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Everyone has their own favourite island, but Mull has enough going for it to appeal to most tastes: spectacular mountain scenery; 300 miles of wild coastline; castles; wildlife; a narrow-gauge railway; some of the best fishing in Scotland; and some of the prettiest little villages; all in an area roughly 24 miles from north to south and 26 miles from east to west. It's worth spending time on Mull to fully appreciate its pleasures and to take advantage of the great hospitality of an island where people don't even have to lock their doors at night.

Like many of the Hebridean islands, the people of Mull, or Muileachs, suffered greatly during the Clearances, when they were forced off their land to make way for sheep. The subsequent decline in population was exacerbated by the terrible potato famine of 1846, and the population fell dramatically from a peak of 10,600 in 1820. Numbers have stabilized to around 2,500 in recent years, mainly through the replacement of native islanders by English and Scottish incomers, known as 'White Settlers'. This is something of a sore point and the locals sarcastically refer to their island as 'The Officer's Mess', when the resident population rises to around 8,000 during the summer.

With around 600,000 visitors a year, tourism is an important contributor to the island's economy, supplementing the traditional fishing, crofting and whisky distilling. Despite the numbers, Mull remains unspoiled, though the main roads become congested at the height of the season and accommodation can be hard to find, as there are few large hotels or campsites on the island.

Red Deer abound on Mull, and if you scan the mountainsides of areas such as Glen More, you will find them. The only other deer which you will see on Mull is the Fallow Deer, which most people agree is the prettiest of all the British Deer. The only place that you can find Fallow Deer, is in the area of Knock, near Loch na Keal.

There are two species of seal on the island; these are The Common Seal, which is not so common, and The Atlantic or Grey Seal, which is much more common. The best way to decide which Seal is which, is to study the head, as The Common Seal has a much more doglike shape i.e. forehead and nose, whereas The Atlantic Seal has a very flat head. Common Seals also have very dark young, which they have in early Summer, whereas Atlantic Seals have white young in Autumn. A golden rule when seal spotting on Mull, is that if you see seals basking on rocky islands just offshore, they are usually The Common Seal. If you are a few miles offshore and see the same, it is usually The Atlantic Seal.

Otters are mythical creatures to some and many people including so called 'experts', have never seen an Otter. However, they have often seen their signs, i.e. their spraint or droppings. It may be that in England and the rest of Europe, you have to be content with seeing their signs and that is because they are usually nocturnal in those places. Here on Mull, the Otter hunts during the day and he is more governed by the state of the tide, than whether it is morning or night. Otters are only occasionally seen in fresh water here, and it is just offshore near seaweed covered rocks where you will most likely see one. Purchase a Tide Table and study the tides, because The Otter is much more likely to be seen on an incoming tide, than at any other time. As it comes toward high tide, the Otter usually heads for its holt, which is its home and rest area. It is also where they rear their young.