Isle of Ulva walk - Livingstone walk Ulva

Route: Livingstone walk, Ulva

Area: Isle of Ulva, Inner Hebrides, Scotland

Date of walk: 16th September 2026

Walkers: Andrew and Gilly

Distance: 4.7 miles

Ascent: 500 feet

Weather: Mixed cloud and sunny spells, several rain showers

We’ve gazed over at the Isle of Ulva many times this week. The island is separated from our temporary base on Mull by a narrow strait and can be acccessed by ferry at its narrowest point. Note that the ferry does not operate at weekends nor out of season, check here for details. We made the short journey to the ferry terminal, where we left the car. Uniquely, the small ferry is summoned by uncovering a red panel on a board. When the ferryman sees this, he comes to collect his passengers. Following a 5 minute journey we disembarked on Ulva and set off of the Livingstone walk, so named because the grandparents of explorer David Livingstone lived on a croft on the island

Livingstone’s ancestors would have lived among a population of hundreds, but in the mid-19th century Ulva was swept up in the Highland Clearances. The kelp industry failed, the potato blight caused famine on the west coast and tenants were unable to pay their rents or were starving. By the 20th century only a handful of residents remained. A new chapter was opened in 2018 when Ulva was successfully purchased by the local community with the goal of revitalising Ulva’s population and creating opportunities for housing, employment and tourism

The initial part of the walk was along a wide track through woodland. This emerged onto open moorland and from here we headed down towards the coast, pausing at the ruins of a cottage said to be that of David Livingstone’s grandparents. The path along this section, and for much of the remainder of the route, was exceptionally muddy – this is not a walk to be undertaken in trainers. A brief coastal section gave us good views of impressive basalt columns, similar to those we’d seen on Staffa earlier in the week

We then turned inland, passing by Ulva House which has recently acquired fame thanks to a BBC programme Banjo and Ro’s Grand Island Hotel. From here it was a short stroll back to the start, where we enjoyed refreshments at the excellent Boathouse before catching the ferry back to Mull

Click on the icon below for the route map (subscribers to OS Maps can view detailed maps of the route, visualise it in aerial 3D, and download the GPX file. Non-subscribers will see a base map)

Scroll down – or click on any photo to view as a slideshow

From our rented holiday cottage on Mull (Grouse Cottage, which was a perfect base for us), we can see the Isle of Ulva on the far side of Loch Tuath

We drive over to the nearby Ulva Ferry and hail the ferry, which is done by uncovering the red panel

Here comes the ferryman, Rhuri Munro, who took over the role after his father ran the service for three decades

After a short journey we disembark on the Isle of Ulva

We pass by The Boathouse and will visit here for refreshments at the end of the walk

This old boat caught my eye

We pass by Sheila's Cottage, an important part of Ulva's history and a restoration project for which funds are being sought

We carry on ahead here, and will return via the path on the left

The initial section is along a well made path through woodland

We pass by a waterfall

We leave the woods and climb up through moorland

We leave the path at this sign for 'Livingstone Walk' and 'Livingstone Cave'

We head down this gully towards the sea...

We arrive at the ruins of a cottage, which was once the home of the grandparents of the explorer David Livingstone

We climb up a bank at the base of the cliffs

We make a short there and back diversion to Livingstone's Cave. Oddly, there's a wooden hut inside, possibly the remnants of modern excavations. The cave has been much studied and traces of occupation dating back to 6,000 BC have been found

From the mouth of the cave, these are the views which the early hunter-gathers would have seen some 7-8,000 years ago...

We return to the path and resume the Livingstone Walk, heading towards the sea

The start of the coastal section. Mull is across the water

Looking back along the coastline of Ulva

We continue along a narrow path

Another view back along the rugged coast

Basalt pillars in the cliffs ahead. These are known as The Castles

A closer view of The Castles

Last view along the coast, looking towards Mull

We head inland here. Mull is in the background, separated from Ulva by the unseen Sound of Ulva

We follow a path between dry stone walls

Near the end of the walk we pass by Ulva House which is in the course of being renovated - the subject of a BBC programme 'Banjo and Ro’s Grand Island Hotel'

After refreshments at The Boathouse, we catch the ferry back to Mull to end another wonderful walk

Next day - we'd planned a walk from Tobermory but it was raining heavily with no sign of better weather so we contented ourselves with a stroll around the harbour front