Day 4 - By far, one of the most memorable days in Scotland, our Staffa & Treshnish Isles Wildlife Tour with Staffa Tours was nothing short of spectacular.
We set out early (again) as we have a little ways to drive to ensure we catch our boat at the Kilchoan ferry terminal on time. We know we are in the highlands now, as we get our first true experience with single lane roads, passing places and farm animals with almost no visibility, quite an experience that we will see much more of during our trip.
We board our vessel in Kilchoan and head out around the west coast of Mull, taking in the beautiful scenery and blue sky towards our first stop, Lunga, the largest Isle in the archipelago of the Treshnish Isles. The journey is about an hour and we pass many beautiful cliffs, unspoiled islands and striking coastal vistas.
Arrival on the Isle of Lunga is a bit tricky, with a short trek on some slippery rocks and and a hike up a rocky hill to get up to the main part of the island with hiking trails surrounded by wildflowers and wildlife. But we manage the maneuvering and start to explore. We find some old ruins and take some great group photos while we orient ourselves to the island.
One of the major attractions of the island, besides the amazing view and pristine surroundings are the Puffins. Lunga is home to one of the largest Puffin Colonies in the world. They are everywhere you look and they are not shy! We watch them dive into the ocean and bring back small silver fish to eat and feed their young.
We make our way towards the almost raucous noise of Harp Rock where the Guillemots & Razorbills make quite a commotion. We stay for a few hours hiking and exploring the uninhabited pristine wildlife.
Next we head to the geological marvel of Staffa known for its dramatic hexagonal basalt columns and the home of the world famous Fingal's Cave. With it's breathtaking beauty approaching the isle and the adventure of exploring both the upper and lower parts of the island we can understand why it has attracted such famous visitors as Queen Victoria, Felix Mendelssohn and Jules Verne.
Basically using the columns as steps we make our way around to Fingal's Cave, but unfortunately can not wander inside. There is plenty to do outside though, so some go up on top of the island to explore and get another dose of Puffin cuteness. Others stay along the shore, exploring the small tide pools, checking out the clusters of bright kelp, finding a place to relax and take in the amazing surroundings and refreshing sea air.
After a full day of exploring we are ready for our boat ride back to Kilchoan, and when we get there we are starving. We get through most of the more treacherous part of our journey and then we stop at the Strontian Hotel & Restaurant to grab some dinner. The staff and management, with a little maneuvering, went out of their way to get us seated (remember, there are 16 of us, no notice and we are in a relatively uninhabited part of the country) and serve us a delightful meal.
We head back to the house for a fun night of hanging out (literally in the trees - which are 200 year old Rhododendron by the way).
Day 5 - It's a little rainy, which is perfect for the first day we are able to sleep in. This is our day of rest and relaxation. We are planning a big family dinner tonight, but don't want to call the day a total wash, so each family takes their own time and we decide to head down to the lovely port town of Oban. We take off in all different directions, some to the Oban Distillery, some to the docks for supplies for dinner and some just to wander through the local shops.
We meet some of the locals on the road after we get off the ferry to go home and enjoy our big family dinner!
