Oban, Argyll

...Lowlands of Bonnie Scotland sits Oban, which in the Gaelic tongue translates as Little Bay, with a population of 8,500. But wait somehow for me Bonnie does not even begin to describe the Beauty of this magnificent country, with its high mountain ranges reaching ever upwards to the sky, down through the green, lush Moorland and Meadows that seduce you with a feeling of tranquility, providing a great source of relaxation, Fun and adventure, (you choose ...
...13.00 hrs: we pulled into Oban, yahoo we made it now lets search for some accommodation, we searched all over and most of the signs said no vacancies. Driving down Gallanach Road for about a mile we came across Rahoy Lodge and in the window the sign said vacancies, taking no chances we turned into the Lodge car park and made our way to the front door, having been greeted in such a friendly manner we decided to stay, we booked our double room with ... more

August 2001 I had been seeing Jan for 4 months and was slowly building a bond with her, Dan and Dale Jan's two boys with whom I was also developing a bond had been invited to their Grandma's in Scarborough, East Yorkshire for the week during the School Summer break, Jan and myself got out the map of the UK with the intention of having a holiday of our own. MMM where to choose, things to take into consideration: my car at the time was a G Reg Sierra, neither of us had ever driven within these countries before with the exception of England although we had visited them. We eventually decided on Scotland and the location was to be Oban. Saturday 12.00hrs we decided on the small idyllic fishing town called Oban.

Situated on the West Coast of Argyll providing an ideal location/base for visiting the Highlands and Lowlands of Bonnie Scotland sits Oban, which in the Gaelic tongue translates as Little Bay, with a population of 8,500. But wait somehow for me Bonnie does not even begin to describe the Beauty of this magnificent country, with its high mountain ranges reaching ever upwards to the sky, down through the green, lush Moorland and Meadows that seduce you with a feeling of tranquility, providing a great source of relaxation, Fun and adventure, (you choose which you want?)

Now the journey to Oban was to prove more difficult than we had imagined or should I say never even anticipated. It looked so simple on paper when I studied the map. Studied the map, ha you could say totally miss-read it, this was the kind of mistake that makes things interesting from the start.

13.00hrs: we set off from Jan's house, double checked the map and this is where we went wrong although Jan would say that I got it wrong, the mistake was to follow the road from Glasgow to the West and straight off of the top of the page into what can only be described as one of the most rural parts of Scotland.

18.00hrs: we found ourselves in a part of Scotland where a developing language barrier was beginning to present even more unforeseeable challenges, when the dialect becomes more and more Gaelic, and the accent so broad, a place where words are spoken at twice the speed of my own tongue, I found myself scratching my head having just asked for directions at a small service station. I wonder if the person giving the instructions could understand me? Anyway I tried to follow his instructions or at least what I could interpret and continued the journey, having past through three small villages we started to climb up and out into a large range of hills, the road was narrow and winding whilst at the same time somewhat eroded and and the loose gravel made the wheels spin at times, a bit like a rally is what came to mind. Good for me, just not so good for Jan.

19.30hrs: we stopped at the side of a small Loch and I looked for it on the map, guess what? it was not on the map and at this point I looked at Jan and Jan at me and she said we are lost aren't we, well it was time to come clean, yes we are lost but lets drive on a bit further you never know what's around the next corner.

21.00hrs: we passed a sign just out of the blue, B+B so we turned around and headed back, turning right into a long winding driveway with a full bower, it took a further 10 minutes to reach the guest house and when we did it was like entering a setting from the Hammer House of Horror. So with only one other car parked in the car park we went for it. we entered the reception area and saw a notice that said ring bell for service, so I rang it.... ....nothing happened, I rang again and again and again, finally someone appeared and the gist of it is it took 24 hours to get to Oban and at this point we were still 4 hours away and well off course.

09.00hrs: we had showered, eaten and packed the luggage into the car, heading back down the bower covered driveway and with the directions firmly planted in my head we set off for Oban.

13.00 hrs: we pulled into Oban, yahoo we made it now lets search for some accommodation, we searched all over and most of the signs said no vacancies. Driving down Gallanach Road for about a mile we came across Rahoy Lodge and in the window the sign said vacancies, taking no chances we turned into the Lodge car park and made our way to the front door, having been greeted in such a friendly manner we decided to stay, we booked our double room with a view across the Sound of Kerrera which gets its name from the Island of Kerrera. More about Karrera in a bit.

The time scale from here becomes non existent as time was one thing that we forgot all about. We settled into our room and made a cup of COFFEE, took off our shoes, put our feet up on the windowsill and started to enjoy the view. What now said Jan, I know so I leaned over to Jan, looked her in the eyes and gave her a long, slow and loving kiss. Well we made it, then remembering the events that had transpired so far we had a good chuckle. Lets go for a walk, so we walked for a while and took a few pictures before returning to the Lodge to change for the evenings entertainment.

The Indian Palace Restaurant

Walking up Dunollie Road we could smell the aroma of curried food and following our noses, we found the smell was emanating from the Indian Palace. On entry to the Palace we were once again greeted as though we were royalty or something like that and were shown to a table for two.

The restaurant seemed to be hygienic and sported decor that was pleasing to the eye as well as the service being excellent. We ordered our food from an extensive menu that included meals that we had not heard of and they sold BEER. The main meal was placed in front of us and something was missing, the waiter walked away and did not return so I called for service and I asked where are the chapatti's, not realising this was a knife and fork restaurant. Sorry sir do you want chapatti's, yes please and he headed for the kitchen then promptly returned with a smile on his face and presented us with our chapatti's and a complimentary drink for both of us, so putting the K+F to one-side we tucked in with the chapatti's.

There were definite mixed feelings in the restaurant with regards to our use of this fine, floury, culinary delight which I feel are so much better than putting steel in your mouth. I heard a few comments being passed between people sat at other tables and they went something like this: have you seen that, that is disgusting, ho and this from a person who finished her meal and had 4 cigarettes in 15 minutes. Don't get me wrong I smoke as well but 4 in 15 Min's is too much.

Returning to the Lodge to watch a bit of Jack Frost on TV and all the things that new romance brings we realised that we were indeed quite exhausted and called it a day.

On the third visit to the Palace I tried a meal that I had not heard of and the waiter said are you sure, yes I said, it is hot he said, I do not care; so off he went and returned with my curry. It was the second mouth-full when I said to Jan is it hot in here, I think its OK said Jan and at that point Mount Vesuvius erupted on my taste-buds, my sweat glands started to work overtime and Jan became a BLURRR even though she was only 2 feet away, I also noticed that all the staff and the chef had come to the bar area and were staring at me. Knowing this I thought I have to eat this just to prove a point, what a fool ? I tried but was defeated by the last few mouthfuls and went on to drink copious amounts of water followed by Indian Beer. Eventually my sight returned but the damage was done as my tongue was in so much pain that even a grain of rice was like chewing on broken glass.

The Walk to Oban

The next morning we walked the mile or so along the winding Gallanach road that runs along-side the Sound of Kerrera providing a wonderful view all the way to Oban, the first thing we came across was a seafood shack, (how wonderful) it sold everything from snails to fresh sea salmon and all caught locally. For brunch I had Roll Mops, whelks, shrimp, crab and cockles, unfortunately Jan does not care much for sea food and was missing out. she asked what are whelks, despite their obvious appearance, and on giving her the answer she was quite disgusted at the fact I was eating sea-snails. she soon became accustomed to the fact that this was going to be a daily ritual and after a few mornings of my indulgence outside the Sea-food Shack it no longer bothered her.

McCaig's Tower

At no financial cost you can visit this Colosseum-like structure, it was built by philanthropic banker John Stuarton McCaig nearly one hundred years ago, this project was to keep the stone masons and labourers of Oban and the local area in employment, and offers tangible evidence of Oban's fine Victorian past. The work on the tower continued up until McCaig's death and was never completed but it is still a fitting monument to the McCaig family. approximately 70 metres above sea level, the wall height varies from 9 to 14 metres according to the difference in ground levels and with walls that exceed 610MM in depth with a circumference of 192 metres approx. The main arch/entrance has two windows above it and a total of 44 windows on the bottom and 50 on the top section, there was to be a large tower situated in the middle and in the windows statues of McCaig and his family members were to be placed. The project cost £5000 which in those days amounted to quite an expensive project to say the least.

Dominating the Oban skyline the tower offers the ideal spot for watching the sunset over the Mountains of Morvern a truly romantic setting for another Long, Slow and Passionate kiss. at this point I noticed that all the apprehension of a new relationship had ebbed away and our true feelings for each other were now starting to show. Taking Jan's hand we walked slowly back down into the village to see what else was on offer. Ho yes before I forget there are two ways up the easy way and the hard way but your health will benefit no matter which one you choose.

The Boat Trip

In the harbour we saw a sign advertising sea-life adventure trips to see Common Seals.

The smallest of out two native seals, and despite its name, there are fewer common seals in British waters than grey seals! Preferring to feed on fish and sand eels, and rarely taking crabs and other crustaceans, a full-grown adult common seal can reach up to 130 Kilos in weight. we climbed aboard the Porpoise 2 an 850 horse-powered boat and settled in for the journey, about an hour into the trip Jan shivered a bit so I put my arm around her to protect her from the cool air that was coming in from the North Atlantic. part of the trip takes you to see Corryvreckan the worlds 3rd largest whirlpool and the Gervallach Island Chain that lies to the west and all the wonderful sights to take in. There are different packages ranging from a 2 hour trip through to the 5 hour whale spotting trip. Prices are as follows:

2 hour trips:

Adult £28.50, Child £19.75 (under 16)
2 adults & 1 child £74.00
2 adults & 2 children £89.00
2 adults & 3 children £107.00

each additional child £18.00 each additional adult £27.00

1 adult & 1 child £46.00
1 adult & 2 children £65.00
1 adult & 3 children £84.00

GROUP BOOKING:- for 2 hours £250.00 & £120.00 for each additional hour

3 hour trips:

Adult £39.00 , Child £29.00
2 adults & 1 child £107.50
2 adults & 2 children £118.00
2 adults & 3 children £135.00

each additional child £26.00 each additional adult £36.00

1 adult & 1 child £64.50
1 adult & 2 children £85
1 adult & 3 children £99

4 hour trips:

Adult £49.50 , Child £39.50
2 adults & 1 child £131.00
2 adults & 2 children £169.00
2 adults & 3 children £207.00

each additional child £38.00 each additional adult £48.00

1 adult & 1 child £85.00
1 adult & 2 children £122.00
1 adult & 3 children £160.00

5 hour off-shore whale watching

Adult : £55.00, Child £45.00

Ferrera Island Walks

Walking along Gallanach Road away from Oban you come across the Puffin Scuba Centre, where for the more adventurous nature lover you can go out on a dive with an experienced Instructor or Dive-master around some of the rocky reefs that play home to an abundance of marine life. This little adventure will cost you about 40-50 pounds but its worth it.

About 200 yards before the Scuba Centre you can catch the small ferry to Ferrera Island, the ferry trip takes about 15 minutes or so.

Only six miles long and with a population of 30 the Island provides several excellent walks starting at beginner level upwards, we tried the easy route first and walked hand in hand kissing along the way whilst taking in the beautiful scenery and the abundance of wildlife that was on offer, stopping for a while to share a packed lunch and a few well deserved drinks we talked about what we could now imagine being a future for us, we kissed again and decided to head back to the Lodge for another night out in Oban. We visited the Island 2 more times and on the last visit we went for a walk around the Island which turned into a military pace, having lost track of time due to the sitting and kissing aspect of it all this time sat by the ruins of Gylen Castle we realised that we may miss the last ferry back to the main land and would have to spend the night in the wilds of Scotland. Good for me but not for Jan as she likes her creature comforts too much.

The Castle

Gylen Castle was built by Duncan MacDougall a relative of Dougall the 15th Chief between 1582-1587, it was strategically constructed as a fortified residence with a cliff-face at the rear and solid, heavy walls with gun loops and gun ports to help defend those inside should the need arise. Due to the slaughter of the Clans-folk, the burning of the castle and the ravages of time and nature the castle is slowly eroding and the masonry work and fine detail of the Romanesque carvings, faces and figures are at risk. however plans have been drawn up to preserve this mini architectural wonder for future generations to enjoy.

The Night Life

Our night life consisted of visiting a few public houses, chatting with the locals, drinking moderate amounts of fine ale and yes kissing and hugging, before walking slowly back to the Lodge and in some places where the shore-line was accessible we strolled along aimlessly looking up at the stars.

Have you ever seen the stars on a moon-less night, walking along the shore of the sound of Kerrera?

The Bond of Romance

This adventure so far had strengthened our relationship a hundred fold and the protective barriers that prevent heartache were now disappearing rapidly, holding hands, hugging each other and kissing in public was now common place and at one point Jan said I won't be long and walked off into the crowed. Where are you going? I won't be long and so I waited for about 20 minutes then she re-appeared to find me in the place where she had left me, where did you go? I'm not telling you(Yet), an hour later having shopped around for presents for Family and Friends she said come on we have to go somewhere, where? you will see come on and as we approached a small jewelers shop she said I won't be long and entered the shop, 10 minutes later she came out and with a smile on her face she passed me a small package, I opened it intrigued at what could be inside and was surprised to find she had bought me a gold ring with my initials engraved on it and said it was a token to remind us of this wonderful journey. Nice one and guess what? yes we kissed and hugged again. No need for tokens I thought as the memories of this adventure are engraved deeper than the initials on the ring.

The Journey Home

This was a journey that we were not looking forward to but never-the-less one that had to be made. I looked at the map and saw that if we had originally headed to Oban Via Loch Lomond the Journey would have been shorter, but certainly would not have been the same and this would have changed the outcome of the whole adventure and maybe the romance would not have blossomed.

We headed for Loch Lomond as we didn't want to take any chances of not reaching home that day due to the fact that the kids would be home the following day from their nan's.

Twelve months from the day I met Jan I placed a ring on her finger and fourteen months after that ring we married. 

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