Ulva – a Foot Ferry, the Farm Walk and a Seafood Lunch
About 2.5 miles on foot.
Ulva lies a few minutes across a narrow sound from Mull's west coast, a car-free island owned by its community since 2018.
Flip the sign to call the little ferry, follow the short waymarked farm walk past a walled garden, the farm and a Telford church, then sit down to the day's catch at the Boathouse by the jetty. It's an easy island morning for walkers of most ages.
- Time
- About an hour's walk, after a crossing of a few minutes.
- The path
- Rough farm tracks, reached by a small open boat from a pontoon.
- Where to start
- Daytime parking by the ferry, with electric car charging points; it gets busy, so come in good time and never park on the verges.
- When to go
- Weekdays only: the ferry runs Monday to Friday, 9am to 5.30pm, from 1 April to 31 October; the Boathouse opens Monday to Friday, 9am to 5pm.
- Dogs
- Sheep and cattle graze the island: ask the ferryman about dogs.
- Children
- A gentle hour on farm tracks.
- Toilets
- In the shore building at Ulva Ferry on Mull, before you cross.
- Before you set out
- The ferryman decides each day whether it is safe to sail; the church and Sheila's Cottage are closed for now.
The walk
Ulva Ferry is on Mull's west coast, where the last nine miles from Salen run along Loch na Keal on a single-track road below Ben More. There's daytime parking by the ferry, with electric car charging points, but it gets busy, so come in good time and never park on the verges or across the access roads. The shore building has toilets, a drying room and a waiting area. The little foot ferry runs on demand from 1 April to 31 October, Monday to Friday only, from 9am to 5.30pm, and the ferryman decides whether it's safe to sail.
There's no need to book: slide the signal board to red and the ferryman comes across to fetch you, for a crossing of a few minutes. Check the fare on the Isle of Ulva's own website before you go. On the island, the farm walk is the shortest and simplest of Ulva's waymarked walks, a circuit of about 3.75 km that takes around an hour on rough farm tracks from the jetty and back. It passes the walled garden beside Ulva House, which volunteers are restoring and where you're welcome to wander.
Then it follows the shore past the farm to the church Thomas Telford designed in 1828 to seat 300, when far more people lived on the island. Ulva House itself is private, and the church and Sheila's Cottage, a restored thatched croft house, are closed for now while money is raised to make them safe. Sheep and cattle graze the island, and white-tailed sea eagles nest here and are often seen along the coast. The tracks are rough, so wear sturdy shoes.
If it rains
The walk is all outdoors on rough tracks, and the ferryman won't sail when it isn't safe. On a wet day, cross for a long lunch at the Boathouse and leave the walk for a drier one.
Afterwards
About 5 min on foot
The Boathouse
Lunch
Lunch is at the Boathouse, the white building beside the jetty where the walk ends. Its menu changes every day with what the fishing boats land: lobster, langoustines or prawns and crab, with fresh bread, salads, meat from the island farm, home-baked cakes and coffee, and wine and cocktails too. It opens Monday to Friday from 9am to 5pm, with lunch until 3pm, and it takes no bookings, so just turn up. The ferry back to Mull runs until 5.30pm.
Before you go
Book accommodation nearby
If you are staying over: here are ours nearest where the day starts and ends.
For further reading, before you go.