The Isle of Mull has long been sold as a wildlife destination — eagles, otters, whales — while hikers head straight for Skye. A new wave of walking trips is making the case that Scotland's best wilderness hiking is actually on Mull, where you can walk for hours without meeting another soul.
The island's 300-mile coastline hides sea lochs and sheltered bays where dolphins, porpoises, minke whales and basking sharks feed, and Mull hosts one of Europe's densest populations of nesting golden eagles. Most visitors tick off Tobermory's coloured harbourfront, a distillery dram and a puffin boat trip to the Treshnish Isles or Staffa, then catch the 45-minute ferry back to Oban. Few think to pack boots — despite a decades-long path-improvement project.
The draw for walkers is solitude. Skye has 12 technical Munros, the Cuillin Ridge and the fairy pools, but also crowds at every viewpoint. Mull has one Munro, Ben More — a dramatic sea-to-summit pyramid with an exposed ridge and views to the community-owned Isle of Ulva — and beyond that, miles of unmarked, trail-free terrain. Local guide Tony McLean, who runs Walk Mull and moved from London 15 years ago, steers clients away from Ben More and into the empty interior, pointing out carnivorous sundews and butterworts in the peat bogs along the way. His optional wild swims have become so popular that some clients have rebooked him for a decade straight.
Known routes do exist: the Treshnish coastal walk for wildlife, the abandoned clearance township of Shiaba for history, and a tough cliffside path to the Carsaig sea arches in the south. But the real appeal is the blank space between them — a rarity in modern Britain.
Getting there is simpler than you'd think: under four hours from Glasgow or five from Edinburgh. Three ferry routes serve the island; the busiest runs Oban to Craignure in 45 minutes, with around 60 sailings a week from £4.40 on foot or £18.20 with a car. West Coast Motors runs four island bus routes with a 24-hour unlimited ticket.
Accommodation fills fast in high season, but wild camping is permitted, with an unofficially official spot at Calgary Beach. Ardalanish Weavers lets camper vans park for £15 near a white-sand bay; Salen Bay campsite has wifi and facilities from £24 per tent pitch, a short walk from the mobile Island Sauna Shack on the old stone pier — where a post-hike steam comes with a decent chance of seal-watching through the window. Booking any fixed roof ahead is essential year-round.
For hikers who love Skye's drama but not its queues, Mull offers the same Hebridean feel with the wilderness dial turned all the way up.
