Days 3-5: Oban (& More!)
Glasgow, Stirling Castle, Inverary, ObanDay 3 started off with a new introduction to our bus driver, Mark! Between his commentary and Alasdair's, we were never short of entertainment on drives.
Our final destination for the day was Oban, but we stopped a few times before arriving. First stop: Stirling Castle. Stirling is an important historical site in Scotland due to its strategic location. As the saying goes, "He who holds Stirling, holds Scotland." During the Wars of Independence in Scotland, the castle changed hands 8 times in just 50 years! We joined one of the regular tours in Stirling Castle before getting a chance to wander around ourselves. Alasdair planned a picnic lunch stop for us on Loch Lomond, so many of just bought sandwiches at the castle cafe. |
After lunch, we stopped in Inverary to break up the drive, walk around, and do a bit of shopping. I got one of my favorite souvenirs here - a "hairy coo" with ice cream cone horns!
And after a bit more driving, we arrived in our final destination: Oban! When I booked this tour, I was a bit concerned about staying 3 nights in Oban because I had never heard of it. What was I going to do on a free day there? And the free day also seemed soooo early in the trip! But I needn't have worried. Oban was one of my favorite places on the tour. I just felt at home there and while there wasn't a lot to do in the way of museums, etc., I would go back to fit in that kayaking trip I never got to! We had dinner on our own that night and stayed up late (after 10pm) to watch the sunset. |
Travel Tip: Snap Pics of the Daily Itinerary
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Mull & IonaAlthough we were staying in Oban, Day 4 had us on a full-day trip to Mull and Iona. We started the day on a ferry from Oban to Mull, where we grabbed a private bus with a hilarious Mull local driver. Once we reached the other side of Mull, we hopped on another (short) ferry to Iona. Iona is a teeny island in the Inner Hebrides most famous for being the birthplace of Christianity in Scotland, thanks to Columba landing there after fleeing Iona. The island was magical and we had a great time exploring the Iona Abbey, ruins, and the small town.
Aside from the fierce winds on Iona, the day was peaceful... until we returned to Mull. On our drive back - on a single-track road - to Craignure to catch the Oban ferry, the bus in front of us broke down, completely blocking traffic in both directions! The break down blocked all the cars and tour buses from going anywhere in either direction. After a "meeting of the minds" of all the bus drivers, a group of drivers and travelers were able to push the bus off to the side a bit, to allow everyone to get by. We missed our original ferry, but thankfully we made the last ferry off Mull for the day with just a few minutes to spare. Several of us just found the first restaurant that would seat us for a late dinner (so late, that we caught the sunset unintentionally on the walk back to our hotel!). It was quite the adventure! As an added surprise, we caught a performance by the Oban High School Pipe Band coming off the ferry, which was a real treat.
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Simply ObanDay 5 was our "vacation from a vacation" day for the 13-day Scotland tour, so we had the day free to do whatever we wanted. A few people chose to take a ferry back to Mull and Iona, in order to travel to a further island, Staffa, to catch the puffins, and some went hiking on Kerry Island. I considered going hiking on Kerry, but like many of us on the tour, I chose to stay in Oban after our adventures the day before. Plus, I wanted to catch the lunch Alasdair organized at a local fish market. This is one of the things that I love about Rick Steves tours. All the tour guides have a discretionary fund and are able to add special activities or stops to the tour, so no two tours are alike!
After a leisurely breakfast at the hotel (with a great view!), I joined a few of the single ladies on our tour for a hike up to Dunollie Castle. The museum and castle were interesting, but be sure to eat a good breakfast because the climb to the castle is steep! Grab a walking stick at the bottom if you can, or you'll have to cling to the ropes. We walked all the way around the crescent bay of Oban for our fish lunch, then shopped around town for the afternoon. Our hotel was a little outside Oban proper, but it was a quick 5-10 minute walk, which made it easy to stop in for dinner later on. Our hotel, the Oban Bay Hotel, also featured beautiful lounges with views of the harbor, so it was no hardship to relax and read or paint in the afternoon and watch the ships go by! (The images below can be enlarged by clicking one.) |
Laugh a Little!Oban's laughs (aside from our eventual chuckles over the bus situation in Mull) are brought to you by some amazing signs. I love these signs especially because you just know there's a story behind putting them up.
I just know someone drove their car off the pier in Iona. And, after many trips down the shore at home, those pesky seagulls have no shame in stealing your lunch! More pictures are available below in the slideshow for Days 3-5, or you can continue on with me to Inverness!
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