Top tips for Winter breaks on Mull
We offer winter breaks on Mull from the beginning of November through to the middle of March. You can book anything from a short break of 2 or 3 nights to a longer stay of several weeks or a month! (NB Christmas & New Year dates have to be booked for a week).
If you are thinking of coming to stay in the winter please email us before using our online booking system, to see if we have any special offers on the go! This blog is to help you think about what winter breaks on Mull might be like and what to expect of the island in winter.
Quieter
Mull is undoubtedly quieter in the winter. Many of our dedicated winter guests like to come and stay then because they enjoy that quiet feeling. The shorter days mean longer evenings in the warm by the fire! Come at Christmas and New Year to escape the more commercial celebrations on the mainland. Some visitors even choose a winter break in order to get the Christmas cards written!
What is there to love about Mull in winter
What do I love about Mull in winter? I think it is the feeling that everyone has a little more time to chat. The pace of life remains busy but is governed more by the weather and the shorter days. The roads are quiet and you can have Calgary Beach all to yourself! Here at Treshnish we get in to the winter feeding routine, the school bus run in the darker mornings. We catch up on the maintenance in the cottages.
There was an article published a few winters ago which implied that the ‘lights were off’ on Mull in winter. It said that there was not much open, not many places to go and eat, not much to do. Personally I think that is fair enough. Shopkeepers, accommodation providers, restauranteurs and small businesses work extremely hard in the main season, and they do need to refuel/recharge their batteries. They need to work on their properties or even take a holiday themselves. It is important to me that visitors coming to the island in winter remember that it is an island, it is winter, but it is open – albeit for ‘out of season’ business!
Out of Season can be a good thing
To me ‘out of season’ has an additional attraction and appeal all of its own. The weather in the winter means the wildlife boat trips don’t run, but one or two of the land based wildlife tours will take people out. The more exotic migrant visitors may not be around, but otters, eagles and deer are here all year round, and often easier to see in the winter than in the summer.
It is all about having the right attitude. Places like the Glengorm Coffee Shop and Calgary Tearoom will be closed in winter. Instead why not enjoy the local produce another way. Buy your picnic ingredients from local shops and go to the beach! In the evening you can splash out at Macgochans or the MacDonald Arms in Tobermory. Ballygown Restaurant towards Ulva Ferry opens sometimes in winter too.
DIY history
The Mull Museum and Duart Castle are also closed in winter. Instead you could research some of this history yourselves. Use the books in our Phone Room/Library and go out to explore other historic places and sites on the island by yourselves.
On the farm are the ruined villages of Crackaig and Glac Guguaridh. If you are like me, you might enjoy drawing ones own conclusions about some of the remoter less obvious sites anyway.
Expectations
So winter breaks on Mull are all about expectation. Please don’t book one expecting the island to be in full summer mode! Some of our regular winter guests never come and stay in the summer – they love the bare bones of Mull in the winter, and it always exceeds their expectations.
Treshnish winter breaks offer a quiet, remote escape from the hurly burly of the mainland. Flexible arrival days to suit you and the winter ferry timetable. Warm and comfortable cottages – most have a wood burner (Shieling is the exception).
Enjoy the ‘sitooterie’
Shian, Duill and Studio all have a ‘sitooterie’ (unheated sunroom) designed to allow you to enjoy the outdoors under shelter – out of the wind and rain if it is stormy. You can sit and watch for a Golden eagle to ‘hang’ in the northerly thermals in front of the cottage, as they are known to do – or watch out for the male Hen harrier as he flies past to his favourite hunting ground.
PS Winter is fantastic for photography too…
