Isle of Lismore

Lismore is an island ten miles north of Oban in the sea inlet of Loch Linnhe. It's one of the Inner Hebrides islands, but little developed for tourism, and overlooked by visitors who sail by on the ferries. Lios Mòr in Gaelic means "big garden" and it's low-lying, fertile and often lashed with rain. Unusually for these parts, it's a limestone ridge, so it doesn't have the usual Hebridean peat bogs and midges. It was quarried in the 19th and early 20th century for lime but this industry has gone. In 2011 the population was 192.

Understand

Visitor information

• Isle of Lismore visitor information website

Get in

Castle Coeffin

See Oban for long-distance routes across the Scottish mainland.

1 Achnacroich midway along the island is the usual arrival point, on the Calmac ferry from Oban, which takes just under an hour. Year-round there are four sailings M-Sa and two on Sunday; times vary with the tides (5-10 days each month the normal timetable is not used, a special timetable is used instead). Until end of March 2025, return fares are £28.30 per car, £6.70 per adult including driver, and £3.40 per child aged 5-15; bikes are free. Space for vehicles is limited so reservations are advised. The ferry MV Loch Striven was built in 1986 and looks far older, but has a small passenger lounge and toilets. Achnacroich ferry pier also has a small waiting room with toilets.

2 Point at the north tip of Lismore is the other ferry pier (sometimes loosely referred to as Port Ramsay, but that two miles south down a different lane). This foot passenger ferry sails from Port Appin 15 miles north of Oban, year round, hourly M-Sa and every couple of hours on Sunday, taking 10 minutes. It's run by Argyll and Bute Council so it's not on the Calmac website; return fares in 2024 are £4.80 adult, £2.80 child. There's no public transport to Port Appin: a school bus runs twice on schooldays from Oban to Appin village, two miles east of the pier. But if you get stuck, Port Appin has accommodation and eating and drinking places; two standouts are Pierhouse and Airds Hotel close to the ferry landing.

Lismore is within kayak-range of the mainland.

Get around

Bring a car or bike. The island is 12 miles long, with a paved single track lane running the top 9 miles of it; the south end is rough track only suitable for 4WD. There are no filling stations on Lismore.

Explore Lismore offers tours and transfers on the island.

See

• 1 Saint Moluag's Cathedral (Lismore Parish Church), Clachan. Daily 11AM-4PM. St Moluag (510-592), a contemporary of St Columba, founded a monastery on Lismore. In medieval times this small church was the cathedral for the scattered diocese of Argyll, since it was easier to get about by sea than by land. The present building is from 1749 but retains part of its 13th century predecessor, notably the doorways, sedilia (priests' seats), piscina (area for washing sacred vessels) and medieval grave slabs. It's now a Church of Scotland parish church and no longer a cathedral; the stain glass windows are modern. (updated May 2023)
• 2 Tirefour Broch is an Iron Age structure on the east coat by Clachan.
• 3 Ionad Naomh Moluag (Lismore Gaelic Heritage Centre), ☏ +44 1631 760030. Apr-Oct: daily 11AM-4PM. Small museum of island life, with cafe. (updated Jun 2023)
• 4 Castle Coeffin, Clachan PA 34 5UL (grid ref NM853437). 24 hours. Scenic but scrappy ruins of a castle built in the 13th century over a Viking fortress - Caifen was a Danish prince. It's an oblong tower within a bailey of later date. The even scrappier ruins to its northeast are the Norse "Castle Rachal". Free. (updated May 2023)
• 5 Lime kilns along the lane at Salen reflect the island's former industry.
• 6 An Dun Broch is perhaps the island's most utterly ruined structure, an Iron Age fortification by Loch Fiart.
• 7 Achanduin Castle is the ruin of a 13th-century fortress. Not much left of it, you come for the walk and the views.
• Bernera is the tidal island beyond Achanduin Castle. See the remains of its medieval chapel and burial ground, limestone cliffs, seals and bird life.
• 8 Eilean Musdile is the islet with the Stevenson lighthouse off the south tip of Lismore. Best view of it is from the ferry from Oban to Craignure on Mull — you only get a distant view from the ferry to Lismore.

Do

St Moluag's Cathedral

• Walk Highlands suggest several hikes. Most can be done as day trips from the ferry piers.
• Walk Lismore has a set of walks written by a local. The walks nominally take between 1 and 4 hours and vary in difficulty. The difficult walks may have you following an overgrown path through the woods, and the easy walks include a short look at a few gravestones in the churchyard.

Buy

There is no bank or cash machine on the island. You may want cash to buy goods from one of the honesty box shops.

• 1 Lismore Stores. The Post Office and general store is open M Tu Th F 9AM-5PM, and W Sa 9AM-1PM. (updated Nov 2024)
• Souvenirs can be bought from the old phone box by Achnacroich ferry pier.
• Lismore Luminations sell their own hand made candles and hand wash, from an honesty box by their house north of the church.

Eat

If you are staying a few days on the island, consider taking the passenger ferry to Port Appin to eat in the two hotels or use the shop (open daily including Su mornings).

• Stock up on food essentials at the Post Office, which has meats, cheese, bread, beverages and snacks.
• Liosbeag Cafe is at the Heritage Centre (Ionad Naomh Moluag), same hours.

Drink

Lismore has no mains water, the houses and farms all draw from bore holes. If you are staying on the island, you may not like the limestone taste in the water (which is drinkable).

Bring your own refreshments or stop by one of the small shops. The Post Office sells bottled drinks. The cafe has an honesty box with water and canned drinks, and inside the church is an honesty box selling water.

Sleep

Port Ramsay

• 1 Bunkhouse, Baleveolan Croft PA34 5UG, ☏ +44 7720 975433. Dorm with 6 beds, 2 double rooms plus campsite and caravan or tourer pitches. (updated May 2023)
• Self-catering: half a dozen lets available, see island website.

Connect

As of June 2023, Lismore has no general mobile signal from any UK carrier, but individual premises such as the Heritage Centre have Wifi. You may get a mobile signal at some places when outdoors, particularly if you have a clear view of mainland settlements.

Go next

• Back to Oban for all routes by car or public transport.
• Mull and the Ardnamurchan peninsula are just five miles west, but you have to return to Oban and take a ferry or wind around Loch Linnhe by road to reach them.