Monday, 1st and Tuesday, 2nd July: Tobermory
We had a short and snappy sail on Monday over the Sound of Mull to Tobermory.
Stats: distance 6.12M, underway 53 mins, average speed 6.9 kts, max speed 9.3 kts.
This is the place that features in colour on so many guide books of the area, and it is indeed a very pretty and colourful town. It was built by The British Fisheries Society in 1788 as part of their drive to encourage herring fisheries in the Highlands. It has its own distillery right near the harbour, and from the number of coaches parked nearby, and the many languages you hear spoken on the street, it is clear that this town draws people from near and far.
We caught a buoy by the harbour, wondering whether we were anywhere near the ill-fated Florenzia, the Spanish Armada galleon that sank here in 1588. Rumours are that the gold and silver treasure that she carried has not been found yet. Now, where’s my diving equipment…
We didn’t go diving however, but had a lovely walk along the coastal path towards Aros Park, past several waterfalls, out on to the pier, and around the magical lake Lochan, filled with water lilies. The woods are mixed, and left to be wild and full of lovely mosses. It was really nice to be in and around old trees, and smell the conifers.
We also visited Mull Museum, small but very well laid out and as so often the case, run and manned by volunteers. Obviously I had to go in to the bookshop, which is also the fish and tackle shop (!), and bought myself a crime novel set on Mull. I do like fiction with a strong sense of place.
