Some of the recent comments made by our guests:
- Thank you for superb accommodation in a wonderful location ... already looking forward to next year's holiday!! (T and L H, Norwich)
- We were totally unprepared for the quality and cleanliness of (the lodge). We have been in many holiday homes over the years but yours must surely be the best. Your attention to detail was second to none and we were made so welcome. (E and P R, Melrose)
- Thank you for a lovely stay in "Eorsa" lodge. It was fantastic to stay somewhere where you had thought of everything we might need! Beds were really comfy and it was lovely and warm. We look forward to staying with you again ....... (D and B H, Preston)
- It was thoroughly enjoyable. The lodge was perfect in all respects - the setting is so beautiful. We very much hope to return next year ....... (R and J R, Castle Douglas)
- We couldn't have wanted more from a holiday. We found your location ideal for peace and solitude and the accommodation was beautiful and comfortable. We really enjoyed everything about our stay and would love to come again ....... (A and B H, Dorset)
- Can only be described as wonderful and memorable ........ (M W, Sutton Coldfield)
- A superb holiday. The lodge is so very comfortable and the view just stunning. Will tell all our friends about your lovely Hideaway Lodges ........ (A and S B, Montrose)
Photographs taken by Tony Dunn, one of our guests. More of his work can be seen on his own website here. Click on any photo for a larger view.
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A selection of photographs by Ken Hall. |
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A selection of photographs by Simon Phillpott. |
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A selection of photographs; authors unknown. |
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One of our guests wrote this report for their local R.S.P.B. group:
THE ENCHANTED ISLES - MULL AND IONA
We spent two wonderful weeks on the Isle of Mull in early May. Our visit coincided with the annual Mull Wildlife Week which ran from the 7th - 14th May. This enabled us to take advantage of some of the organised events. We had wondered if this would also have the downside of making the island too crowded but this was not the case. Landing on Mull is like stepping back in time - the roads are so narrow and quiet and the pace appears to be leisurely.
We stayed in one of three lodges on the shores of Loch na Keal, situated in a bluebell wood. It was a wonderfully peaceful place to stay. The only time the peace was shattered was when a white-tailed sea eagle flew over being mobbed by gulls! As we are enthusiastic but not expert birders we decided to book ourselves on an organised tour of the island and chose 'Discover Mull' run by Pam and Arthur Brown. We booked the trip for the first Monday so that we could learn which sites to visit during the rest of our stay. There were eight of us in the mini-bus and our driver and guide, Arthur Brown. We left Tobermory at 10a.m. and did not return until nearly 6p.m. Morning and afternoon coffee, tea and home-made cakes were provided and we welcomed the soup and sandwiches at lunchtime.
Our route was mainly round the north-east corner of the island, culminating in a trip down the side of Loch na Keal from Knock where we saw slavonian grebe and red-throated diver among others. Arthur knew all the places where birds were likely to be found and we were soon watching hen harrier and short-eared owl as well as buzzard and various warblers. We then moved on to Dervaig where we were fortunate to get some good views of an immature white-tailed sea eagle as well as dipper, heron and other estuary birds. Arthur worked very hard to show us what this part of the island had to offer and imparted plenty of geological and historical information as well as finding the birds for us.
The highlight of the day for me was some wonderful views of a golden eagle appearing from the valley where the nest was located. Unusually for a golden eagle this nest was in a tree previously used by a white-tailed sea eagle rather than on a crag. We also had distant views of an otter. We saw 82 different species of bird plus otter, seals, deer, flowers and butterflies. We both felt it was a very worthwhile experience and the day helped us to enjoy the wildlife on the island during the rest of our stay. We were lucky with the weather during our holiday and were able to indulge in our other hobby - hill walking - as well as enjoying the wildlife.
Later in the week we joined the local Mull bird group on a dawn chorus walk as a part of the Wildlife Week. This started at 5 am from the church 1/4 of a mile from where we were staying. We enjoyed watching the return of the bats to the church while we waited for all the people to arrive. We then walked along the seashore past Killiechronan Camp Site watching otter and for quite a long time, a white-tailed sea eagle quartering the sky above us. Sean, an expert on bird calls, helped us to identify many species up in the woodland above Killiechronan House, including crossbill, blackcap, whitethroat, whinchat and a very obliging wood warbler.
One species we wanted to see if possible was a corncrake. We realised that, though we would probably hear them on lona, we did not stand much chance of seeing them. Accordingly we joined an event organised by the Wildlife Week and led by Pam Brown of 'Discover Mull'. It was a damp day and we were soon listening to the sound of corncrakes near to the Abbey but not seeing them. Pam then led us down a track to an area just to the left of the Nunnery where all the members of the group were successful in getting good views of the whole of a corncrake and even seeing it run some distance to some different cover.
During our second week on Mull we spent two afternoons on the shore near the narrow gauge railway station at Craignure where we had some outstanding views of an otter. It seemed unworried by our presence and it was an absolute joy to watch this wild creature catching and eating food and then curling up for a while on a rock.
So what more can I say - two islands covered in wild flowers (we managed to identify 88 species), birds galore and otters too. Truly these were the enchanted isles for us.
(B.M., Wakefield)
Discover Mull - Pam and Arthur Brown. Tel: 01688-400415 www.discovermull.co.uk
A wonderful web-site with full details about the birding on Mull www.mullbirds.com
Track Mull white-tailed sea eagles at: www.rspb.org.uk/wildlife/tracking/mulleagles