Map Out Your Visit to the Isle of Ulva
The island of Ulva, community-owned since 2018, lies just off Mull’s west coast. It looks so close you might fancy swimming it on a summer’s day, but there’s an easier way to get across than that!
Isle of Ulva ferry crossing
You can get there via the quick passenger ferry service from aptly named Ulva Ferry on Mull, which carries you across to the slipway on Ulva. Simply slide the signal board across to summon the ferryman and he’ll be along to pick you up!
Ulva Ferry has a brilliant shore building now so you can await the boat in comfort, with WCs, a drying room and comfortable waiting area among other facilities on offer. There’s also a carpark – it does get busy, so make sure you arrive in good time to find a space and take care not to park on verges or block access roads.
For 2026, the ferryman is running a service across to Ulva on weekdays only, to give the wee island and resident Ulva population a bit of much-needed R&R come the weekend! The crossing takes about five minutes.
So, if you’d like to hop across to enjoy a superb seafood lunch at the Boathouse, step back in time at Sheila’s Cottage, a reconstructed historic black house, or wander the many waymarked trails across the island, make sure to plan your visit this year on a weekday. Livingstone’s Cave and the Thomas Telford-designed church are also landmarks to look out for as you explore the walking trails.
Ulva House: Now Ulva’s Grand Island Hotel
Of course, Banjo and Ro’s renovation of Ulva House – brought to fame by the Grand Island Hotel TV series – is a highlight for many visitors as the mansion is restored to its former glory. Only a short walk from the pier, the house also once had beautiful walled gardens with it, which a community group still tend to to this day. Particularly lovely in the spring, when the collection of rhododendrons and azaleas are in full, fragrant bloom.
Out in the wilder landscapes, you’ll still be in for a floriferous reward, with wildflowers growing in abundance here, from rare orchids to interesting native lichens and many species in between.
Visting the island of Ulva from Mull
A visit to the island of Ulva makes for a wonderful day spent in the wild west coast scenery, fresh air thanks to the lack of cars on the island and wildlife at every turn. But if you’re not quite ready to finish your adventure yet, back on Mull, there’s more to delight in the area at Ulva Ferry, whether you return to sea once again for a trip aboard the Lady Jayne with Mull Charters, or with Turus Mara to see Staffa and the Treshnish Isles, which also sail from the Ulva Ferry pontoons.
On dry land, Lucy’s stunning and surprising gardens on the steep hillside at Lip na Cloiche promise an enchanting way to while away a few hours in plant-lovers’ paradise, before a locally sourced supper at the excellent Croft 3 restaurant just down the road.
How would you spend a perfect day in the island’s west?