Oban and environs

3^rd June

We drove to Oban, we weren’t sure where we would stay but decided it was time to stay with power to recharge everyone’s batteries. We filled up with fuel  as the orange light had been showing for a while (again), and there hadn’t been any fuel stations for miles. We also filled up with groceries from Tesco’s and then found a campsite on line. We followed our map, and then the brown caravan/camper signs around the coast from Oban a few miles south west. I just started to tell you about the campsite but then I had the feeling I had already written this. I wrote on that first morning didn’t I? Well it’s a few days ago now, I remember, cold, grey, drizzly, depressing.  We went into town and had a coffee at a little café, actually two, tried to watch the action at the harbour, saw a few ferries and heard the toot toot of the fog horns as they came and went, but they were barely visible through the gloom. After our very leisurely coffee we took Hilary to the swimming pool. She wasn’t keen on the museum of War and Peace (though I think we will go before we leave Oban.)Oban was a flying boat base during WWII and has quite a large naval history both long gone and the more recent past. While Hilary had a long and enjoyable warm swim and played with some other kids Di did some computer work (as a spectator at the pool) and I went for a walk in the rain. I walked up to McCaig’s Tower which is a Victorian replica of a Roman Colloseum built by McCaig who wanted a lastly memorial of himself, but also wanted to provide employment for the locals in hard times. It’s quite a good monument to the man, sits way upon the hill, is visible from town and the sea, and has great views from it down over the town and harbour (on a good day). The other good thing is it sits just above the Oban Distillery and so on this day, wafting through the cold, vapours from the distillery merging with low cloud, came the delicious sugary alcoholly whisky aroma of a good malt ( a bit like coffee on a cold day, or bacon any time!!!).

 We drove back in the continuing gloom to our campsite and battened down for the night.

The next morning (2^nd) we had a busier day planned, it was all weather activities pretty much, which was just as well, as it was still so foggy and cold you could barely see off the campsite, let alone over the sea. We headed up slightly  north but mostly east towards Ben  Crunachan a hydro power station which is actually very like Manapouri  in Fiordland which we have also toured. Before we got there though we stopped at Dunstaffne Castle, which is now a ruin in Scottish Heritage hands. We didn’t spend a lot of time here, pretty setting, but not unlike other ruins we have visited. There was a good exhibition though which gave a good history of the people who lived there and a bit about the area.

At Ben Crunachan we firstly watched a video of the building and working of the power station, and then a number of static displays about electricity and specifically this power station. The difference between  this station and many is that it is “reversible” and also only comes online at peak demand periods. What they have done is build a huge dam way up on Ben Crunachan and then put 2 pipes each 5m in diameter running down through the mountain at a 55 degree angle. These pipes split to become 4, so that four generators can be worked.  The plant can produce electricity 28 seconds after “getting the call” when the national grid needs more due to peak demand (especially at halftime in big football matches apparently), otherwise the plant is on standby.  At night time when the demand for electricity is very low, and therefore very cheap, they put the generators (or is it turbines) on reverse and pump the water back up to the reservoir at the top, so they can reuse all the water which had landed in the Loch (Awe) after its first run through the turbines.  

Loch Awe with outlet from power station

After the tour underground we went back towards Oban and stopped at a salmon smoking and salmon farm business. We didn’t do the tour but had lunch in the car park, Hilary played at the play-area, and fed the salmon with smelly fish food, and Di went into the shop and bought herself some salmon paté.  We stopped at a place called Connell Falls, we didn’t time it right so only saw turbulent water, but it is a place where the loch meets an estuary I think, and about 4 hours before high tide there is some amazing waterfall effect (apparently), we missed it, but it was still a beautiful spot and by this time the sky was lightening and we had a vague hope that one day the cloud may lift sufficiently to let us see the sun!!!  In fact on the distant hills I felt/thought there may have been a little sunlight!!!!!!

                                          The campsite in the sun

Amazingly by the time we got back to our campsite the sun was shining. It gave the outlook a completely different feel, the sea was sparkling, all the campers were outside in deck chairs, drinking wine, it was like a fiesta!!!  We even had a walk after dinner up onto the hills behind the campsite, and looked at the views while basking in sunlight. 



The sun didn’t set until after 1030, and it was still light until after 11. I even saw stars last night!!!!  I don’t know what time the sun came up, but I was awake by 5.30 and it was as bright as, as if the sun had been up for hours, and the sun was up!!!!!!! All day!!!!!!

Today we went early to the ferry terminal to organise some excursions .  We had a couple of tours we wanted to do, we toyed with taking the campervan across to Mull and staying a few nights, but the cost of the van on the ferry, and the very narrow roads on the island deterred us, and made us decide on a couple of day trips instead. Pretty expensive (nearly £200 for the two days) but, if you are going to come all this way, and want to experience what is here, you need to get out and see it is my philosophy.

We couldn’t do one of the tours today as there was a back-log as so many trips had been cancelled earlier in the week due to inclement weather, but we will do that tomorrow instead.

Today we caught the ferry from Oban to Mull (Craignure) and from there caught a bus to Duart Castle. We have done castles, Di enjoyed this one, but to me and Hilary it was a case of “just another pile of old rocks".

We had made a packed lunch so we sat on the rocks underneath the castle eating our sandwiches and fruit when there came a ripple on the water. As the object making the ripple got closer I couldn’t help thinking it looked very like our Kipper dog, nose out of the water, carrying a stick back to shore. It wasn’t Kipper though (thankfully, that would have been a helluva swim!!) it was in fact an otter with a huge fish in its mouth. It swam right in to a rock island a few yards off shore, about 30-40 metres from us I guess, and rested there for a wee bit before grabbing its fish and heading back into the water and around the headland, we presume to its “halt?” to feed its family. We were surprised at how bug this otter was compared to the ones we have seen at Orana Park, it was more small seal sized.  I tell you it was an enthralling experience for the three of us though, and a young woman touting a large camera who was also nearby and saw it all told us she had been waiting all week for a sighting and this was it!! We were thrilled.

We caught the bus back to Craignure and then on to

Tobermoray where we spent a few hours basking in sunshine, drinking coffee, browsing in shops, taking photos and enjoying the scenery. A pretty little seaside village with brightly coloured shop fronts. We saw a peregrine eagle which is also a rare sight apparently, it was hanging out on the church bell-tower (hassling and possibly stealing pigeon chicks) before it soared of on the thermals and did a few moves for us before disappearing around the coast some more.

 While Hilary played on the beach, digging in the sand and having a thoroughly relaxing and enjoyable “down time” experience Di wandered, and I lay on the beach watching up at all sorts of very high flying large birds. I’m not sure if I saw any “White Tailed eagles” the females of whom can have a wingspan of 2.5metres, but I did see some large birds of prey high against the blue sky and couldn’t work out just how big they were or their exact colouring. My observations weren’t helped by the fact that as the warmth of the sun soaked into my poor body and my shoe and sockless feet got to breathe fresh air and see the light of day for the first time in weeks, I fell into a deep slumber. I was woken by Di saying we needed to get to the bus to catch the ferry back, I had been so out to it that for a few moments I had no idea where I was or what day it was, the sleep of the warm and contented.

We caught the ferry back, picked up the van and returned to the campsite.  We had fresh home done fish and chips (well Di and I had fresh fish and mashed potato and vegetables, Hilary had chips instead of mashed potato.

Tomorrow will be another big day on various boats as we are going out wildlife spotting on some of the outer isles. I’ll post this when I can but the internet is too slow at the moment so I can’t get my photos online.