Oban, The Little Bay in Scotland Trip
Oban is a nice and quiet holiday destination in Argyll and Bute in Scotland. It is located on the Firth of Lorn, on the west coast of Scotland. Oban is still considered a small fishing village and being called the Seafood Capital of Scotland.
Oban means “The Little Bay” in Scottish Gaelic. Oban is also known as “The Gateway to the Isles” being the connecting point going to several islands such as Kerrera, Iona, Lismore, Colonsay, Islay, Coll, Tiree, Craignure on Mull, Castlebay in Barra, and Lochboisdale in South Uist.
It was around 6:17pm on July 15, 2008 when we arrived in Oban, Argyll and Bute, Scotland coming from Inverness passing along some of the Scotland Lochs such as Loch Ness, Loch Lochy, Loch Linnhe, and Loch Creran among others.
We knew that we will be arriving in Oban past office hours and the Oban Tourist Information Centre might be closed already. So we went first to Inverness Tourist Information Centre before we left Inverness. We took some brochures and other information materials as we had no hotel reservation in Oban.
When we arrived in Oban, we especially drove along the bay because we wanted to have a room with a nice sea view. We drove along the Corran Esplanade, the street where most of the hotels and guest houses are located. We saw that there were several guest houses with vacant rooms, so we just walked in and inquired. We did not have a hard time finding a room, we got a room overlooking the Oban Bay and the islands of Mull, Lismore and Kerrera.
We checked in at Wellpark House located along the Corran Esplanade and walking distance from the city center of Oban. Wellpark House is a Victorian home which is about one hundred years old. It was originally constructed by a Glasgow shipping company during the Victorian empire as a home for its wealthy owners. Wellpark House had its own private parking area, one of the requirements we required in a guest house. The room was simple but nice, clean, and spacious with definitely outstanding panoramic views.
After we checked in, we walked along the Corran Esplanade, had our dinner at the Rannachan Restaurant in Oban Bay Hotel, also located along the Corran Esplanade. We had a lovely dinner at the restaurant. We ordered an Australian red wine, a ReD EARTH 2005 Shiraz produced in Adelaide Plains, Australia. We had salmon for appetizer, lamb for main course, and ice cream for dessert. Both the red wine and food were really good.
The next day, we had a nice breakfast at the guest house, and then went for a walk around the city of Oban. We especially visited the Oban Distillery along the Stafford Street. Oban Distillery was estimated to have been built in 1794 and is one of the oldest sources of single malt scotch whiskies in Scotland.
It was raining when we arrived in Oban and the whole time we stayed in Oban. Nevertheless, we still went around the city center by foot and enjoyed the place. We did not play golf anymore though.
Oban Distillery and McCaig’s Tower in the background
MaCaig’s Tower is a Colloseum-like structure built in 1800s. If you look at the Google Map, McCaig’s Tower is located near Argyll Square but it is not. McCaig’s Tower is located at the center of Laurel Road, Ardconnel Road and Duncraggan Road. These roads are not connected with Stafford Street. But if you look at the picture, McCaig’s Tower is almost at the back of the Oban Distillery along Stafford Street. You have the option to pass through Jacob’s Ladder (not in Google Map) to reach the McCaig’s Tower on the Laurel, Ardconnel and Duncraggan Roads.
We left Oban at around 11:14am. It was supposed to be our last destination in Scotland but Hub decided to go back to Hawick. We already passed by Hawick going to Edinburgh but did not stop at all. He wanted to buy some Hawick Cashmere pullover. As I would like to have one too, off we went to Hawick one more time.
Updated on October 21, 2009
Links to Our Scotland Golf Vacation in Summer 2008
Scotland Golf Vacation in Summer 2008
Scottish Borders Tourist Route to Edinburgh
First Day, Edinburgh City, Scotland
Second Day, Edinburgh, Scotland
St. Andrews, The Home of Golf
Scotland’s Malt Whisky Trail
Inverness, the Mouth of the River Ness in Scotland
Scotland Lochs: Loch Ness, Loch Lochy, Loch Linnhe, Loch Creran
Oban, The Little Bay in Scotland Trip
Inveraray Castle, Inveraray, Scotland Side Trip
Hawick, Scottish Borders, Scotland Trip
Colchester, Essex, England Side Trip
Leeds Castle, Maidstone, Kent, England Side Trip
Related Links:
Oban tourism information and accommodation – The Official Website
Oban, in Wikipedia
Wellpark House
Oban Distillery, in Wikipedia
McCaig’s Tower, in Wikipedia
VisitScotland.com Scottish Tourist Board
ReD EARTH
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