Having a break at Mull Chalet on Seil Island is perfect if you want to get away from it all and do nothing. It is so peaceful, time just seems to stand still and this is the ideal place to wind down.
However, if you like to get out and about there is a surprising amount of things to do locally to suit all ages and interests. Here are just a few things to whet your appetite - you will find lots more suggestions in the information folder in the chalet - there is also an Ordnance Survey map and guidebooks.
Walking - lots of great walks on Seil and the nearby islands of Easdale and Luing (guidebook in the chalet).
Pubs - There are two on Seil and both serve good food:
The Tigh-an-Truish (3 miles) - this means 'House of the Trousers' in Gaelic and was where men changed out of their kilts into their trews when kilts were banned on the mainland. You pass the pub when you first arrive on Seil over the Clachan Bridge:
http://www.tigh-an-truish.co.uk/
The Oyster Bar and Restaurant in Ellenabeich (2 miles) - Ellenabeich is a lovely village of former slate quarrymans' cottages. It's also where you can catch the small passenger ferry to Easdale Island.
Both pubs are within walking distance, although the walk back always seems shorter ! However, there is a bus service in daytime which picks up and drops off by the Balvicar Stores and by both pubs - there is a timetable in the chalet.
On the way to Ellenabeich and the Oyster Bar and Restaurant
Golf - Balvicar has it's very own 9-hole golf course just a few hundred yards from the chalet...
Wildlife boat trips - these depart nearby (about 2 miles), near the Tigh-an-Truish hotel. David the skipper is very knowledgable and good at finding wildlife. Last time we went on one of his cruises we saw a sea eagle (and nest), deer, wild goats, porpoise and a great display from a school of dolphins. Look out for the chalet as you sail down the Sound of Seil.
http://www.sealife-adventures.com/index.html
Seafari - an exciting way to see other islands from the sea, wildlife and the famous Corryvrekan whirlpool, which can be heard 12 miles away at certain times.
http://www.seafari.co.uk/oban/
Oban - the nearest 'big' town where you will find lots of restaurants and pubs, a big leisure centre with swimming pool, small museum, a distillery and boats to Mull and other islands. Lots more infomation from the tourist office.
http://www.oban.org.uk/index.php
Gardens - An Cala and Ardmaddy Castle are within a few miles of the chalet. Further away are the famous Arduine Gardens and Torosay Castle (on Mull - accessed by a great little railway, which children love). Good time to see gardens in Argyll is in May when the rhododendrons are at their best.
Arduine Gardens
Kilmartin Glen - there are more than 350 standing stones, burial cairns, ancient forts, duns and carved stones within a six-mile radius of the village of Kilmartin. Around 150 of these are thousands of year old and Kilmartin Glen is one of Scotland's richest prehistoric landscapes. A fascinating day out, with the Kilmartin House Museum also offering delicious homemade cakes, soup, and meals - it's worth the trip just for lunch !
Burial chamber - Kilmartin Glen
Prehistoric rock carvings - Kilmartin Glen
Staffa (and Iona) - well worth a day trip (from Oban). Especially in April/May when the puffins are nesting on Staffa and you can get right up close to these fantastic, comical birds. You can land on Staffa when it is not too rough and get right inside 'Fingal's Cave'. Iona is where St Columba brought christianity to Scotland and still has a beautiful thriving abbey. Iona also gives you fine examples of the white sand beaches found throughout the Hebrides.
I could go on and on - but why not hunt around and find your own favourite place to visit nearby, or look through the books in the chalet when you get there and see what you fancy doing..........
Summer evening looking down the Sound of Seil