Mulling it over.
Tuesday, June 26, 2012
And so it is with Mull. But first, I have to say this: I was wrong. Before we went, I would tell anyone who would listen that no, we weren't going abroad this year, we were going to Mull, always accompanied with a resigned shrug of the shoulders and That Look. It will be crap, that look said. It will rain, the cottage will be grotty, we'll be bored after a day.
It didn't, it wasn't, we weren't. I was wrong.
To be fair, it didn't start well. The first football match kicked off on the ferry, and it doesn't seem to have ended yet. Funny how Fin neglected to mention the European championship when we were booking the trip. Smidgen and I were united in our disinterest.
Then we arrived. And oh, it was good.
In the interests of full disclosure, I must confess that our delightful first evening, mainly spent exclaiming over our perfect cottage and its perfect views and its perfect lack of midges, was slightly marred when, in a fit of first-night-of-holiday exuberance, I whacked my half-full glass of red wine all over our friend's beloved Macbook. Awkward, to say the least.
Our new neighbour wasn't too impressed with us either.
Mull itself is a wild, gorgeous place. Single-track roads thread between vast hills and trickle down to the sea. Purple rhododendron have burst out of their gardens and clambered up the crumbling slopes. Ferries trundle back and forth to Iona, cradle of Scottish Christianity and transient home to an inordinate number of American tourists. Smidgen was a hit there, naturally.
We walked to hidden beaches, tiny churches, mausoleums and standing stones. We bought vegetables from the back of a van and petrol from a man who pumped it for you. We learned the etiquette of the narrow roads, noting the different styles of wave (the Whole-Hand, the One-Finger, ooh, the Blessing - fancy) and cursing those who drove by without acknowledgement. They must be new to the island, we agreed. They didn't understand.
There was one breakdown of the mechanical variety, and another of the hung over kind. The less said about the gin-fuelled Chinese conga line, the better.
I have never been so glad to be wrong.
If you're thinking of a trip to Mull, we stayed in Ardchrishnish, which I would sincerely recommend, and travelled there by a Calmac ferry piloted by our friend's cousin. Scotland really is a ridiculously small world.
26 boats moored
Oh dear did your friends macbook survive?
ReplyDeleteAlso look at your excellent composition. How proud I am. It looks like a lovely holiday.
It did, thank God. He didn't switch it back on for three days to give it a chance to dry out and I was sweating the entire time, but it works. Or at least, he hasn't told me if it doesn't.
DeleteAnd thank you. I think we can all guess where I picked up some tips.
Oh how lovely. I agree with you, I usually hate reading or hearing people's recounts of holiday adventures, but that was a perfect bit of escapism for me and your photos are perfect. I'm so glad you had a good time!
ReplyDeleteLovely! I like just a big enough dose of somebody else's holiday to make me dream about doing the same - I don't need all the details, but I do need pretty pictures and a bit of whimsy and this was just right. :)
ReplyDeleteThink I just snorted coffee over my screen when I read the "want to see 500 photos of my week"! Oops! x
ReplyDeleteAh see I'm the opposite! I love all the details and pics but then I'm just uber nosey! Yours looks amazing fun and definitely makes me want to see more of Scotland.
ReplyDeleteI do go a bit OTT with mine (especially pics, I can't help myself!) but then I'm also writing my blog for my MIL and expat Mum who definitely want ALL the details. I just figure anyone who's not interested doesn't have to read it and I mix in some shorter summary posts too ;)
Fantastic sunset pics BTW! x
Ha ha I know you are Bex! That's why blogging's so brilliant - to each her own :)
DeleteOh and thanks! I took them right outside the cottage. The sky was just incredible - this doesn't even do it justice. Such a beautiful spot.
DeleteReally sounds wonderful, glad you had a good time.
ReplyDeleteI love the vicarious pleasure of someone else's holiday even if I have been cutting my toenails in front of Don't tell the Bride. Which is probably not far off the mark - more varnishing than cutting. Although, clearly I do cut them - I'm not the litter picker in Hilaire Belloc's poem.
ReplyDeleteAhem. Anyway. So I'm glad you did post. Although I refuse to believe that those first two photos are Scotland and not, say, Greece. Also glad to see that you did manage some protein amongst the sea of Dorritos!
Well now I have to admit that I don't know the poem you mean. Put me out of my misery?
DeleteLove! If I get a dog can I come on the next jaunt?! I won't bring my macbook but I did just bring 4 bottles of red home from work....
ReplyDeleteLooks incredible. I've never seen so much blue sky in Scotland! I've obviously always timed it badly.
ReplyDeleteGorgeous photos - a part of the world I have never visited and desperately want to. I always have best intentions of writing up my travels, but I'm normally so peed off to be back at home that the last thing I want to do is moon over my photos. I think you've got the balance just right!
ReplyDeletePx
I love Mull so much - I haven't been in YEARS. Looks like you had an ace time, gorgeous photos!
ReplyDeleteScotland is such a small place - I've stayed in that same exact cottage years ago! Glad you had a good time.It looks lush.
ReplyDeleteYou're kidding! That's hilarious. It was such a cosy cottage, just the right amount of lived-in.
DeleteIt looks beautiful. So glad you had fun, as I said before I noticed the weather was being all beautiful there and thought of you when I did.
ReplyDeleteOh god, I am so jealous. Mull is just so wildly beautiful, isn't it?
ReplyDeleteYou're probably going to like hearing about my upcoming holiday this autumn because it will include YOU. BWAH HA HA. Nary an excruciatingly dull moment will be had.
ReplyDeleteMull looks absolutely wonderful. So glad you had such a time. <3
!!!
DeleteHow nice for you. I was at home, combing my hair.
ReplyDeleteOnly joking. Are you really such a misery that you can't enjoy other people's good news?
Only joking, I am jealous. Mull is going on the Places to go before I die list...right NOW!
Hahaha. YES I AM.
DeleteYour pics are stunning... I'm so sold on visiting Mull now! (Yes I do love holiday pics but only when I want to go there myself!)
ReplyDeleteOuch to the MacBook though... and I want to know more about the gin-fuelled Chinese conga line!! ;)
Looks gorgeous. Dan and I are very jealous. London is nearly in full Olympic madness and it is not pretty... Did I tell you my close friend got married in Iona Abbey? And then we partied into the morning in the Iona church hall. And then they sailed off at midnight on an old sail boat lit up by candles and fairy lights to spend the night on Mull whilst onlookers sang old lang syne and lit chinese lanterns. Just your average wedding! xx
ReplyDeleteLooks amazing, great photos. x
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