Scotland
Tobermory
Crayon-bright houses line a harbour where fishing boats rock above sunken Spanish galleon gold.
The harbour at Tobermory is painted in colours so vivid they look digitally enhanced — crayon-bright facades reflecting in the water while fishing boats bob alongside a distillery that makes single malt within salt-spray distance of the sea. Somewhere beneath the harbour mud lies a Spanish Armada galleon and its rumoured gold.
Tobermory is the capital of the Isle of Mull, its painted harbour-front houses originally designed to be visible through fog from the water. The San Juan de Sicilia, a vessel from the 1588 Spanish Armada, sank in the bay — treasure hunters have searched for its cargo intermittently for over four centuries without conclusive results. The Tobermory Fish Company smokes its own fish in the harbour — the scent of oak-smoked haddock drifts along the waterfront. Tobermory Distillery produces a maritime-influenced single malt aged in sherry casks, and the surrounding Mull landscape offers eagle-watching, otter-spotting, and some of the most dramatic coastal scenery in the Inner Hebrides.
Couple
The coloured harbour, distillery tasting, and fresh seafood create an effortlessly romantic island town. The whisky-and-fish-supper combination at the water's edge is hard to improve upon.
Family
Tobermory's resemblance to the children's television show Balamory is no accident — the town inspired it. The harbour, the fish and chips, and the boat trips to Staffa make it a family-friendly island base.
Friends
The distillery, the harbour pubs, and the Mull Rally atmosphere (if you time it right) make Tobermory a lively group destination with plenty to fill a long weekend.
- The harbour's crayon-coloured houses were painted bright to be visible through mist from the water.
- A Spanish Armada galleon sank in the bay in 1588 — treasure hunters have searched for gold ever since.
- The Tobermory Fish Company smokes its own fish in the harbour — you smell it before you see the shop.
- The harbour-front distillery produces a maritime single malt aged in sherry casks.
Tobermory Fish and Chips on the harbour: haddock from the Sound of Mull, battered and golden.
The Tobermory Distillery for a dram of Ledaig, peated and maritime, tasted where it's made.
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