Skye on the Isle of Mull

Skye was momentarily distracted from examining the Mull ferry by the sight of two Aston Martins in the queue behind Monty. Realising that although they looked fantastic, the cramped interior wouldn't be great for a German Shepherd she reluctantly returned to Monty's cavernous boot and her soft bed within. We found seats outside on the giant ferry's upper deck, rows of them all facing Oban - it felt like being in a cinema waiting for the film to start. The ladies in the two seats in front of us began to chat, one had owned a dog like Skye, and we found out they were two nuns on holiday. I'm sure I've seen a film with that title! The ferry engine caused the deck to vibrate and poor Skye took some time to get used to it- Amy giving her fishy treats helped - but the smell of them completely overpowered the real smell of the sea. I don't know what they put in them, but they smell like something that died and lies decomposing on a beach. Even a vulture would turn his beak up! I think a seagull would still go for it though.
Amy and I took turns persuading Skye that there was no room to fling herself about chasing the other dogs on deck. We soon arrived on Mull and set off towards Tobermory. I have been all over Scotland but never on Mull and I was really looking forward to it.

 We found what looked like a deserted caravan holiday site near Salen and let Skye have a run about chasing her Frisbee. She brings it back sometimes, other times she runs about with it in her mouth. I enjoy trying to make it fly straight so I often have to chase her to get it back, not easy when I only have half the number of legs. After a very small tug of war, I get to throw the saliva drenched rubber disc and ......this goes on until one of us gets bored. You have to guess which one.
Apparently it's obligatory to photograph the three derelict fishing boats as you make your way to Tobermory so we did, and it was quite interesting to have a good look and imagine how much they cost when new. I would have climbed on board but I also imagined all kinds of giant squids hiding in dark places so I stayed ashore.
Tobermory proved to be even better than all the pictures you will have seen. As soon as you arrive there is just a really relaxed pleasant atmosphere and we soon enjoyed a picnic sitting down underneath the clock tower at the quayside. One of my hobbies is visiting WW2 aircraft crash sites and the small museum houses the cockpit section of a C47 Dakota which crashed on 1st Feb 1945.

As you drive towards the west side of Mull, just before Dervaig you will find this fantastic view point with seats and marker board. The scenery all around was ..............hang on a minute, I've just realised that the plural of squid is squid and not squids!.................out of this world and as we headed down towards Calgary Bay it just kept getting better.  Some tea and cake at the Gallery café was very welcome and Skye enjoyed barking at another dog there. She barks out of frustration at not being allowed off the lead to play, but we didn't want cups and plates flying through the air so we kept her on the lead!

 Amy was brave enough to let the icy ocean water tickle her toes - mine remained firmly under wraps! Calgary Bay was lovely, although the sound of a large calibre weapon being fired on the hills above the bay did give me pause for thought. I had to force my imagination away from landing on the Normandy beaches on D-Day 1944 back to the reality that we had a fair distance to go to catch the 5pm ferry. Hustling  two tons of Land Rover along twisty hilly single track roads meant I had no time to admire the many views, and we arrived back at Craignure just in time to miss check in. This meant joining a separate queue and hoping there would be room for us. Thankfully the crew were able to squeeze us on board and soon we were enjoying a nice meal at Coasters Bar on the seafront at Oban.
A perfect end to a great day on Mull!