On Friday night we’re off up to Scotland for two weeks’ holibobbles, staying for a week in Tobermory and a week in Golspie.

We’ll have a couple of bikes (gravelly-type, not MTB), a dog, and can/will travel about a bit to see stuff. We like walking (probably low-level, but can do more if it’s ‘simple’), poking around towns/castles/prehistoric ruins and wotnot, bimbley bike rides etc. Anything non-hardcore outdoorsy, if you get my drift.

So, what’s worth doing and seeing? Anywhere worth eating/drinking? Any suggestions appreciated.

Find places to shelter from the rain and hide from midgies …

In no partícular order;
The chip van on Tobermory quayside does some of the best fish and chips.
Arros park is nice for a wee wander.
The boathouse on Ulva used to do amazing lunch – locally sources seafood from the crab boat moored outside of it.
There is an abandoned village just north of Tobermory on the NW coast of Mull – I did a cracking 20km loop from Tobermorry taking using Glengorm road out before looping off road back – from memory it would be cycle able.
The Mishnish does a really good pint and pretty good food too. A seat by the fireside if it’s going is quite prized.
Just south of the Tobermory Bay going down the sound of Mull is a Sea Eagle nest – keep your eyes peeled and you should see a few eagles.
A staffa boat tour would be a worthy contender for a good day out too.
The sea between Coll, Skye and Ardnamurchan is some of the richest for sealife – most years I’ll see Minke, Bottlenose dolphins basking Sharks etc – a sea life tour should be a must!

It’s a wonderful part of the country

We did a trip to Staffa with Staffa Tours, great value, we saw Minke Whales and they recently posted a video of Orcas. They were also able to drop us of on Iona for the afternoon. 2nd the fish van, Mull ice cream are next door to for pudding. We also had good lunches in the Scullery cafe. If they are still doing it we had an excellent curry on a Thursday night at the Cheese Barn. You’ll need to book as it’s run by somebody else.

I live in Tobermory, what you probably don’t want to know it’s been an awesome summer with barely any midges, but the weather is due to change this weekend. If you’re coming from Oban hopefully you’ve booked your ferry because they’re pretty well fully booked. Likewise, many of the restaurants are booked too – don’t wait until you get here. There are a few pubs with outdoor seating and no booking needed. The Indian restaurant is very good too. Biking wise, you can ride around to Glengorm and Dervaig from Ardmore. There’s a cafe at Glengorm and Dervaig, plus the pub in Dervaig serves food from 3pm – all have outdoor seating. A bit further on the road there’s also a cafe at Calgary. In terms of walks from Tobermory, the Lighthouse Path and Aros Park are great – early morning at low tide and you might spot an otter. You could also take the bikes on the ferry from Tobermory to Kilchoan (no booking needed) and ride out to the lighthouse at Ardnamurchan Point – 6 miles each way, or go to Sanna Bay. Another nice place is Ulva Ferry – tiny ferry, great seafood and nice walk on the island. Mull is a big place, so really depends on how much driving you want to do.

Thanks for the ideas so far.

Yep, ferry booked from (and back to) Oban. Driving wise, appreciate that stuff is pretty spaced out up there so happy (and expect) to drive to see stuff.

Up at Golspie, this is what I’d recommend-

– For the love of god take your bike and do the trail centre at Golspie. It’s the best in the country apart from Laggan.
– Clynelish distillery at Brora is very nice
– The RSPB reserve at Forsinard Flows is really other-worldly.
– Dunrobin Castle in Golspie is magical, it looks mad and unlike some Scottish castles is very grand.

Cool, distillery/reserve/castle sounds good.

And thank you or the recommendation of the trail centre but I won’t have my bike and, well, fully knowing that I’m in a minority of basically just me, I just don’t like trail centres.

– For the love of god take your bike and do the trail centre at Golspie. It’s the best in the country apart from Laggan.

^ this

Balblair is awesomze technical riding, another reason for taking the bike.

Carbisdale too.

Little fleet and the Fleet nature reserves is just a lovely walk from Golspie with a picnic, along beach and back through woods.

Cairn Liath – walk from Golspie, past Dunrobin Castle (mad place) and on for lunch here.

We enjoyed a couple of lovely long beach walks at Brora and Embo and Dornoch (Careful of the  nudist beaches…)

I enjoyed a lovely ride down the ‘wrong side’ of Loch Shin (west side, from Lairg) last summer.

Road loop from Lairg to Rosehall to falls of Shin and back was a great morning’s ride.

Carn liath broch is pretty good.

(and yeah, Golspie Balblair and Carbisdale are all ace. Carbisdale gets overlooked as it’s small but it has some really nice riding. Balblair when I was last there had suffered from forestry ops and was missing a lot of signage but still good. Golspie is just fantastic.

For a really moving bit of history near Golspie, Croick church is hard to beat. The website says the church is locked just now but I think you can still see the names from the outside.

https://www.croickchurch.com/clearances.htm