Lip na Cloiche – A Hillside Garden above Loch Tuath
A few hours.
The route
Lip na Cloiche is a small garden and nursery packed onto a steep, windswept hillside at Ballygown, above Loch Tuath on Mull's west coast, looking out to Ulva and the Treshnish Isles.
It's a quiet hour for anyone who loves plants and a big view.
Before you go
Book accommodation nearby
If you are staying over: here are ours nearest where the day starts and ends.
The day
Ballygown
An hour in the garden and the nursery's porch, with the loch below.
About an hour
Lip na Cloiche Garden
An attraction
Lip na Cloiche stands above the B8073 at Ballygown, on the north shore of Loch Tuath. It's open every day of the year from dawn to dusk, and entry is free: a donation is welcome, and a quarter of it goes to local charities. The garden is small and densely planted on a steep, windswept slope, with paths that climb, so it is not one for wheelchairs or pushchairs. Below it the loch runs out towards Ulva and the Treshnish Isles: come in good light for the view. The nursery sells plants all year, with fresh eggs, crafts made from beachcombed finds and pressed wildflowers in the porch. There's no café, and parking isn't listed online: ring 01688 500257 before going to ask where to leave the car. An hour is plenty.
If it rains
The garden is all outdoors on a steep slope; on a wet day the nursery's porch is the only cover.
Photographs by Sarah Dodds and peter owen via Google