Scottish anchorages

Sound of Mull

You can get more or less everything you want in Tobermory. My own favourite shop is 'Tackle and Books'. What an eccentric and yet happy conjunction of small boys eyeing up the spinners on one side and the serious traveller browsing around the excellent collection of Scottish and other books on the other. Then there is the Chocolate Factory for a pricey indulgence, and excellent ice cream! Brown's is a monument to another age - ironmongery and booze, the Co-op supermarket is good (apart from the crowded aisles and terrible queues), and the Mull Bakery and Deli for rolls and patisseries even more excellent (they open at 8am so you can get your breakfast croissants before setting sail). There is a small chandlery (Seafare ph 01688 302277) and once there was a butcher (which also sold fish) but they closed in 2009, very sad. The post office used to be the custom house and is full of trippery bric-a-brac as well as stamps and newspapers. Indeed, there is not much you can't get hereabouts which requires a visit to Oban. I am not myself all that keen on Mull Pottery but you will find the studio, shop and cafe on the road to Salen, a bit out of town though (the website is dominated by tartan music).

For afternoon tea, combined with a stunning view across the bay, the late 19th century Western Isles Hotel was the place to go. But it went through a very bad patch when the conservatory was made over, the comfortable couches thrown out, and the staff were ignorant and seemed to be totally demoralised. What a shame, with such a position this hotel could be the best in the Highlands and Islands. But it is in new hands from 2009 and things may be looking up, although I have to say I was not impressed with a light lunch in August 2010 when the place was more or less empty - and at the height of the holiday season (ph 01688 302012).

Cafe fish on the first floor of the flash 1930s ferry terminal building on the new(er) ferry pier is brilliant for seafood, really nice and I think the best place to eat (at reasonable expense) in Tobermory (ph 01688 301253). It can be very difficult to get a table, so book early and you will not regret it. And it is not just my say so. The Good Food Guide awarded them best fish restaurant in the UK in 2011.

The Highland Cottage on Breadalbane Street has a huge reputation for food, and bed and breakfast. Very difficult to get a booking for dinner, and I never have but don't let that stop anyone else giving it a go (ph 01688 302030). No children under 10 in the dining room - tough.

Another quite good place to eat is the Tobermory Hotel, on the front. By no means inexpensive, but friendly and good lobsters (ph 01688 302091).

You can't miss the Tobermory Ledaig distillery just up from the pontoons, there are tours, of course. It was founded in 1798, right at the beginning of Tobermory as a town, but the present buildings date from 1822. The rather magnificent bond warehouse across the road, now flats, is late 18th or early 19th century. The small building opposite the distillery on the shore was once a Baptist chapel, it was built in 1862.

You certainly should not miss a stroll around the upper village, particularly along Argyll Terrace with its neat terraced houses and garden plots separated by the road.