Round the Isle of Mull

holmeboy

Anybody cycled up there? Any good roads, places to Eat etc. Cheers. :shock: :x :twisted: :roll: :oops:

nwallace

Mull:
Only done the road to the castle

The following applies to all roads but the road from Craignure to Salen

Hilly
Single Track
Steep
Varying surface quality

Consequently the locals are very good at driving Single track roads and it's the tourists that don't understand them that you have to watch out for.
People very friendly (or I look like a local) kept getting asked if I wanted a lift while walking.

Not aware of many cafes probably one at Craignure castle and there is on at Glengorm castle, all garages are small workshops with pumps, dont' coutn on them for food supplies. Dervaig and Salen have decent pub grub, a fre pubs in Tobermory as well.

You can tell when a ferry has landed at either Craignure or Fishnish, let the queue past (or squeze past if it is headed by a member of the 15mph club). You can tell when a ferry is due at Craignure or Fishnish. Stop for a break the sprint race will soon be over.

If you take the Iona road (probably the worst for tourist driving) Iona is defiantely worth taking a bike over to, the surfaces are good (only locals and works are allowed vehicles and the postie uses a quad) there is a pub at Finaphort and a few touristy things.

holmeboy

Thanks for that, starting at Corran and heading over a couple of ferries to Tobermoray staying at Hostel over night..Then heading to Fishnish, not sure of the exact route/miles yet but don't think we'll make it to Iona. Think theres 8 of us going most not having done that many miles this year so probally have to take it easyish. :roll:

Michuel

holmeboy wrote:

Anybody cycled up there? Any good roads, places to Eat etc. Cheers. :shock: :x :twisted: :roll: :oops:

I've done a few circuits of Mull. I've done the clockwise coastal circuit Craignore->Glen More->Kilfinichian->B8035->Salen->Craignure (cutting across to Salen) and separately the Salen->Tobermory->Calgary->:Kilninian->Salen.

I didn't risk the whole island circuit for fear of missing the last ferry although at the time I felt I could have done it.

It's all beautiful country with impressive overhanging cliffs on west side. No problems with roads on a road bike. A few climbs - More is long but none as hard as say Holme Moss. Traffic on Craignure to Iona road in batches when ferry arrives.

I wouldn't have thought any problems getting digs. I stayed at a big hotel south of Craignure at very competitive rates.

I don't think I stopped at cafes and just carried bars. If you're staying there there's a well-regarded small theatre which many visit from mainland.

scapaslow

From a wee book i have called "Bike Scotland" book 2. I've not done the route myself but it sounds very good.

It describes an 83K from Tobermory - Dervaig - Calgary Bay - round the coast to Salen - back to Dervaig via minor road - Tobermory. Terrain described as "hilly" but nothing too serious.

Looks like there is the option of a much shorter loop cutting back to Dervaig on a minor road not too far after Calgary Bay. This would look to be 40K or a bit less.

It says to avoid cycling during the Tour of Mull car rally in October and stock up at Dervaig/Salen as there is nothing much in between.

nwallace

scapaslow wrote:

It says to avoid cycling during the Tour of Mull car rally in October and stock up at Dervaig/Salen as there is nothing much in between.

There is also the Forest Rally in January now, although there are no road closures one of the stages follows the Dervaig road which gets jam packed with the cars of everyone traipsing across to the dirt track.

holmeboy

This is the route we took:-
Started at Corran (recommend the Corran bunkhouse right at Ferry, Telly in room, En-suite) headed south and west, first stop should have been Strontian (3 of us missed it but the other 5, an hour behind, stopped for refreshments here). Then followed the road along Loch Sunart to Salen, up and down but not to big hills. Then more of the same until the first biggish climb of the day, upto Loch Mudle followed by fast descent into Kilchoan (not that fast as it was pissing down). Got a bowl of soup and cup of coffee at the Information centre (also shower facilities here, must be used to people coming in dripping wet!). Ferry over to Tobermory, stayed at Hostel, as said before in previous posts people very friendly helpful here, also excellent evening meal at Pub/Restuaraunt right over on other side of Tobermory, can't remember name unfortunatly.
On Sunday morning cycled up short steep hill at back of Hostel, and a few other good climbs then onto Dervaig. Nice Beach just after Dervaig with some famous geologocal features (so i'm Told), and then don't remember road being too hilly after that till you reach the ferry which takes you to Ulva (scenery at this point probally best of time in Mull view over South of Island Ben More etc) and then afew up and downs till the turn off to Salen. Fast coupla miles to Salen and stopped for lunch at the Hotel there, again good grub. Then onto Fishnish (again relativly flat) and the ferry over to Lochaline on the mainland, and another good climb out of Fishnish followed by a couple more quite quickly on the A884 Cut of onto the B8043 onto some of what be amongst the best scenery in Scotland (Mountains, windy roads, rivers, Valleys, forests, Lochs, even the rain could'nt spoil it for me). Then back down (also the most worn single track road of the weekend), back onto the A861 back to the ferry at Corran. Total of 115 miles and to be totally recommended, nuff said. :shock: :P

nwallace

You went by Movern ace, the amount of tiems I have heard about the lumber lorry drivers but never seen them I am starting to wodner if it's local terminology for Tourists.

holmeboy wrote:

Nice Beach just after Dervaig with some famous geologocal features (so i'm Told), and then don't remember road being too hilly after that till you reach the ferry which takes you to Ulva

That way is down hill! I think I really I jsut foudn my self trying to use a passing place on the steepest part which is marked with a single arrow.

Did you go by Calgary or cross country direct to Achleck?

Dervaig Village hall has a bunkhouse in it pretty decent

ugo.santalucia

Tour of the island... mapped here

http://www.bikemap.net/route/89849?1222 ... =undefined

holmeboy

Never seen lumber lorries either, but did see mobile cinema centre in Tobermory outside bar/restuaraunt, it was pretty big! did wonder how it got round the Island.
Went right round via Calgary.
:oops: 8) :shock:

Noodley

there is an audax planned for the first weekend of May 2009 which takes in Mull.