Calgary Bay – a Sculpture Trail to the Sands and Lunch
About 2 miles on foot.
Calgary Bay is a long curve of white sand on Mull's north-west coast, with machair behind it and wooded hills on either side.
Above it, Calgary Art in Nature has laid a woodland trail of carvings and sculptures down through the trees to the shore, and its café at the top of the trail serves soups, light lunches and home baking.
- Time
- One to two hours for the trail, the beach and back.
- The path
- An earth woodland path with timber steps in places.
- Where to start
- Free car park at Calgary Art in Nature, by the gallery and café.
- When to go
- The trail and the beach are open ground. The café opens Sunday to Thursday, 10.30am to 4pm, from April; a seasonal café.
- Children
- Carvings and sculptures to find along the trail.
- Toilets
- At the café: an enlarged cubicle with grab bars, and baby changing.
- Before you set out
- The gallery and café keep their own days.
The walk
The road to Calgary is single track, with passing places.
Park in the free car park at Calgary Art in Nature, by the gallery and café on the hill above the bay.
The Sculpture in the Woods trail starts beside the map board: a path of carvings, willow figures and small surprises winding down through the trees to the shore, with a timber stair or two on the way.
If it rains
In heavy rain the woods give some shelter, but the beach is open to the Atlantic weather: keep the walk short and sit in the café.
Afterwards
About 2 min on foot
Calgary Bay
An attraction
The trail comes out of the trees by the beach. Calgary Bay is a long sweep of pale sand backed by machair, the flowery grassland of shell sand found only on these western coasts, with Calgary Castle in the woods above. A path along the north side of the bay leads out to the old pier. Dogs are welcome on the sand; keep them close where animals are grazing on the machair. The whole walk, down the trail, along the sand and back up, is about 2 miles and takes one to two hours.
About 3 min on foot
Calgary Bay Co
Lunch
Lunch is back at the top of the trail, at the café by the gallery, in an old stone building with a courtyard. It serves soups, light lunches, home baking and ice cream, with vegetarian and vegan dishes, and it's licensed. It opens Sunday to Thursday, 10.30am to 4pm, from April, and is shut on Fridays and Saturdays; it's a seasonal café, so from October ring 01688 400244 before going. Dogs are welcome, and there's baby changing. There's nowhere else to eat at Calgary, so on a Friday or Saturday bring a picnic.
Before you go
Book accommodation nearby
If you are staying over: here are ours nearest where the day starts and ends.
Where to eat
Calgary Bay Co, a café in Calgary.