Lochaline Hotel

The hotel sits above the pier at Lochaline (Loch Àlainn, “the beautiful loch”), at the southern tip of the Morvern peninsula on the Sound of Mull. The pier is the mainland end of the CalMac Lochaline–Fishnish ferry, a short crossing of fifteen minutes or so over to the north shore of Mull. The Fishnish landing is roughly half way along Mull’s east coast, which makes this route the practical back door on to the north end of the island, quicker for travellers heading for Tobermory or Calgary than the longer Oban–Craignure sailing further south.

Morvern itself is one of the more thinly populated corners of the mainland: a peninsula of mountain and sea loch reached by a single twenty-mile drive down the A884 from the head of Loch Sunart at Strontian. There is no through traffic, and the road ends at the pier; Lochaline village is the only settlement of any size, with a small shop, a primary school, and the West Highland Sailing yacht moorings at the head of the loch. The submerged silica mine, opened during WWII to replace lost Belgian supplies, sits behind the village, closed to public access but visible from the road in.

The hotel is two minutes’ walk from the ferry slipway. Booking ahead is sensible: vehicle space on the Fishnish ferry is limited in summer and overnighting at Lochaline before a morning sailing avoids the queue.

Rates and booking at the Lochaline Hotel website.