Marine Wildlife Week : Isle of Mull

This is our newest family-friendly holiday and a great opportunity to be a marine biologist for the week. Spend time with our founder Deborah Benham (PhD – marine biology/animal behaviour) who’s worked with the Whale and Dolphin Conservation Society for the past six years and been a marine wildlife guide in Scotland Wales and California for more than ten years. Discover the beautiful Isle of Mull, one of the most picturesque places in Scotland and home to white tailed eagles, golden eagles, seals, otters, dolphins, basking sharks and minke whales.

 

 

  During your holiday you can:

·        Enjoy time on the stunning beaches, watch feeding wildfowl and basking seals in the tidal bays.

·        Search for otters swimming in the sea lochs and watch eagles on their nests or hunting above the Sound of Mull.

·        Learn about the tiny creatures that live in the rock pools and tidal areas and how important they are for the rest of the marine inhabitants.

·        Find out how scientists are studying these amazing animals, have a go at collecting some data yourself and learn what we can do to help protect marine wildlife.

·        Play nature based games that teach children about marine wildlife and ecology

·        Get creative with marine themed arts and crafts projects, such as making your own nature journal to fill with memories and keep as a souvenir or creating a driftwood sculpture or mobile. 

There will be a combination of land and boat based activities and time to explore the whole island in our minibus. On your day off you might like to hire a bike or kayak from our accommodation providers and strike out on an adventure of your own.

   

Dates & Prices

6 Night holiday: July 23-29 (more dates may be available later in the year subject to demand). Adults £799, Children £549 (based on sharing a family room, there is a supplement for separate rooms for children).

Prices are based on accommodation at the Glenaros Lodge Guest House in the small town of Salen, 5 miles from Tobermory. There are 5 bedrooms with 2-5 beds per room. There is also an option of sleeping in the yurt in the grounds. For separate rooms for children there is a supplement of £70 per child.  Prices include all breakfasts and packed lunches and dinner on five nights.  All activities listed below (excluding anything on day off) are included in the price, as is minibus transport from Oban or Inverness and ferries to/from Mull. Dinner on two nights and any extra refreshments e.g. cakes/coffee in cafes or alcohol in the evenings are not included.

Itinerary

Day 1: Morning collection from Inverness or afternoon collection from Oban. Take the ferry from Oban to Mull. Travel to our accommodation and settle in. There will be a welcome meal and evening talk/activity session so we can all get to know each other.  

Days 2-6: Due to the nature of our holidays, we keep our itineraries quite flexible. This allows us to ensure that you have the best possible experience, making the best of weather conditions, wildlife sightings and other opportunities.  We don’t therefore give you a day to day breakdown. However, during your holiday it’s likely that you will enjoy many of the following excursions and activities. There will be lots on offer but the pace is always relaxed and you can choose to 'opt out and chill out' at any time.   

Bay Discovery: This day includes a four hour ‘family whalewatch’ trip with SeaLife Surveys. Go in search of whales, dolphins, porpoises, sea eagles, basking sharks, seals and many species of seabird. Visit a Fish farm, a seal colony – learn about the history and geology of the area. Listen to prawns chatting on the seabed and dolphins when they are about, with the underwater hydrophone. Show off your new found knowledge by taking part in our quiz. Prizes for winners. After the boat trip there is time to explore the beautiful town of Tobermory – one of the most photographed towns in Scotland and also famous as the home of children’s TV program ‘Balamory’. There are lots of lovely shops (including a chocolate factory!) and opportunities to walk around and explore.

Beach and Games: Visit a stunning beach, swim or paddle if the weather is fine or just play on the golden sand. We will arrange lots of games and activities to keep children and adults alike entertained, or let us keep the kids busy while you relax and soak up the stunning views. In the afternoon we will visit the ‘Art in Nature’ trail and explore the gorgeous sculptures scattered through the forest. This short walk also takes us up on to the hill with great photographic opportunities, There is a lovely café for some sweet treat rewards after our walk.

Otter and Eagle Adventure: Today we will set off as intrepid explorers looking for otters and eagles in their favourite spots across the island. Your guide will provide all the tips and equipment you need to help you become expert wildlife spotters. As we travel around the island enjoying the scenery and looking for wildlife there will be lots of stops and time to explore different areas.

Day off: Time to chill out or you can hire a bike or sea kayak and have an adventure of your own (hire not included). Lifts into Tobermory can also be arranged if you want to spend more time in town or arrange another activity of your choice.

Marine Bushcraft:  Go a little ‘Ray Mears’ and discover how our ancestors would have utilised the bounty of the coast and sea. Learn about wild foods from the sea, start a cooking fire without matches and prepare a marine themed meal together.

Arts & Crafts: Relax on the beach or in the grounds of your accommodation creating your own unique art works using found natural objects such as shells, pebbles and drift wood. We will show you how to create a unique and special souvenir which you can take home as a memory of your marine week.  

Evening Talks: On some evenings Deborah will offer talks, slide shows, films and interactive activities to enhance your understanding and appreciation of the local marine environment and its inhabitants. We may also be joined by other local experts.   Evening sessions are completely optional.

Campfires & Storytelling: Make the most of the long evenings with songs and stories around the campfire. 

Day 7: Breakfast at 8.00-9.30. Then pack up and leave accommodation in time for morning ferry and early/late afternoon drop offs in Oban or Inverness.

Who Loves these Holidays and Why

Our family-friendly holidays are tailored specifically to meet the needs of families with children aged 4+. We’ve learnt that what parents most want is for their kids to be having a great time, without having to constantly be organising everything themselves. We’ve also learnt that often the simple things – playing on the beach, paddling, beach combing, tide pooling, collecting natural materials and using them to make things, nature based games, ‘wild picnics’, campfires and songs, are what kids seem to enjoy more than long drives to visit ‘attractions’. Children usually love the wildlife watching activities and want to learn more about wild animals, and many already care deeply about protecting wildlife and the environment. We aim to nurture this love and concern in a fun and engaging way.

We’ve discovered that the people who are attracted to our holidays share a lot of our vision and values. They want to have a great holiday, to unwind, have new experiences and meet and have fun with other like-minded people. But they are also looking for more; something that will make a difference to their lives even after the holiday is over. Most of us already know and care about the issues facing the planet and want to make a positive difference, but it can be hard to know where to start and what will bring about change. Very often, ‘saving the planet’ is presented in terms of things we have to give up or do without. However, we believe that most of the changes needed will actually improve the quality of our lives and communities. We believe our holidays can create change – one holiday at a time – and we aim to inspire our guests to realise that they too can create change (one guest at a time!). 

Additional Information

Prices are fully inclusive of accommodation and activities (excluding day off). Breakfast and a packed lunch are provided daily. Dinner is provided on five of the seven nights as we have found that many guests like to sample some of the excellent local restaurants or have some fish and chips. If you don’t wish to eat out, you can have the extra dinners at your accommodation for a small supplement or cook a meal yourself in the kitchen.  

Getting here is easier than you might think, with good rail, bus, road and air links from all over the UK to the Highland capital of Inverness. We are situated just 25 miles east of Inverness in the small town of Forres. There are excellent public transport links to Forres from Inverness train and bus station and the airport.  We are happy to meet you from your train or bus. Alternatively, if you enjoy driving through stunning scenery, bring your own car and enjoy the added benefit of being able to explore the region during your free time or before/after your stay with us. Parking is available.

The West coast of Scotland does occasionally suffer from biting midges, though this is less of a problem in coastal areas and on islands like Mull. We recommend bringing insect repellent (Avon ‘Skin so Soft’ is known to work well on Scottish midges).

The weather in Scotland is vary variable (though always interesting and visually impressive!), it’s therefore important to come well prepared with a range of outdoor clothes. We will provide a packing list and we recommend bringing as many of the recommended items as possible. Our philosophy regarding the weather is that there’s no such thing as bad weather, just poor preparation!

It’s also worth considering the wealth of other activities and areas you can access from Mull (e.g. visiting the islands of Iona or Staffa, and many additional outdoor activities etc.). If you wish to stay longer we can advise on accommodation and activities.

If you wish to book, please download, complete and return the Booking Form.  You can also download this page (including Booking Form) as a PDF for easy printing.