Isle of Mull Cheese – a Farm Tour and Lunch Under the Vine
A few hours.
The route
Sgriob-ruadh, on the hill just above Tobermory, is Mull's only dairy farm, where the Reade family has made Isle of Mull cheese from its own cows' milk since the 1980s, and now distils a spirit from the whey too.
Their farm tour takes you through the dairy, the cellars and the little distillery with a tasting at the end. Lunch is in the Glass Barn, a glasshouse café under an old vine.
Before you go
Book accommodation nearby
If you are staying over: here are ours nearest where the day starts and ends.
The nearest of ours is Borradill House in Glenborrodale, 9 miles away. Sleeps 6; next free Sun 15 Nov to Tue 17 Nov.
Then Borradill Cottage, 9 miles away. Sleeps 4; next free Sun 29 Nov to Tue 1 Dec.
Book Isle of Mull Cheese, Sgriob-ruadh Farm
Book the farm tour at Isle of Mull Cheese online, in the farm shop or on 01688 302235 (10am to 4pm) for a morning time, so lunch in the Glass Barn follows: tours run Tuesday to Saturday all year, £25 adults and £8 under-18s at the time of writing, under-5s free but ticketed, and no refund within 24 hours.
The day
Sgriob-ruadh
A morning among the cows, the cheese and the stills on the hill above Tobermory, then lunch under the vine with the fields running down towards the Sound.
About three and a half hours
Isle of Mull Cheese, Sgriob-ruadh Farm
Sgriob-ruadh Farm is on the hill just outside Tobermory, and there's room to park on the gravel in front of the Glass Barn. Book the farm tour before you go, online, in the farm shop or on 01688 302235. It runs Tuesday to Saturday, all year, and costs £25 for adults and £8 for under-18s at the time of writing; under-5s are free but need a ticket. You'll see the dairy and the underground cellars where the cheese matures, watch a small cheesemaking demonstration, visit the whey distillery and taste both. Wear sensible shoes, as it's a working farm. Tours aren't suitable for wheelchairs.
The Glass Barn
Lunch
Lunch is a few steps away in the Glass Barn, a glasshouse made from the iron frame of Salen's old village hall, with a vine grown over its whole roof. Lunch runs from noon, with last orders at 2.30pm, and the farm shop sells the cheese, the farm's pork and Island Bakery biscuits. There are no bookings, just turn up, and there's baby changing in the lean-to by the café. Its spring and summer hours are Tuesday to Saturday, 10am to 4.30pm; it's a seasonal café, so from October ring 01688 302235 before going. If it's shut, MacGochans in Tobermory serves food every day.
If it rains
The dairy, the cellars, the distillery and the café are all under a roof; only the yard between them is out in the weather.
The Glass Barn, a café in Tobermory.
The Galleon, a restaurant.