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What can you see on our tour?
Our tour offers wildlife, scenery and historical landmarks. Throughout the tour our well informed guides will provide commentary about the local wildlife, history of the area, castles and other landmarks.
The island of Mull is home to one of the rarest birds of prey in the UK, the white-tailed sea eagle. This eagle was hunted to extinction during the early 1900s but due to a reintroduction project in the 1970’s, there is a healthy population established on the Isle of Mull. The first introduction occurred in 1975 on the Isle of Rum and as the population expanded the sea eagle moved south to the Isle of Mull. This is now home to a thriving population of breeding pairs throughout the island. These huge eagles have a wingspan of over 2 meters, with a distinct white head and tail feathers. Our tour shadows the island's coastline as this is a prime location to spot one of these majestic birds. The birds can often be seen hunting for their next meal in the Firth of Lorn, with a varied diet of fish and seabirds. Our tour offers you the opportunity to spot one of the UK’s rarest bird species.
In addition to the Sea Eagle, the Firth of Lorn is also home to many other bird species. This includes many species of sea birds including; Great Northern Divers, Black Guillemot, Common Guillemot and Manx Shearwaters. You are likely to encounter marine wildlife as well on our tour. With frequent sightings of pods of dolphins and porpoises in the Firth of Lorn. The dolphins are often playful and will ride along with the boat. Species of whale can be also be seen on occasion, commonly the minke whale. Our tour will also give passengers the opportunity to see the local seal colony which is present all year round. The route of our tour covers a large section of the Firth’s coastline and this is home to one of Scotland's most elusive mammals, the otter. These shy animals are seen close to the coastline where they spend time feeding.
As well as plenty of wildlife, our tour offers views of spectacular scenery and historic landmarks. This includes 3 Scottish castles; Gylen, Duart and Dunollie. These castles are set close to the coast and can be seen in comfort from our boat. Gylen Castle is situated on the shores of the Island of Kerrera and was built by the clan MacDougall in the 1500’s. The second castle is Duart castle on the Isle of Mull. Duart is home to the clan MacLean. The third castle and the oldest is Dunollie castle. Dunollie is situated on the Argyll coastline, at the North entrance into Oban bay. The castle dates back to the reign of the Lord of The Isles but despite being abandoned for hundreds of years it is still a prominent feature.
In addition to three castles, you will also see an iconic Stevenson lighthouse. Lismore Lighthouse was designed by Robert Stevenson. The Stevenson family were renowned Scottish engineers specialising in lighthouses. Many of these lighthouses are situated around the Scottish coastline.
Our tour departs from the North Pier in Oban. The North Pier is a commercial pier so we ask passengers to be vigilant and not obstruct the main road to the pier when making their way to the departure point. As a result, passengers should arrive at the departure point, at the earliest, 10 minutes before the tour departure time. There is no parking available on the pier but on our FAQ page, we have an interactive map pointing out places to park in the town. North Pier postcode: PA34 5QD.
