- Overview
- Day-by-day itinerary
- Photos
Why choose this route?
Mull’s harbour towns, Calgary Bay and a passenger-ferry visit to Iona make an island trip with real time outdoors. Five hire days need careful ferry planning; an extra night makes the south-Mull leg easier.
Mull & Iona — good for: A varied island trip with working farms, wildlife possibilities and a second island visit. The compromise: Single-track roads make short mileages slow. Ferry bookings and weather matter, and wildlife sightings are never assured.
Argyll & Oban — good for: Food, history and coast in one mainland trip; no ferry booking needed unless you extend to an island. The compromise: The A83 can be disrupted at the Rest and Be Thankful, and a coastal detour makes a ferry connection less forgiving.
Your route at a glance
Pink markers show the itinerary’s day areas. Tap a marker for its name, or open the stops in Google Maps. Ferry crossings and road journeys need separate checks for your travel dates.
- Renfrew — collection / return
- Day 1: Oban
- Day 2: Salen and Tobermory
- Day 3: Calgary Bay
- Day 4: Fionnphort and Iona
A glimpse of the places
Photo: Des Blenkinsopp · CC BY-SA 2.0. Resized for display.
Photo: roger nightingale · CC BY-SA 2.0. Resized for display.
Your 5-day plan:
- Day 1: Oban
- Day 2: Salen and Tobermory
- Day 3: Calgary Bay
- Day 4: Fionnphort and Iona
- Day 5: Return to Renfrew
4 nights away. Open the daily plan below for the food, activity and overnight choices.
Itineraries
Day 1
Oban
Collection: Allow for the 14:00 handover in Renfrew before starting this day. Choose an evening stop that fits the campsite’s check-in time.
Leave the van in an appropriate town car park and explore the harbour on foot. A waterfront lunch and one viewpoint are a better combination than squeezing in a distant island crossing.
Make it work: For a ferry next morning, choose the pitch and departure time together; mainland drive time comes after disembarkation.
Day 2
Salen and Tobermory
Explore Tobermory’s waterfront, then make Sgriob-ruadh Farm your food stop. The Glass Barn gives this day a more distinctive focus than another harbour photograph.
Make it work: Single-track miles take time. Let following traffic pass and keep passing places clear.
Day 3
Calgary Bay
Give Calgary’s beach an unhurried half-day rather than combining it with Iona. A picnic lets you linger without relying on a rural café being open.
Make it work: Keep south Mull for the next day: Calgary and Fionnphort are not neighbouring beach stops.
Day 4
Fionnphort and Iona
Leave the van on Mull and take the passenger ferry to Iona. Choose the abbey and a short island walk; a Staffa boat outing needs its own weather window and booking.
Make it work: A same-morning island ferry plus mainland drive is a tight handback plan. Stay on the mainland before the final return day where sailings allow.
Day 5
Return to Renfrew
Today is the return journey, with standard handback by 12 noon. Check live traffic, allow time to refuel and arrive at the agreed return point. Optional sightseeing and cafés come after the return only, unless a later handback has been agreed.
Food: Breakfast in the van before leaving your final pitch keeps the morning flexible. Sleeping: No overnight pitch is included for this final hire day; book an additional night if extending.
