Iona Craft Shop is the place to pick up cosy island treasures, including colourful Scottish knitwear, blankets, and yarns spun from fleece sourced right on Iona. They’ve even collaborated with Mull-based Banjo Beale (of Wild Isle Style fame and BBC’s Designing the Hebrides) on a range of vibrant Iona wool and tweed pieces. Stop by for a browse, a warming brew, and maybe a skein or two for your next knitting project.

Fingal’s Cave on Staffa is a natural cathedral of towering hexagonal basalt columns carved by ancient lava flows. Local stories tell of how the cave was once linked to the Giant’s Causeway in Northern Ireland by a colossal basalt bridge, built for a showdown between the Irish hero Fionn (Fingal) and Scottish giant Benandonner. Puffins flit nearby, waves crash theatrically, and the echoing acoustics inside make it feel like nature’s own concert hall. 

The Boathouse Ulva is reached by a tiny on-demand ferry from Mull before settling in on a working jetty. Reimagined by BBC star Banjo Beale, this Hebridean spot pairs rustic, design-led interiors with ultra-fresh seafood landed daily. Come for creel-caught crab, langoustines, and oysters, homemade bread, and generous sharing platters, all served until they sell out. With no bookings and ever-changing menus, it’s a spontaneous, sea-to-plate experience shaped by island life.

Part croft, part restaurant, and all heart, Croft 3 serves up whatever’s freshest from land and sea in a beautifully restored barn above Loch Tuath. By day, you might find crab-filled focaccia, kouign-amann pastries, or langoustines with aioli; by night, it’s three courses of seasonal magic, from half-lobster mornay to chickpea panisses. Sundays are all about the two-course roast, with meats, nut roasts, and glugs of gravy to go round.