Swimming in Crystal Clear Scottish Seas

Difficulty:

This adventure is all about remoteness and therefore really depends on how far you’re willing to mission for that feeling of isolation. But once you do make it you will be handsomely rewarded with the most exquisitely clear water all to yourself.

Time:

Once you’re on the Isle of Mull then we recommend leaving a day for this adventure. Long, single tracks lead the way to these little beaches and if you get stuck behind a tractor and or Highland cattle (as we did) then there is absolutely nothing you can do about it! 

The Adventure:

The Isle of Mull is really quite an extraordinary place. Accessible via three ferry links this 875 Square km Inner Hebridean mass of rock isn’t necessarily the hardest UK island to get to but it’s just hard enough to stop the vast majority of visitors to the Highlands from making the trip. This means that once you arrive you feel in large parts that you have the place to yourself. This feeling of isolation and remoteness is what punctuates the island's character, giving it a unique atmosphere as you realise large parts of the island have never been touched by man. 

What’s more it is home to some of the most beautiful beaches that we have been lucky enough to set foot on, not just in the UK but in the world. With dramatic rocks running down into white sands that meet almost perfectly clear turquoise water, Mull has landscapes like no other. 

And it was finding this crystal clear sea that we were after. The plan was simple, we wanted to find the clearest water and swim in it.

Setting off from our hostel near the main town of Tobermory on the North-East of the Island, we made our way through the mountainous middle of Mull across to the South-West, an hour and a half drive along the only road that takes you there. Once nearing the small village of Bunessan we pulled off down an even smaller dirt track sign posted to Scoor. Just when we were sure we had taken the wrong turn we arrived at Kilvickeon Parish Church and Cemetery, a ruined church with beautifully positioned graveyard attached. Here we parked our car and made our way 15 minutes along a small footpath down to Kilvickeon Beach.

The first view you get of the beach as you round the corner is spectacular. At low tide, the white sand is split in two with a large mass of rock dividing two large beaches. The real star of the show, however, is the colour of that water - a Caribbean blue dancing in the sunlight, quite a special sight . We had made it!

We walked down to the sand to find that we were the only ones on the beach, as discussed if you are willing to make the effort to get to this particular corner of the UK you will be rewarded handsomely with extraordinary landscapes all to yourselves.

We spent the next few hours exploring the beaches and picnicking in the sun before plucking up the courage to swim.. Well if i’m honest we cheated slightly as we had wetsuits, thin wetsuits but wetsuits none the less, which allowed us to actually stay in the water and explore that part of the coast from the ocean. And what an experience that was, paddling there in the crystal clear waters of this remote corner of a Hebridean Island, the feeling of gratitude was strong… We were thankful that we live on these set of islands and that we are able to enjoy experiences like this. Very special.  

After we couldn’t take the cold any longer it was time to get out and warm up with a cup of tea before heading back to the car to make the beautiful drive back across the island.

Pointers:

• Take some food, be it a picnic or a disposable bbq. There is nowhere to buy anything within miles of the spot so be prepared. Lots of water too for that matter!

• If you really want to experience the water, take a wetsuit. Although you don’t necessarily ‘need’ one, if you want to stay in the water and really enjoy its clarity, a wetsuit is the way forward.

• Check the tide times and try to go at low tide. This will mean you have far more beach to explore and will be able to access the large island that divides the two strips of sand.

• If you are hungry afterwards head to the Creel Shack opposite the ferry port in nearby Fionnphort - here you can get deep fried king scallops and chips… there’s a first time for everything!

In Conclusion:

If you are wanting a feeling of remoteness, of isolation, of being surrounded by incredible British beauty then there might not be many better ways to achieve that, than to swim in water like this.

This isn’t for the faint hearted; firstly it is a long old journey to get there, secondly the water is nothing short of breathtakingly cold. However if you’re not fussed by either of the above, then swimming in these Hebridean waters is quite an extraordinary experience.

The Numbers:

/ 8 Hrs

/ 2 Beaches

/ 1.5 hr drive from Tobermory

/ £0