Sisters Trip - to Oban and then to Mull

Another glorious bright morning saw us drive to Taynish NNR in search of Marsh Fritillary butterflies.  A very helpful lady, we think the Doctor overseeing the reserve, helped us park as she organised a visiting school group.  She advised however the colony was lost as it had been predated by a parasitic wasp during the caterpillar stage, and she was right we didn't find a single one.

We did enjoy the morning sunshine filtering through the trees as we explored the reserve:

Having gone a different route to most we watched a couple of deer who nervously headed away when they'd in turn spotted us:

There were butterflies about, mostly Orange-tip and like this Green-veined White:

As well as a few freshly emerged Speckled Wood:

Having explored the end of the reserve we then took in the short sharp hill ascent for magnificent views of bluebells, lochs and hills:

I was photographing them being photographed in such a magnificent landscape:

This was the view North from the highest point:

From Taynish we headed up the windy coastal road to Oban, enjoying dinner in town and then the sun setting over Mull our next destination:

Yet another bright morning dawned, Scotland was really putting it's best sunshine hat on.   After breakfast a brief wait in the queue for the ferry:

And then we sailed across to Mull:

Mull looked beautiful as we drove from the ferry terminal at Craignure on to our planned walk at Carsaig.  Beautiful but isloated:

Carsaig is a pretty bay with a very tricky walk to some arches on the coast, beyond the point you can see in the distance:

We set off as a group around the bay:

And reached a spectacular waterfall:

The going was proving tough however and we all turned round at various points and completed the walk ahead of schedule.

Helen and I meandered along the coast enjoying the various oddities along the way:

As well as basalt columns high on the cliff:

We did also spot some very interesting butterflies, both Small Pearl-Bordered Fritillaries:

And Marsh Fritillaries:

Then it was time to head for accommodation for a much needed shower before dinner.

However we didn't see much of the island in the end as on arrival at our accommodation, the Craignure Inn, they denied having received the booking (confirmed in the previous November).  As we'd done it all by phone i couldn't produce a confirmation and that was that, it was late afternoon, various websites showed no availability and we had to get off the island pronto, which we managed by getting the very last spot on the penultimate boat to the mainland.  I noted reading the reservation book that the rooms we'd agreed £80 B&B for were now going for £95, hence no doubt the owner's motivation to dump us and re-sell them.   We also lost £130 on a booking for two of us to visit Treshnish and Staffa by boat the next morning as we were in the 24 hour cancellation window by the time we knew we had a problem.   We'll never forget the impact they had on our holiday and plans.  Luckily it was less then 3 hours from dinner in Oban again to bed at home.  Bastards.