Lochbuie, Mull: Complete Visitor Guide

Summary

The village of Lochbuie, nestled amidst the breathtaking landscape of the Isle of Mull, is a genuine hidden gem that offers visitors a taste of the island’s natural beauty far away from crowds of visiting tourists.

Lochbuie lies at the head of Loch Buie on the southern coast of Mull and is accessed via a single-track road that offers fabulous views of hill ranges to the north and Lochs Spelve and Uisg to the south.

Once at the village, you’ll discover an ancient castle and Neolithic standing stones, windswept beaches, and mile after mile of rugged coastline that’s begging to be explored whether walking along the shoreline or kayaking around the coast.

In this article you’ll find a close-up look at this remarkable corner of Mull as well as a few suggestions for what to do when you visit it.

The highlights

1: Lochbuie is a great place for walks and you’ll find rough tracks heading in either direction from the car park.

The best walk (in my opinion) is heading east past St. Kilda’s Church, along to Moy Castle, up to the standing stones, back down to Laggan Beach, and continuing on to the Maclaine Mausoleum. This route is around 4 miles there and back and will take 2 to 3 hours at a leisurely pace.

2: The ruined Moy Castle is set in a stunning location with gorgeous views and is well worth taking the time to have a look around. Sadly, visitors cannot go inside the castle due to safety concerns over crumbling masonry.

3: The Old Post Office, located near the car park, is a fantastic place to enjoy a snack with a hot cuppa while basking in the glorious views of Loch Buie and the hills that line it on either side. The servings at the cafe are generous and everything is freshly made from local produce.

Visiting tips

1: If you can brave the temperatures, Laggan Beach is as good a place as anywhere on Mull for swimming. The water is fairly shallow close to the shore and it’s reasonably sheltered due to it being set at the end of the sea loch.

2: The Old Post Office has a great selection of baked goodies but if you’re staying in the area you might consider treating yourself to an evening meal from the Lochbuie Larder menu. All ready-made meals from the cafe are pre-cooked and just require reheating in an oven – ideal after a long day of sightseeing.

Overview

Lochbuie is a village (more like a collection of spread-out houses) on the southeast corner of Mull around 14 miles from the ferry terminal at Craignure.

This is one of those hidden-away corners of the island that most visitors don’t know about, but that means it’s one of the few places where you can escape from the island’s tourist hordes even in the height of summer.

The area around Lochbuie is exceptionally scenic, comprising grey-black sand beaches set against crystal clear seawater, all surrounded by hills, woodlands, and a spectacular coastline that’s a haven for wildlife.

The landscape at Lochbuie is particularly fertile and green throughout the year, in stark contrast to the majority of Mull which fades to deep browns and reds as soon as summer ends.

As far as highlights go, walking is the order of the day at Lochbuie and there are two main routes to choose from, the first of which heads east and passes St. Kilda’s Church, Moy Castle and Laggan Beach, while the second route heads east around a very rocky shoreline towards Carsaig Bay.

Lochbuie is part of the 22,000-acre Lochbuie Estate and is accessed via a single-track road that spurs off the A849 near the head of Loch Spelve. This road continues for 8 miles before finishing at the parking area next to The Old Post Office.

The road is narrow so isn’t really recommended for campervans, but it’s easily driveable for cars and makes a great cycle route for anyone on two wheels.

In fact, having cycled this road myself on a couple of occasions I have to say it’s just as enjoyable as Lochbuie itself thanks to lovely views across Loch Uisg and Loch Spelve.

Top tip – If you have the time you might like to take the turning to Croggan from the western point of Spelve as the views are absolutely beautiful from start to finish.

Once parked outside the Lochbuie cafe you’ll find yourself presented with a gorgeous viewpoint with a rocky beach facing the loch and a number of picnic benches to sit on and enjoy the scenery.

This would be a good opportunity to grab a coffee and a cake from the Old Post Office cafe, but sadly it’s closed during the off-season so you’ll only be able to use its facilities from early April to the end of October.

There are a couple of benches in the car park and a couple more on the far side of the building as well as a couple indoors for those occasions when the weather turns wet and windy (this is Scotland after all…).

Tourist information

Coffee slurped and cakes munched at the cafe, follow the rough track east to the small church that was built in 1876 and consecrated to St. Kilda. It’s a pretty wee place that’s worth a photo or two, after which you can continue east past Lochbuie House (a private residence and former home of Clan Maclaine) and Moy Castle.

The castle dates from the 15th century and was built as the powerbase for Clan Maclaine of Lochbuie who made it their home before moving into Lochbuie House in the mid-1700s.

The tower house is 3 stories high and is roofless which means there’s a risk of crumbling masonry falling from a height, so it’s now sadly closed to the public until/if renovations are completed on it.

At the rear of Moy Castle there’s a path leading towards the Lochbuie stone circle – the only stone circle on the entire island. The Lochbuie standing stones comprises nine granite stones that form a 12-metre diameter ring with another three stones offset around the ring at varying distances.

The purpose of the stone circle is unknown, but it’s certainly an atmospheric place with the mighty Ben Buie framing the scene to the north. One thing to be aware of when you visit is that the path leading to the stones becomes a quagmire when it’s wet, so if you visit in winter remember to pack a pair of wellies.

Heading back to Moy Castle, you’ll find the path continues around the head of Loch Buie to Laggan Sands which is a good-size beach backed by low hills.

While the benches outside the post office are good for a bite to eat, I personally recommend packing a picnic for this beach instead as there are plenty of spots to tuck yourself away against the foot of the hills where you can escape the winds that blow up the loch.

The last point of interest at Lochbuie lies a few hundred feet further east at the end of the track where you’ll find the Maclaine mausoleum. It was built in 1864 on top of a chapel that’s believed to date from around 1500, though not much is known about the building prior to its conversion.

Inside, there are inscriptions dedicated to various Maclaine clan members while the small graveyard to the rear has a few memorial stones. There’s not much else to see after the mausoleum so I advise heading back to the car park unless you want to continue along the coastline to the southwest end of the loch.

Take note that if you decide to continue walking south you’ll need sturdy boots as there is no path and the coastline is very rocky.

If you don’t have a decent pair of walking boots take a look at my recommended boots from Amazon.

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Things to do nearby

Carsaig. Isle of Mull, PA70 6HD. 5 miles by foot around the coast.
Carsaig is a secluded settlement on the edge of Carsaig Bay. The bay is a popular destination for wildlife watchers due to the offshore rocks which are home to colonies of seals. It’s also possible to walk around the coastline to the Carsaig Arches.

Loch Uisg. Isle of Mull, PA62 6AA. 6-minute drive.
A picturesque loch near Lochbuie that’s easily viewed thanks to a single-track lane that runs alongside it. Loch Uisg is frequently visited by rare birds including rock pipits and red-breasted geese.

Mull Forest & River Walk. A849, Isle of Mull PA65 6BD. 23-minute drive.
This footpath follows the River Lussa for 2.5 miles near the A849 on the southern side of Mull. There’s a car park at the start of the footpath on the south end while the northern end has a wider gravel track with a couple of verges that can accommodate cars.

It’s possible to continue the walk by following the A849 where another footpath continues across moorland to the three lochs viewpoint (Ishriff, Isle of Mull, PA65 6BD).

Kinlochspelve. Isle of Mull, PA62 6AA. 12-minute drive.
This is the location of a single-track road that runs along the southern edge of Loch Spelve. The road is level and in good condition so it’s well-suited for cycling and walking.

The endpoint at Croggan (3.5 miles) marks the start of another track that continues around the coastline to the opening of the sea loch.

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