Читать книгу The Isle of Mull. Mull, Ulva, Gometra, Iona and Erraid онлайн

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There is much commercial forest on Mull, mainly featuring Sitka spruce, Japanese larch and lodgepole pine, but there is also an abundance of deciduous trees like birch, oak, rowan and wild cherry.

Nor is it all about the plants; the wildlife of these islands is every bit as varied. Red deer are seen almost anywhere and everywhere, with fallow deer populating the woodlands around Loch na Keal and Loch Ba. There are even wild goats, which keep very much to themselves among the coastal cliffs. Mull and Ulva have adders and slow worms, although neither are present on Iona.

Black highland bull

Around the coast, you frequently see common seals and grey seals; dolphins, too, and whales are also often spotted, especially minke whales, harbour porpoises and bottlenose dolphins; on rare occasions you may be fortunate enough to spot killer whales (orca) and basking sharks. But perhaps more than any other form of wildlife, it is the otter that attracts most attention. Far from uncommon, they can be spotted around the waterline along the rocky shores or playing in the water a little further out; they even frequent the harbour at Tobermory. Patience usually brings its own rewards, although a number of businesses have developed to take visitors to favoured locations.