Canals and Camper Vans

Our original plan was to stay in Oban for 3 nights, but Mother Nature had other plans for us. I have to admit, though, if you have to be storm stayed, then Oban is the place to be. We headed back to the train station after checking out of our hotel in Glasgow. Unfortunately the trains were all canceled and they were putting us on busses. They assured us that if the trains continued to have challenges, busses would be provided for our return trip on Saturday. The staff at Scotrail told us that this happened on a regular basis and that it wasn't anything to be concerned about. It was pouring out, and we had to wait on the sidewalk behind the train station with all our gear. There was a lot of confusion as to who was on what bus, and we were very happy when we were allowed to board the bus for Oban. The bus was only half full, and it had a bathroom, so the 4 hour drive was manageable. We were somewhat disappointed not to be on the train as the route to Oban is said to be the most scenic in Scotland. Randy was enjoying having someone drive him, but I think the single track roads on a big bus were still a little stressful for him. We arrived in Oban and found our guesthouse. We really liked our accommodations at the SandVilla Guesthouse, a comfortable room, a nice bathroom, and close to the town center and the harbour. Oban is a small town on the west coast of the Scottish Highlands with a full-time population of around 8000, but in high season, it can accommodate up to 25,000 visitors. The harbor has a large ferry terminal with ferry connections to many of the islands of the Hebrides and an active fishing fleet. It is known as the seafood capital of Scotland. The harbor is a hub of activity, and there is always something interesting going on. The area has great historical significance as well, with some the earliest settlements in Scotland
After settling in to our home for the next 3 days, we found a pub for dinner, the Markie Dan. It had great reviews, but we weren't overly impressed. After we ate, we wandered around the waterfront in the rain. We had our rain gear on and our umbrellas, so we were pretty comfortable. We decided to check out the Oban Inn, which had been opened since 1790. What a find, the main floor was a great little pub and they had a group of musicians playing in one corner. Three fiddles, two flutes, a mandolin and a harp. The place was packed but we found a place to sit and really enjoyed the music and friendly people.
We had a blast our first night in town. On Thursday morning, it was raining even harder, but we had planned on taking the ferry to the Isle of Mull to visit Tobemorey, and we weren't going to let the rain stop us. We had a great view of Dunollie Castle and the Isle of Kerrera on our way to Mull. As we passed Lismore Lighthouse, a tall ship sailed out of the mist. It was really beautiful. We were on one of the larger ferries, which had a comfortable inside observation deck with floor to ceiling windows. We met a couple who were just completing their three week tour of Scotland, and we enjoyed sharing stories. We landed at Craignure on the Isle of Mull and boarded a bus for Tobemorey. The drive was pretty amazing, and we even saw a few hairy coos along the way. The Isle of Mull is very lush and green with lots of hills and water views. Tobemorey was a beautiful small town with brightly colored buildings along the harbourfront. We took a few pictures of the distillery with our SYC burgee and sampled their whiskey. Unfortunately, their tours were fully booked. It was still raining hard, so along with a number of other people from the ferry, we found ourselves in the local pub. The bartender entertained us with stories about his 40-year history with the pub. The rain just wouldn't quit, so we decided to take an earlier bus and ferry back to Oban. The return trip was a little different as we were on a much smaller boat, and the winds had really picked up, so the ride was a little bumpy. The waves were hitting us midship, and the spray was hitting the windows. You could tell people were not as comfortable with this ride. I think everyone was relieved when we tied up to the pier. We found a really good place for dinner, Coasters. I had a bowl of the cauliflower potato leek soup, which was the perfect thing on a cool rainy night, and Randy had the steak and ale pie, which was so good. I also had some of the local shrimp. When we arrived at the restaurant they asked if we had reservations which we didn't. They were a bit hesitant to seat us, which we thought was strange since the place wasn't that busy. We soon understood when 15 minutes later the place was packed with people waiting at the bar. The food was probably some of the best we've had. People we'd met last night and then again on the ferry told us the musicians we'd heard last night were playing at the Royal Hotel, so we decided to check that out. We didn't see anything happening there, so after stopping in at a couple more places, we ended up back at the Oban Inn. What an amazing night we had. We squeezed up at the bar very close to a table with two women and a man. We were pretty much sitting at their table, and they were having a blast. It was Linda's birthday, and her son and daughter-in-law were helping her celebrate. Well, the first thing she showed us was the wire she had pulled out of her bra. She was hilarious. She told us she was celebrating her 53 birthday, but she looked like she was 43. You could tell the three of them had a great relationship and really enjoyed each other. We ordered the girls a round of baby guiness, a shooter with Tia Maria and Baileys, and I asked the musician to sing happy birthday to Linda. He asked where she was from, and he was surprised to hear she was actually a local. I guess we tourists take over. Or maybe since it was apparent I wasn't from around here, he thought I wouldn't be celebrating with someone local. Linda's husband works out of town, but he was coming home early for her birthday, and she was so excited to see him. When Gavin joined the party, we found out they were MacDonalds from the Clan Ranald. Long lost cousins. We managed to sneak away from the festivities early enough to ensure we would still enjoy Friday, what we thought would be our last full day in Oban. We were out early Friday for a full-on Scottish breakfast at Wetherspoons, a combination family restaurant and pub, then started our exploration of the town. At low tide, there is quite a lot of beach, so we checked the tide pools and rocky shore. I found more seaglass. There is a nice waterfront walkway with some beautiful Victorian mansions, most of which are now guest houses or hotels. McCaigs Tower is a stone structure above the town that resembles the Collisium. A wealthy family commissioned it as a way to keep local tradesmen busy over the course of a few winters in the late 1800s. We were told the easiest way to reach it was a Jacob's ladder. Holy steps was that a lot of climbing. Coming down, we took the neighborhood roads, and that was much easier. While we were checking the tower out, we met a really nice young man from Nebraska. He had experienced some family loss, so he sold his house, quit his job, and flew to England. It's the first time he has been out of the US, and he is one month into his travels. He isn't sure how long he will be traveling or where he is going, but so far, he is loving it. We love hearing people's stories. We also paid a visit to the Oban Distillery. What a cool place. The town was basically built around it. The tours were booked, but we were able to do a tasting. We really liked 2 of the 4 we tried. I think I know what Randy is getting for Christmas. We headed back to our room to have a bit of a break before dinner and ran into Gavin. His mom lives on the same street our guesthouse is on. We had a nice long chat and exchanged contact information. We had a really good Italian meal cooked by an Indian chef, then visited two more pubs. We met interesting people in both places and received a breakfast invitation from a local in one. We had to decline because we were heading back to Glasgow in the morning. We had an earlier night to be ready for our trip, and because we had logged over 18000 steps in the wind and rain. As we were leaving our guest house the next morning, the owner told us they were closing for a family function the rest of the weekend. Our street was a mess, water running down it like a river, and the man hole covers were like little fountains bubbling almost a foot off the ground. We didn't want to drag our duffle bag through the water, so we called a cab, but they didn't show up. Randy had his pants rolled up and his shower shoes on, and I rolled my jeans up over my rubber boots. Off we went in the wind and rain. We made it to the train station, no trains and no replacement busses. Over to the bus station, no busses. Well maybe the roads will be open for the 4 pm bus so I bought us tickets. We weren't sure what to do, so we headed to the Wetherspoon, and there were sat for over 9 hours. We had room for our bags, a plug for our chargers, and free wifi. We had breakfast lunch and dinner there, and we took turns going out trying to figure out what our options were. The tracks were flooded, and there were two landslides on the roads out of town. Other than the ferry getting in or out of town wasn't an option. The bus that left at 7 am got stranded, and the people had to take shelter at the local school. It was quite an experience.Read more