Most visitors meet these islands on an organised trip. Three-day small-group tours from Glasgow or Edinburgh include the ferries and a guide, which removes the puzzle of single-track roads and sailing times. From Glasgow, day tours to Oban through the Argyll hills give a taste of the west coast in a day, and in Oban itself there are distillery tours and guided walks to fill the time before the ferry.
The classic local excursion is the “three isles” day tour from Oban: ferry to Mull, coach across the island, a boat to Staffa and time on Iona, back in Oban by evening. Wildlife cruises from Tobermory and from Ulva Ferry go to the Treshnish Isles for puffins and out to sea for whales.
