Ferry From Oban

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Leaving from the main ferry terminal in Oban, taking the Calmac ferry allows you to bring a car onto Lismore, although you might find that you don’t need it! This is as scenic a boat trip as you can imagine, past Dunollie Castle before forging on up Loch Linnhe to eventually land around halfway along the island.

Lismore Gaelic Heritage Centre

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The perfect place to start a day on Lismore is at the Gaelic Heritage Centre. The island was once right at the centre of the Gaelic world, easily accessible from every direction and that history is told through numerous displays and information panels. 

There are tales of real people from Lismore’s past as well as artefacts from throughout the long history of habitation. Outside the modern centre stands the reconstruction of a traditional 19th century cottage, complete with peat fire and thatched roof, allowing you to imagine what life was like once for many on the island.

Hike To Tirefour Broch

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Now you’ve learnt a little about the history of Lismore, it’s time to see where it all took place! Leaving from the Heritage Centre, it’s a straightforward hike across the road and round Balnagowan Loch to climb up to Tirefour Broch. Before reaching the uphill section, you’ll pass the ruins of an old farming township, now inhabited only by sheep. The Broch itself is around 2000 years old and would have originally stood around 10 meters high! Built with an inner and outer drystone wall, how these uniquely Scottish structures were used remains a mystery. It’s not hard to see why its builders chose this location though and the views to the Nevis mountain range to the north are absolutely spectacular!

Lunch At Heritage Café

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Now that you’ve worked up an appetite, you’ll be happy to hear that the Isle of Lismore Café, located in the Heritage Centre, is one of the best places to eat in the Hebrides. That’s not just an opinion either, they recently won an award for Best Island Café! Expect delicious soups and sandwiches as well as larger meals like Highland Cow burgers using local ingredients where possible.

St Moluag’s Cathedral

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It might not look like much today but Lismore Parish Church was once the Cathedral of Argyll! Dedicated to St Moluag, it’s said that the holy man once raced St Columba ashore to see who would get to build their church on Lismore. When Moluag saw that he might lose, he chopped his own finger off and threw it onto the island to win the race! There are small clues that the present parish church was once part of something much grander. Carved bishop’s heads can be found indoors as well as blocked up doors to nowhere and. Outside by the road, elaborately carved graveslabs stand as incredible memorials to unknown warriors and bishops.

Castle Coeffin

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There’s no vehicular access down to arguably the best-known site on Lismore, Castle Coeffin, but it’s worth the walk! The crumbling walls rise above the surrounding land like a shattered crown and this place is said to be named after a Scandinavian prince whose sister Beothail once haunted the castle. 

Once day she learned that her lover had been killed in Norway and soon died of a broken heart. Beothail’s spirit lingered in the castle, begging to be buried beside her love and Coeffin gladly agreed. However, the haunting continued until the inhabitants realised that one of the girl’s toe-bones had been left behind! 

Today, Castle Coeffin is a quiet place to wander with spectacular views along Loch Linnhe. You might be lucky enough to see horses grazing in the field in front of the ruins or seals bobbing around in the water. It’s an amazing place to just sit and imagine everything that this place has witnessed over hundreds of years, as well as wonder why it took you so long to visit!