Isle of Mull



Mull (Gaelic: Muile ) is the second largest island of the Inner Hebrides (after Skye), off the west coast of Scotland in the council area of Argyll and Bute.

With an area of 875.35 km2 Mull is the fourth largest Scottish island and the fourth largest island surrounding Great Britain (excluding Ireland). In the 2011 census the usual resident population of Mull was 2,800 a slight rise on the 2001 figure of 2,667; in the summer this is supplemented by many tourists. Much of the population lives in Tobermory, the only burgh on the island until 1973, and its capital.

Tobermory is also home to Mull's only single malt Scotch whisky distillery, Tobermory (formerly Ledaig).

History
It is widely understood that Mull was inhabited shortly after the end of the last Ice Age, from around 6000 BC. Bronze Age inhabitants built menhirs, brochs and a stone circle with examples of burial cairns, cists, standing stones, stone circles, pottery and knife blades providing compelling evidence.

Between 600 BC to AD 400, Iron Age inhabitants were building protective forts, duns and crannogs. The early Christian period began in the 6th century, with AD 563 being a pivotal point as it is believed that Christianity was brought to this part of northern Britain by St Columba, when he arrived from Ireland to set up a monastery on the Island of Iona just off the south-west point of Mull.

In the 14th century Mull became part of the Lordship of the Isles. After the collapse of the Lordship in 1493 the island was taken over by the clan MacLean, and in 1681 by the clan Campbell.

Legend has it that the wreck of a Spanish galleon, laden with gold, lies somewhere in the mud at the bottom of Tobermory Bay, although the ship's true identity, and cargo, are in dispute. By some accounts, the Florencia (or Florida, or San Francisco), a ship of the defeated Spanish Armada fleeing the English fleet in 1588, anchored in Tobermory to take on provisions. Following a dispute over payment, the ship caught fire and the gunpowder magazine exploded, sinking the vessel. In her hold, reputedly, was £300,000 in gold bullion. Other sources claim the vessel was the San Juan de Sicilia (or San Juan de Baptista), which, records indicate, carried troops, not treasure. According to that account, the island's chief, Lachlan Mor Maclean, struck a deal with the Spanish commander to reprovision and refit the ship in return for military intervention on the side of the MacLeans in their feud with enemies on nearby islands. Whatever the true story, there have been numerous searches for the wreck, and its rumoured treasure, from the mid-17th century to the end of the 20th century. No significant treasure has ever been recovered in Tobermory Bay.

In 1773 the island was visited by Samuel Johnson and James Boswell during their famous Tour of the Western Islands.

During the Highland Clearances in the 18th and 19th centuries, the population fell from 10,000 to less than 3,000.

Mull has historic buildings such as Duart Castle (open to the public from Easter to September) and Torosay Castle. Moy Castle is a small slighted castle on the shore of Loch Buie.

The mausoleum of Lachlan Macquarie, Governor of New South Wales from 1809 to 1822, and known as "The Father of Australia", may be found near his old patrimonial estate in the village of Gruline. Macquarie had been born on the nearby island of Ulva, ancient seat of clan MacQuarrie.

A notable 17th-century poetess Mary Macleod (Mairi Nighean Alasdair Ruaidh) was said to have been banished here.

The whole island became a Restricted Area during World War II. The bay at Tobermory became a naval base commanded from HMS Western Isles. The base and the Restricted Area were under Commodore (later Vice Admiral) Sir Gilbert Stephenson, whose strict discipline and ferocious temper earned him the nickname "The Terror of Tobermory". The base was used to train Escort Groups in anti-submarine warfare. 911 ships passed through the base between 1940 and 1945.

Schooling
There is one secondary school on the island, Tobermory High School, which includes a Gaelic Medium Education unit, and several primary schools. Salen Primary School has a Gaelic Medium Education unit. Secondary pupils (age 11 - 18) from Iona, Bunessan and Fionnphort in the south west attend Oban High School, staying in an Oban hostel from Monday to Thursday.

Geography
Mull has a coastline of 480 km and its climate is moderated by the Gulf Stream. The island has a mountainous core; the highest peak on the island is Ben More, which reaches 966 m. Various peninsulas, which are predominantly moorland, radiate from the centre.

The Aros peninsula to the north includes the main town of Tobermory, which was a burgh until 1973 when burghs were abolished. Other settlements include Salen, Dervaig and Calgary. The Ross of Mull lies to the south west and includes the villages of Bunessan, Pennyghael, Uisken and Fionnphort. Lochbuie, Lochdon and Craignure lie to the east.

Numerous islands lie off the west coast of Mull, including Erraid, Inch Kenneth, Iona, Gometra, and Ulva. Smaller uninhabited islands include Eorsa, Little Colonsay, the Treshnish Isles and Staffa (of Fingal's Cave fame). Calve Island is an uninhabited island in Tobermory Bay. Two outlying rock lighthouses are also visible from the south west of Mull, Dubh Artach and Skerryvore. The Torran Rocks are a large shoal of reefs, islets and skerries, approximately 15 sqmi in extent, located two miles (3 km) to the south west, between the Ross of Mull peninsula and Dubh Artach. Frank Lockwood's Island near Lochbuie is named after the brother-in-law of the 21st MacLean of Lochbuie, who was Solicitor General from 1894-5.

Part of the indented west coast of Mull and some of the offshore islands there are part of the Loch Na Keal National Scenic Area, one of 40 in Scotland.

Economy
Farming, fishing and burning seaweed to kelp ash (used in the manufacture of soap and glass) were the main economic activities on the island until the 19th century. Tobermory was built by the British Fisheries Society in 1788 as a planned settlement to support the fishing industry. In the mid 19th century the Highland Potato Famine and the Highland Clearances reduced the population by two thirds and the island economy collapsed. In the early 20th century there were more sheep than people.

The economy began to revive when the construction of Craignure Pier in 1964 started to bring tourists. Tourism is now the mainstay of the island's economy. Ecotourism became popular from the 1990s and the reintroduction of white-tailed eagles in 2005 became a particular ecotourist attraction.

There is a small amount of farming, aquaculture and fishing and Forestry Commission Scotland has several plantations on the island. Tobermory also has one whisky distillery and one brewery.

Isle of Mull cheese is Scottish Cheddar cheese made from raw cow milk produced on the Isle of Mull.

Transport
Ferry links to Mull from the mainland include Oban to Craignure (approx. 45 minutes), Kilchoan to Tobermory (approx. 35 minutes) and Lochaline to Fishnish (approx. 15 minutes). Advance bookings are not required for the Kilchoan or Fishnish ferries; access to those two ferry terminals on the mainland side is via single-track roads.

There are ferry links from Fionnphort on Mull to the neighbouring island of Iona and from Oskamull to Ulva. In past years there were direct sailings to Oban (calling at Drimnin, Salen, Lochaline and Craignure), and to Barra, Coll and Tiree from Tobermory. During the summer there was also a sailing to Staffa and Iona from Oban which called at Tobermory.

The Isle of Mull Railway ran from Craignure to Torosay Castle, but closed in 2011.

One can fly to Mull in a private light aircraft using a landing strip near Salen. There was a seaplane that linked Tobermory with Glasgow and Oban. The regular scheduled service terminated in 2009. Loganair operated a scheduled service to Glasgow in the 1960s from Glenforsa. Glenforsa Airfield is a 780 m grass airstrip constructed by the Royal Engineers in 1965 near Salen on the Isle of Mull.

Buses are operated by West Coast Tours Ltd. There are routes from Tobermory to Calgary via Dervaig (Service 494), Tobermory to Craignure via Salen (Service 495), and Craignure to Fionnphort via Bunessan (Service 496). Limited services operate to Lochbuie and Gruline. West Coast Tours also provide guided tours around Mull, Iona and Staffa, including boat transfers. A minibus service also operates seasonally from Craignure to Duart Castle.

Communications
Mull was connected to the mainland by a submarine telegraph cable between Oban and Grass Point in 1871. There were telegraph offices at Tobermory, Dervaig, Calgary, Craignure, Pennyghael, Tiroran, Fionnphort, Bunessan and Iona.

The Post Office built an experimental wireless telegraph station on Meall an Inbhire near Tobermory in 1892.

AM radio, broadcast from Oban, came to the island in 1930 and television in 1954. New AM radio and UHF television transmitters were constructed on Druim Mòr, 1 mile west of Torosay Castle, in 1978. Digital transmissions commenced on 15 November 1998 and analogue transmissions ceased on 27 October 2010. The digital transmitters have 22 relays on Mull, surrounding islands and parts of the mainland. They are collectively called the Torosay Transmitter Group.

In 2014 fibre optic cables for support of high speed internet were laid between Kilchoan, Ardnamurchan and Tobermory and Dunstaffnage (near Oban) and Torosay. In February 2015 additional cable were laid underground between Tobermory and Torosay to provide a complete link.

Media and the arts
Mull has been used as a location in a number of feature films over the years. These include I Know Where I'm Going (1945), Kidnapped (1971), When Eight Bells Toll (1971), Madame Sin (1972), Eye of the Needle (1981), The Sea Change (1998) , Entrapment (1999), Highlander: Endgame (2000) and Blooded (2011). The BBC children's TV series Balamory features the town of Tobermory on the island. This provided an additional tourist attraction on the island.

Mull Theatre is a professional theatre company based in a new (2008) theatre production centre on the outskirts of Tobermory. Funded by the Scottish Arts Council, the company commissions plays, tours throughout Scotland and beyond and runs an education and outreach programme. It started at the "Mull Little Theatre" at Dervaig in 1966 and was the "Smallest Professional Theatre in the World" according to the Guinness World Records. The National Theatre of Scotland were in residence at the Mull Theatre in April 2009. AN TOBAR, based in Tobermory, is the only publicly funded multidisciplinary arts centre in Argyll. Established in 1997, it is a centre for visual arts, crafts and music. With effect from 1 April 2013, An Tobar and the Mull Theatre were brought together as COMAR.

Wildlife film-maker Simon King went on location to Mull for the first week of Springwatch with Bill Oddie, where he observed a resident family of white-tailed eagles – a male and female named Skye and Frisa respectively, and their two chicks, Itchy and Scratchy. Wildlife cameraman Gordon Buchanan recently returned to his native Mull to film a year in the life of the wildlife. First broadcast in 2005 for the Natural World series, "Eagle Island" focuses on sea eagles, golden eagles, otters, basking sharks and the cetaceans found off the coast.

The singer songwriter Colin MacIntyre famously once used the name Mull Historical Society as a pseudonym. Born on the island, he took the name from the actual Historical Society which has since changed its name to Mull Historical and Archaeological Society.

Natural history
The Isle of Mull is a popular destination for naturalists and photographers being one of the primary spots in the UK for seeing some of Britain's more elusive species. Information about the island's wildlife (including species lists, photographs and distribution data) is being compiled on a website called Wild Mull. This has been created as a place to share knowledge about the natural history of the island and surrounding seas.

Mull is home to more than 800 species of vascular plant (684 native and 171 naturalised) including 33 species of fern, at least 18 species of orchid and 22 native species of tree. There are approximately 700 species of lichen, 571 liverworts and mosses and 247 marine algae (seaweeds) making a total of 2,388 species of plant recorded from the island. In addition, more than 2,000 species of fungi have been recorded on Mull leading to Dennis and Watling stating that "When one speaks of the Inner Hebridean fungi one is referring to the floras of Mull and Rhum" in their 1983 paper about the fungi of the Inner Hebrides.

The island is home to 261 different bird species including the white-tailed eagle, which was reintroduced in the nearby Island of Rùm and migrated to Mull, where it now has a stronghold. Basking sharks, minke whales, porpoises and dolphins are among the sea life that can be seen on boat tours from Mull.

The island is home to a thriving population of otters (Lutra lutra) that live in coastal habitat, hunting during the day. The Mull Otter Group has been established to create positive awareness regarding the conservation needs of otters on the Isle of Mull.

The island is also home to several birds of prey such as hen harriers, golden eagles and short eared owls, all difficult species to see throughout the UK other than Mull. Pine marten have also recently become established on Mull. According to a paper by Scottish Natural Heritage it is unlikely that pine martens have ever been native to the Isle of Mull. Based on sighting records, and from resulting modelling exercises, it is believed the species arrived in 2004 through accidental transportation on timber boats from the mainland.

The Hebridean Whale and Dolphin Trust was established in 1994 as a registered charity to pioneer practical, locally based education and monitoring programmes on cetaceans (whales, dolphins and porpoises) in the Hebrides. The Trust is based out of Tobermory, where it has its main, education and research offices and a visitor centre.

There are also a number of invasive non-native species that occur on the island including invasive plant species such as Japanese knotweed, and invasive animals such as feral cats and American mink that are believed to be causing damage to the indigenous species populations through competition and predation.

Sport
The Tour of Mull is a closed road rally event held on the island every October. While some well off competitors benefit from superior cars, the locals benefit from their knowledge of the roads and thus anyone can win. "The Best Rally In The World" is the title of a book written by the founder of the event, Brian Molyneux. Previously sponsored by Philips, it has been sponsored since 2005 by Tunnock's, the Lanarkshire biscuit manufacturer.

There are several shipwrecks around the shores which offer scuba diving.

There is an Isle of Mull Cycling Club.

The Cross at the Castle cyclocross event is held annually at Glengorm Castle near Tobermory and features the World Santacross Championships and the Scottish Singlespeed Cylocross Championships.

Mull Runners organise a half marathon and 10K run each August. It is run between Craignure and Salen.

Rugby is played at Garmony (beside the Craignure to Salen road 6.5 miles north of Craignure). The Mull Rugby 7s Competition takes place annually in May at The Isle of Mull R.F.C's rugby club.

There are golf courses at Tobermory (Erray Park), Craignure (beside the Craignure to Salen road a mile north of Craignure) and on the Isle of Iona.

Mull Highland Games are held each August in the grounds of Tobermory Golf Club (Erray Park). Events include Heavy Weights, Light Field, and Highland Dance. See the Scottish Highland Games Association website for dates.

There is a swimming pool at the Isle of Mull Hotel, Craignure open to the general public at advertised times.

There are tennis courts in Tobermory. Apply at the Argyll and Bute Council Offices, Breadalbane Street, Tobermory for details.

Community initiatives
Following a research and community consultation process undertaken in 1996/7 a development trust was created to identify key goals for the communities of Mull and Iona. Mull & Iona Community Trust (MICT) was formed in 1997 and published a comprehensive "Community Regeneration Strategy" for the islands. They have purchased the only butchers' shop on the island (closed February 2010), created a community run Countryside Ranger service, instigated various recycling initiatives and provide a fundraising and training consultancy.