Ulva - Part 1, Arrival
Mull is a large island overshadowed in fame by its smaller neighbours - both Staffa and Iona are reknowned internationally.
But there is one island just off Mull that is far less well-known - Ulva. We decided to visit this beautiful spot when on Mull for a few days.
Ulva Pier:
Accessing Ulva is pretty fuss-free, if you are at the pier between the right times. Simply hail the ferry by sliding the indicator board to red. Unlike mainland-based Calmac boats though the Ulva ferry
lives on Ulva. Bear that in mind in case you are stuck on the island!
Arrival is cheery - the boathouse..
Sheila's Cottage:
We went inside and said hello to Sheila. She was the last resident of this cottage, living here until the 1950s.
This part of Ulva is pretty, but it is not immune to the juxtaposition of natural beauty and manufactured ugliness that Jonathan Meades characterised, with some enthusiasm, as 'The Isles of Rust'.
There were other, more picturesque ruins. There is something about the shape of a boat that is beautiful no matter what state it is in.
Between the sea and the interior, delightful woods drew us on.
These woods are utterly enchanting. Lush, dense, quite unlike the Hebridean stereotype. We took a green lane heading towards the sea and wondered what we would find. But that will be in Part 2...
But there is one island just off Mull that is far less well-known - Ulva. We decided to visit this beautiful spot when on Mull for a few days.
Ulva Pier:
Accessing Ulva is pretty fuss-free, if you are at the pier between the right times. Simply hail the ferry by sliding the indicator board to red. Unlike mainland-based Calmac boats though the Ulva ferry
lives on Ulva. Bear that in mind in case you are stuck on the island!
Arrival is cheery - the boathouse..
Sheila's Cottage:
We went inside and said hello to Sheila. She was the last resident of this cottage, living here until the 1950s.
This part of Ulva is pretty, but it is not immune to the juxtaposition of natural beauty and manufactured ugliness that Jonathan Meades characterised, with some enthusiasm, as 'The Isles of Rust'.
There were other, more picturesque ruins. There is something about the shape of a boat that is beautiful no matter what state it is in.
Between the sea and the interior, delightful woods drew us on.
These woods are utterly enchanting. Lush, dense, quite unlike the Hebridean stereotype. We took a green lane heading towards the sea and wondered what we would find. But that will be in Part 2...
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