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The Isle of Mull’s main attraction is not its castles, it’s not the beauty of its beaches and its not a distillery either. It is a row of colourful painted houses! Yes, that’s right, thanks to these houses and the childrens TV show Balamory which plays around them, Tobermory is the best known village in the whole country, at least in the group of 3-8 year old.

But Mull and Iona have got more to offer than painted houses. A rich history, staged in an impressive and wild scenery, places of religious importance, a range of activities to satisfy even the most demanding visitor and a very warm welcome from its inhabitants.

Mull is a rather large island (second largest of the Hebrides) situated about 8 miles west from the main land and the town of Oban, and about 3 miles south-west of the Ardnamurchan peninsula. It stretches about 45 miles in length and 25 miles in width, latest counts indicate a population of around 3000.

The island is dominated by the over 3000ft high Ben More, the only Munro in Scotland that is not on the mainland or on Skye. Mull has demonstrably one of the greatest biodiversities of any place of comparable size in the UK, over 300 miles of Coastline, deep sea cliffs and varied wildlife. The Eagle Island, as it is sometimes called between bird watchers, is home to the Golden Eagle and the rare White-tailed Sea Eagle; otters, dolphins, whales and basking sharks cavort in the waters around Mull.

The main population centre is Tobermory (about 700 inhabitants), or Balamory, as it is known to all the fans of the Cbeebies kids program, which is set there. Due to the success of the show, Balamory has become the favourite holiday destination for Kids from all over the country. If you plan to stay there yourself, we suggest advanced booking

While Tobermory marks almost the northern end of the island, another main attraction is right on the opposite end: the wee island of Iona, less than a mile off the south-west tip of Mull. As one of the Strongholds of early Christianity its religious importance grew over the last centuries and made it and still makes it a famous destination for pilgrims from all over the world.

It was ceded to Scotland in 1266, after the battle of Largs, following which the Norse influence faded into history. Since then it has been a fiefdom of Strathclyde Region, and is presently run by Argyll and Bute Council.

Mull has considerable literary connections, generated in the 18th century by the alleged discovery of the works of the 3rd century poet Ossian by one James MacPherson, who produced translations of the great man's work which e claimed he'd found in a chest.

He was immediately hailed a fraud and a charlatan by no less than Doctor Johnson himself. One is tempted to wonder why, with such a recommendation, Jamie wasn't perhaps more suited to politics - but I digress.

The stramash which followed spurred the literary lights of the age to visit Mull for inspiration, including Doctor Johnson, followed by Keats, who got a pretty bad cold and produced an equally bad poem. Wordsworth also came, en route to Staffa, and was followed by Felix Mendelssohn, whose visit to Fingal's Cave resulted in a very nice tune.