The Sound of Mull is a

sound In physics, sound is a vibration that propagates as an acoustic wave, through a transmission medium such as a gas, liquid or solid. In human physiology and psychology, sound is the ''reception'' of such waves and their ''perception'' by the ...

between the Inner Hebridean island of

Mull Mull may refer to: Places *Isle of Mull, a Scottish island in the Inner Hebrides ** Sound of Mull, between the Isle of Mull and the rest of Scotland * Mount Mull, Antarctica *Mull Hill, Isle of Man * Mull, Arkansas, a place along Arkansas Highway ...

and mainland

Scotland Scotland (, ) is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Covering the northern third of the island of Great Britain, mainland Scotland has a border with England to the southeast and is otherwise surrounded by the Atlantic Ocean to the ...

. It forms part of the

Atlantic Ocean The Atlantic Ocean is the second-largest of the world's five oceans, with an area of about . It covers approximately 20% of Earth's surface and about 29% of its water surface area. It is known to separate the " Old World" of Africa, Europe ...

. The Sound of Mull Project is a Scottish Sustainable Marine Environment Initiative (SSMEI) spatial plan of

Argyll and Bute Council Argyll and Bute ( sco, Argyll an Buit; gd, Earra-Ghàidheal agus Bòd, ) is one of 32 unitary authority council areas in Scotland and a lieutenancy area. The current lord-lieutenant for Argyll and Bute is Jane Margaret MacLeod (14 July 2020). ...

which sets out details on the marine, environmental and coastal activities in the Sound. The largest settlement on the Sound is Tobermory on Mull, which lies near the northern entrance of the Sound.

Transport

There are several ferry routes that use the Sound, most of which originate from Oban. These include the ferry between Oban and

Craignure Craignure (; gd, Creag an Iubhair) is a village and the main ferry port on the Isle of Mull, Argyll and Bute, Scotland. The village is within the parish of Torosay. Geography The village is located around Craignure Bay, on Mull's east coast. ...

, the main ferry port on Mull, whose main pier was built in 1964. Other ferry routes across the Sound include Tobermory to

Kilchoan Kilchoan ( gd, Cille Chòmhain) is a village on the Scottish peninsula of Ardnamurchan, beside the Sound of Mull in Lochaber, Highland. It is the most westerly village in mainland Britain, although several tiny hamlets lie further west on th ...

and

Fishnish Fishnish ( gd, Finnsinis) is a ferry terminal on the Isle of Mull, roughly halfway between Tobermory, Mull, Tobermory and Craignure. It is owned and operated by Caledonian MacBrayne. It is served by the ferry that crosses the Sound of Mull to and ...

Lochaline Lochaline ( gd, Loch Àlainn) is the main village in the Morvern area of Highland, Scotland. The coastal village is situated at the mouth of Loch Aline, on the northern shore of the Sound of Mull. A ferry operates regularly over to Fishnish on ...

Wrecks

The Sound has long been used for navigation, linking ports such as Oban and Tobermory with the Atlantic. As such, there are a number of wrecks in the Sound. The SS Thesis was a cargo

steamship A steamship, often referred to as a steamer, is a type of steam-powered vessel, typically ocean-faring and seaworthy, that is propelled by one or more steam engines that typically move (turn) propellers or paddlewheels. The first steamships ...

which was wrecked in October 1889 in the Sound. The '' SS Hispania'', was a

Swedish Swedish or ' may refer to: Anything from or related to Sweden, a country in Northern Europe. Or, specifically: * Swedish language, a North Germanic language spoken primarily in Sweden and Finland ** Swedish alphabet, the official alphabet used by ...

cargo ship A cargo ship or freighter is a merchant ship that carries cargo, goods, and materials from one port to another. Thousands of cargo carriers ply the world's seas and oceans each year, handling the bulk of international trade. Cargo ships are usu ...

that sank on 18 December 1954 after striking a rock. The wreck of the ''SS Shuna'' is located in the Sound. The Shuna was a Glasgow steamer, owned by Messers Glen & Co., that was carrying a cargo of coal and iron from Glasgow to

Gothenburg Gothenburg (; abbreviated Gbg; sv, Göteborg ) is the second-largest city in Sweden, fifth-largest in the Nordic countries, and capital of the Västra Götaland County. It is situated by the Kattegat, on the west coast of Sweden, and has ...

when it struck on the Grey Rocks during a storm in May 1913 and subsequently became a total loss. The '' SS Rondo'' was a

First World War World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

US cargo ship that sank in the Sound on 25 January 1935 whilst seeking shelter from a storm. In 1973, divers from Bristol discovered the wreck of

HMS Dartmouth Six ships and one shore establishment of the Royal Navy have borne the name HMS ''Dartmouth'', after the port of Dartmouth, whilst another two were planned: * was a 22-gun ship launched in 1655. She was converted to a fireship in 1688, and rebu ...

, a

fifth-rate In the rating system of the Royal Navy used to categorise sailing warships, a fifth rate was the second-smallest class of warships in a hierarchical system of six " ratings" based on size and firepower. Rating The rating system in the Royal ...

ship of the

English Council of State The English Council of State, later also known as the Protector's Privy Council, was first appointed by the Rump Parliament on 14 February 1649 after the execution of King Charles I. Charles' execution on 30 January was delayed for several hour ...

. On 11 April 1974, the 1690 wrecksite was one of the first to be designated under the

Protection of Wrecks Act The Protection of Wrecks Act 1973 (c. 33) is an Act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom which provides protection for designated shipwrecks. Section 1 of the act provides for wrecks to be designated because of historical, archaeological or ...

. It was redesignated on 25 June 1992. The site became a Historic Maritime Protected Area in 2013.

Geography

Ferry over the Sound of Mull - panoramio

Settlements on the Sound include: * Tobermory * Fishnish * Kilchoan * Loachaline * Craignure * Bonnavoulin * Salen. There are several islands in the Sound. These include

Calve Island Calve Island is an uninhabited low-lying island off the east coast of the Isle of Mull in Argyll and Bute on the west coast of Scotland. A whitewashed farmhouse with substantial outbuildings stands on the western shore, used as a summer residenc ...

, an uninhabited low-lying island. Bays on the Sound include

Ardtornish Bay Ardtornish Bay is coastal embayment, on a chord of 0.89 miles, on a 161° orientation, in the Morvern peninsula in Lochaber, in the western coast of Scotland. There is good anchorage in the bay, with a depth of 7 fathoms. It is well protected, ...

and

Inninmore Bay Inninmore Bay is a small shallow coastal embayment, on a chord of 1.74 miles, on a 215° orientation, in the Morvern peninsula in Lochaber, in the western coast of Scotland, and is some three miles east-south-east of the entrance to Loch Aline ...

on the Morvern peninsular. The western edge of the Sound is guarded by Rubha nan Gall, a lighthouse operated by the

Northern Lighthouse Board The Northern Lighthouse Board (NLB) is the general lighthouse authority for Scotland and the Isle of Man. It is a non-departmental public body responsible for marine navigation aids around coastal areas. History The NLB was formed by Act of P ...

. The name means "Stranger's Point" in Scottish Gaelic. It was built in 1857 by

David David (; , "beloved one") (traditional spelling), , ''Dāwūd''; grc-koi, Δαυΐδ, Dauíd; la, Davidus, David; gez , ዳዊት, ''Dawit''; xcl, Դաւիթ, ''Dawitʿ''; cu, Давíдъ, ''Davidŭ''; possibly meaning "beloved one". w ...

and

Thomas Stevenson Thomas Stevenson PRSE MInstCE FRSSA FSAScot (22 July 1818 – 8 May 1887) was a pioneering Scottish civil engineer, lighthouse designer and meteorologist, who designed over thirty lighthouses in and around Scotland, as well as the Stevenson s ...

. The eastern edge of the Sound is marked by two lighthouses, one on each side. Eilean Musdile (Lismore Lighthouse) built in 1833 is on the Isle of Lismore and

Duart Point Duart Castle, or ''Caisteal Dhubhairt'' in Scottish Gaelic, is a castle on the Isle of Mull, beside the Sound of Mull off the west coast of Scotland, within the council area of Argyll and Bute. The castle dates back to the 13th century and i ...

built 1900, in memorial to Scottish novelist William Black on Mull.

Economy

Traditionally, the local economy was based on fishing and agriculture. There are three castles that face the Sound, these are Ardtornish Castle (a 14th century castle ruin of Clan Donald) and

Aros Castle Aros Castle, also known as ''Dounarwyse Castle'', is a ruined 13th-century castle near Salen on the Isle of Mull, Scotland. The castle overlooks the Sound of Mull. The castle was initially a stronghold of the Clan MacDougall. When they backe ...

(a ruined 13th century castle originally of the

Clan MacDougall Clan MacDougall is a Highland Scottish clan, historically based in and around Argyll. The Lord Lyon King of Arms, the Scottish official with responsibility for regulating heraldry in Scotland, issuing new grants of coats of arms, and serving as ...

Duart Castle Duart Castle, or ''Caisteal Dhubhairt'' in Scottish Gaelic, is a castle on the Isle of Mull, beside the Sound of Mull off the west coast of Scotland, within the council area of Argyll and Bute. The castle dates back to the 13th century and ...

(Caisteal Dhubhairt) dates back to the 13th century and is the seat of Clan MacLean. There are two Scotch whisky distilleries sited adjacent to the Sound, these are

Nc’nean distillery Nc'nean distillery is a Scotch whisky distillery in Drimnin on the Morvern peninsula of the Highlands, Scotland. The distillery is beside the Sound of Mull, opposite the Isle of Mull. The distillery name Nc'nean, comes from "Neachneohain", a Ga ...

on the

Morvern Morvern, historically also spelt Morven, is a peninsula and traditional district in the Highlands, on the west coast of Scotland. It lies south of the districts of Ardgour and Sunart, and is bounded on the north by Loch Sunart and Glen Tarbert, ...

peninsular and

Ardnamurchan distillery Ardnamurchan distillery is a Scotch whisky distillery on the Ardnamurchan peninsula of Lochaber in the Highlands, Scotland Scotland (, ) is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Covering the northern third of the island of Great Br ...

on the

Ardnamurchan Ardnamurchan (, gd, Àird nam Murchan: headland of the great seas) is a peninsula in the ward management area of Lochaber, Highland, Scotland, noted for being very unspoiled and undisturbed. Its remoteness is accentuated by the main access ...

peninsular of

Lochaber Lochaber ( ; gd, Loch Abar) is a name applied to a part of the Scottish Highlands. Historically, it was a provincial lordship consisting of the parishes of Kilmallie and Kilmonivaig, as they were before being reduced in extent by the creatio ...

External links

* Ingham, Chris (2002)
SCOTLAND - Oban and the Sound of Mull'
Dive Sites- BSAC Website

References

{{Coord, 56, 32, N, 5, 54, W, region:GB_type:waterbody, display=title