Mull lies just off the west coast of Scotland, about 90 miles North of Glasgow and on the left. There are just 3,500 inhabitants on the island, which roughly covers the same  area as Greater London. We have no MacDonalds, no Starbucks, no Pizza Hut and no traffic lights. We do have a chip van however, and a roundabout.

We've got an abundance of other things, including wild open spaces, empty clean beaches and plenty of wildlife. There's fantastic local produce too - from shellfish from the surrounding clean waters, to slowly grown, naturally fed meat, delicious cheeses .... and some nice biscuits. What we can't get locally can get delivered. So  every now and again the cinema comes to town on the back of a truck, and you have to thumb down the bank when it drives by.

The biggest village on the island (I'll stop short of calling it a town, a status only accorded to settlements boasting more than 3 pubs) is Tobermory. Parents of the under-five might also recognise it as the setting for the BBC's Balamory programme. Here we have all the essential utilities, such as shops, policemen, a school, pubs and a place that sells welly boots. 

Mull is a popular tourist destination, not just for bird spotters, whale watchers and fans of PC Plum, but for anyone looking for somewhere peaceful, beautiful and full of character. If you are considering a holiday in the Hebrides, our advice is to a) bring a good coat, and b) have a look at some of the websites below, which will tell you far more than we have and do it more reliably......

www.holidaymull.co.uk/ Local tourist information site
www.mullchamber.org/ Another source of local info - the Chamber of Commerce
www.tobermory.co.uk/ Tobermory portal site
www.calmac.co.uk Bacon roll salesmen and ferry operators
www.mullart.com/ Site of local artist Gus Stewart, who let us use some of his pictures here. Have a look at his Tobermory Film.
www.michael-macgregor.co.uk/ Photographer from over the water in Ardnamurchan, who kindly let us use some of his prints.
www.bbc.co.uk/weather/5day.shtml?id=3020 The most important link - will it rain just a little, or a lot?