some years I used to work alongside his daughter, Mary who is almost as large and charismatic a character as her father. See Iona Nunnery

Having lunched we set off on a mile and a half walk to the ohter side of the island. Up till that point the weather had been over cast but the sun came out and we were able to enjoy the lovely turquoise waters on the beach there. White sands abound and there are interesting rock formations.

Our day was topped by our dinner at the Ninth Wave Restaurant. This is just outside Fionnphort down a rough track. We could not believe we had come to the right place as the restaurant lies behind a rather derelict-looking farm buildings. But once you were there the whole experience was one of fine dining, again delicious seafood in a classy restaurant set in a cottage graden of lupins. The food was to die for and the seafood could not be fresher as the owner is a fisherman and the menu is planned along whatever his catch of teh day has been. His wife is the cook and I doubt we will have a better meal this year. As well as crab and lobster and the usual seafare I tried some razor clams and they were delicious. Ninth Wave Restaurant

We both had been anxious about the drive back as there was an hour or more's driving along twisting single-track roads with the light gradually dropping as the sun set. However, even that held some surprises as we passed three deer coming out to graze in the twilight and we scarcely passed any other cars !!