Today was a non sailing day. It was beautiful weather again and we decided to explore Ulva. The little ferry goes from the slipway just near the pontoons . It’s an on demand service that runs from 9 to 5 as many times as it’s needed to cross the 200 m from Mainland Mull to Ulva. you call the ferry by sliding a board to red so he can see it from the other side. We went across about 1030. We wanted to be back by low water as a bit concerned re the boat still being afloat ( not that there would be much we could do about it!) the sky was blue and it was hot! There are various walking trails in the island. No roads.. just tracks which tractors or quad bikes use. Also a really lovely cafe/ restaurant which we hoped we could have lunch at later. First stop was Sheilas Croft….. An old Croft done up. The lady Sheila lived there till the Early 1900s . Also had a bit of a museum attached showing all the history of the Island…. including the vikings, the highland clearances and Starvation point on Ulva 😞…………. We followed the woodland/ farm route which took us through ancient deciduous woods via Ulva house ( what’s the history there🤔?) and also round the coastline. It took us through beautiful wild flower meadows leading towards the sea . The path got more and more overgrown with bracken and brambles and obviously some of the styles and bridges had seen better days. But eventually we came out of the vegetation onto another beautiful grassy track leading back towards the farm and ferry. There were butterflies and dragonflies zipping about and bird song and all sorts of loveliness. Finally got back to “the boathouse “ which was doing a roaring trade. They were serving everyone just seated anywhere.., on the pier on the rocks if there were no tables empty. Lovely to see a vibrant and buzzing venue. J had potted Ulva crab and I had smoked trout quiche. We kept checking across to the pontoons to see if Angeliques mast was still moving ( or was she aground???) when eventually we got back … it was about 50 cm still under the keel. Yay! The afternoon was spent doing laundry by hand… takes ages!!! And also helping people as they come into the pontoons. It’s not the easiest place to berth but definitely one of the most helpful and friendly and we can’t wait to be back!
What I learned today….. that I need to do some research on the history of Ulva, Ulva house and the highland clearances in general. Sounds like a huge blot on our past but one I should know more about.
Sue x
Ulva ferry pontoons 
Sheila s Croft 
Ulva house 
Wash day 
Looking north through Ulva sound
Angelique 