OBAN
Day1 Sunday 17th March
Another birthday for Sharon and she still looks as young as ever. That meant another trip to the west, this time, to Oban. It is many years since we had been there and we have great memories of the sadly now closed Lerags House. I still use the recipe Bella, the chef, gave me for her fabulous gnocchi.
We were away sharp and headed down the South Loch Ness road, which was very quiet and looking pretty good.
We never cease to comment how beautiful Loch Tarff every time we come past. Look at the blue sky. Not bad for March, let's hope it lasts.
Ben Nevis was a bit shrouded in cloud, looking almost menacing. The blue sky was less in evidence to be honest.
We had arranged to meet with Bruce and Irene for lunch at Ballachulish Hotel. Ballachulish comes from the Gaelic Baile a' chaolais - the town by the narrows - which certainly describes the place pretty accurately. There is no ferry now, although we used it often enough back in the day. Now there is a much more convenient bridge. Note the lack of blue sky!
We were a little bit early, so we stretched our legs in the hotel grounds. The 9 hole golf course here is supposed to be the best in Britain and it used to be called the Dragon's Tooth. You can see the tooth behind Sharon.
Ballachulish Hotel is a bit old school and quite cavernous inside. It was also almost empty. Nonetheless, there was food on offer and that is what we were there for.
I had the gnocchi, which were nowhere as good as Bella's at Lerags House, but they were in a tasty tomato and pepper sauce.
Sharon had mussels in a coconut and chilli broth.
Bruce had Sea Bass on a bed of various vegetables.
Irene had a pork chop with chips. Whilst Sharon really enjoyed her mussels, Bruce and I were agreed that the pork chop looked the best bet!
We stayed and chatted for quite a while, then it was time for us all to go our separate ways. It was good to catch up.
Another bridge to cross - the Connel Bridge, always means you're getting closer to Oban and a distinct lack of blue sky. I feel Sharon should have an official birthday in a warmer time of the year and we could go west then, rather than in March!
I needn't have worried about choosing Oban, or the hotel, or the restaurants. Clearly all my fans had decided I had done the right thing!
We were soon checked into the hotel and up to our sea view room. Whilst I might have been a bit unhappy at the positioning of the lamp post, it was hardly a deal breaker.
The same view was available in the bar, but it came with a hefty £7 a pint price tag. But, hey, it's a holiday.
I suppose you got the added attraction of the ferry to Mull thrown in for that.
Soon enough it was time to go out for dinner, just along the front and down to the ferry pier to the Fishouse restaurant.
Oban is famed for seafood these days, and it did not disappoint.
I started with a crab and prawn rarebit, which was very good. So good, that Sharon had some as well, even though she said she didn't need a starter!
Sharon had a trio of fish - Sea Bass, Salmon and Scallops Pommes Anna and a lobster sauce. I was a little jealous.
Having said that, my Halibut with truffled potatoes, asparagus and a seaweed and lemon sauce was delightful.
The bright lights of Oban were a bit brighter on the way home.
That was the end of the first day and it was pretty successful all round.
Day2 Monday 18th March
Every good day starts with a decent breakfast, so that's what we had. I had avocado, smoked salmon and toast and Sharon had avocado, poached egg, toast and wee dod of pepper sauce.
It was a lovely day as we ate our breakfast by the window watching the ferries shuttle to and fro. This was the Lismore Ferry, which we were going to get tomorrow morning.
The day did not continue in such a nice vein. We had decided to go into town to visit a deli and get some nice stuff to take with us on a picnic today and tomorrow. All we had to do was park near Tesco, walk to the deli. What could be simpler?
We parked up and were walking to the deli, when we noticed we needed to pay to park - we were not in Tesco's car park, but a nearby private park. I carried on walking and Sharon sought to move the car. I walked to where I expected her to appear. She did not materialise, but I knew that might happen, because I could not see an entrance! She toured round Oban's one way system for a while. She couldn't shout at me because I didn't have my phone turned on! We did meet up eventually. The walk to the deli was a waste - it was closed! Things were getting fraught. Back to Tesco car park and into Marks And Spencer for provisions.
Then, off we set on the scenic route I had chosen for the day.
It wasn't long before we found ourselves beside the picturesque Loch Nell. I expect that the name Loch Nell is an Anglicisation of the Gaelic Loch Na h-Eala - The loch of the swan. In any event it was very quiet and tranquil and helped to sooth the morning's troubles away.
From there we carried on to Balgowan woodland where we had a view over the loch from height.
We also watched a couple of Buzzards soar away. Or were they Eagles? We weren't entirely agreed, but they were pretty spectacular at the time.
The next turning in the road was to take us along Glen Lonan, but this was denied to us as the road was closed! The morning picnic travails were threatening to follow us for the whole day!
This was a bit of a pity, as the road through Glen Lonan is known as the Road of the Kings. For centuries, Scottish Kings were buried at Iona. They would pass through Glen Lonan on their final journey and the glen is full of cairns and other archaeological remains testifying to the importance of the route.
So, we took the long way round to Angus's Garden, which was pretty enough and the sun was shining. The vagaries of traffic circulation and parking in Oban were, eventually, forgotten!
Angus's Garden is a semi-natural garden, created round the small Loch Angus. The garden was made to commemorate Angus MacDonald. He was a young journalist working for the Times of Cyprus in 1956. This was the time of the armed campaign to free Cyprus from British rule and unify it with Greece. The Greek Cypriot guerrilla fighters were called EOKA (The National Organisation of Cypriot Fighters). Angus was killed by an EOKA gunman, Nikos Sampson. Ironically and tragically, Angus had penned a piece for the paper pointing out the bankruptcy of the British Government approach, suggesting that the repressive measures being put in place would only lead people, who might otherwise not have done so, to support EOKA, . He even went on to say that those who argued that EOKA was a spent force must bear some responsibility for any deaths that might follow. HIs article was published the day after he was murdered.
Once through the entrance, we had a view of the loch.
We were the only people there at this point, so we made our way downhill to the water's edge. I have to say that my knee and the brace coped reasonably well with this.
It was well worth doing. The views over the loch were very calm and beautiful.
The resident swans were very interested in us. They should, of course, have been at the other loch, but they were clearly at home here!
They were Mute Swans and they are known not to be shy, and they were happy to come up to where we sat on a bench right by the water.
That allowed us the privilege of a very close view of these big, beautiful birds.
You can see how water repellent and pure white that most of their feathers are.
They followed us around the edge of the sparkling loch.
It was here that we had a look at Betty's Bell. Betty was Angus's mother and it was she who established the garden as a memorial to Angus, the year after his death.
This was no tiny wind chime or tinkling bell, but a proper big bell! We resisted ringing it, because it might have dispelled the the remarkable peace and quiet.
The bell commemorates Betty and the seat in front commemorates Neil, her husband and Angus's father.
We walked back to the swan seat and Sharon could have sat for hours looking up the loch.
We took a selfie instead!
The walkway and the bench had been built to take you across the water and marsh here. This was evidently a favourite spot for frogs, who had left spawn on the marsh grass, rather than in the water.
It would stand a much better chance of survival in the water, just like this chap, or is he a she?
On the way back to the car park, we caught a glimpse of how colourful the garden could be a few weeks later. Just look how vivid the blooms are on this rhododendron.
The rhododendron was close to Josephine's Ducks. Josephine was Betty and Neil's granddaughter, who had died prematurely in 1997. The sculpture is very lifelike. Once the water lilies are in bloom, I should think they are quite something.
Fairly nearby is a little pond, which is surrounded by these large, bright yellow flowers. These have the unfortunate name of Skunk Cabbage, for reasons that become apparent to your nose when the plant is crushed.
They look like solar lights scattered through a garden.
Skunk Cabbage is native to North America and the plants are quite remarkable. They do smell pretty bad, but this smell is attractive to a range of pollinators and early emergence of the flowers allows for early pollination, due to the lack of other, competing blooms.
That's fine but for the coldness of the air and, sometimes, the hardness of the mud they live in due to frost. This is where the really clever thing happens. The plants can generate their own heat and, so, can melt the frozen mud, frost and snow that might prevent their flowering. They can generate heat at 15 to 35⁰ C above ambient air temperature! Amazing and beautiful.
It was back up the hill for a final view over the loch, where we had an interesting wee chat with a man, who turned out to be Josephine's husband.
A final farewell to Angus's loch and garden through the cherry blossom.
After the walk it was time for something to eat. We stopped at Kelly's Pier to have our M&S sandwiches overlooking Loch Etive.
Kelly's Pier was built for the Newland Company of Furness in Cumberland in 1752-53. Ships from Cumbria carried iron ore to the pier to service the nearby Bonawe Iron Furnace. The Furnace lease was taken on by Alexander Kelly in 1863 and it is from him that the pier took its name. We went to visit the Furnace after lunch.
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Bonawe Furnace is the most complete charcoal fired blast furnace surviving in Britain. It certainly is very impressive. The stone buildings are large and all in a reasonable state of repair. It operated from 1753 to 1876. This is the main furnace building.
It was cheaper to bring iron ore from the south for smelting with charcoal from the abundant highland forests. The pig iron was then transported south again for further manufacture. The forests hereabouts provided seemingly limitless supplies of charcoal. The charcoal was stored on site in these massive sheds.
These were much larger than they looked from the outside.
Most of the charcoal was made out in the woods from coppiced oak and birch and then brought to site for storage and use in the furnace. Some of the storage sheds were sunk into the hillside masking their immense size.
Most of the buildings were fairly utilitarian, but this one had a nice arched doorway, although I cannot find out why it was so much more ornate than the plain rectangular openings elsewhere on the site.
All of the ore and the charcoal were stored uphill of the furnace and the mill, which was powered by water diverted from the River Awe.
It really was a fascinating place to visit, and we were about to go somewhere else that was just as fascinating, if not more so.
Our next stop was St Conan's Kirk. I have to admit that Bruce did put me on to this place and, whilst it grieves me to say so, he was right.
This is a church, but it really is so much more than that.
It certainly looks like a church from the outside as you approach the building. It was designed and built between 1881 and 1886 by Walter Douglas Campbell, to save his mother from making the tedious journey to worship at Dalmally. Campbell extended the original basic church until his death in 1914 and his sister carried on his work until her death in 1927, although the building was completed by trustees in 1930.
As if building a church for family convenience was not enough, Campbell had grandiose visions. He was an amateur architect and he drew on every architectural style for this building. It has Celtic, Gothic, Romanesque and even Saxon references in the details. These styles bear no real relationship to each other, but the apparently haphazard conjoining of them in one building makes this a truly fascinating place to visit.
You first come into the cloisters, which have no real function in this church, but big abbeys had them and Campbell though he should have them too.
The metal frames standing against the wall are mort-safes. These grids were designed to lock coffins and protect the contents from grave robbers!
The oak beams on the cloister roof came from the battleships, The Caledonia and The Duke of Wellington. The Caledonia was a 120 gun first rate ship of the Royal Navy launched in 1808. The Duke of Wellington was another Navy warship, but she was designed to run on steam as well as sail. This dual use came about during construction and in order to fit the screw propellors, the hull was cut in two and extended in the middle by 30 feet!
In the chapel itself, the vaulted ceiling is particularly fine.
This Campbell's mausoleum.
At the back of the church, even the windows show a variety of styles.
He even included some flying buttresses, which serve no structural function other than to cover some drainage channels.
It is pretty remarkable all round.
Some of the details are quite remarkable. The roof drainage gargoyles depict a pair of hares.
There are some slightly menacing owls on the roof.
Inside there were a number of fine stained glass windows.
And, not so stained glass windows.
There was also a sundial outside, overlooking fine views up and down Loch Awe.
Although this was a bit of a detour for us, it was well worth the visit.
By the time we got back to the hotel, we were in need of a drink, which we promptly ordered.
It had been a long day and we still had to go out for dinner. It had started to rain - heavily. It had also become very windy. Sharon, for some reason, could not see this and was insistent that we walk into the restaurant we had chosen - Cuan Mor. Just put up the umbrella, she said. We managed three steps, I think, before the umbrella was caught and destroyed by the wind. We pressed on and arrived at the restaurant soaked to the skin and we sat there gently steaming for the rest of the night!
The meal was good and almost worth that trauma. I had a starter described as Scottish Nachos - crispy potato scones, with black pudding, haggis and a whisky and onion sauce. It was fabulous, but hardly the healthy option.
After my pork chop envy at Ballachulish, I couldn't resist the char grilled mango T-bone pork chop with mash, asparagus and a char grill sauce. It was epic.
Sharon had a mountainous plate of crispy fried sole, prawns, corn ribs, fries and slaw. She did not finish the plate despite my best efforts.
Day3 Tuesday 19th March
Today was Sharon's birthday, so we were up early to catch the ferry to Lismore - the big garden - Lios mor.
No matter how early you might be, missing breakfast is never a good idea.
I had very good French Toast, with bacon and maple syrup. Sharon had Eggs Benedict.
Once breakfast was over, it was off to the terminal and soon onto the ferry, which takes a little short of an hour to get to the island. This gave us a good loo at our hotel on the way out of the port.
We sailed past Dunollie Castle. These ruins date from the 15th Century, but the site had been fortified for close to 800 years before then. It was recorded as having been burnt down in 686, 698 and 701! Not exactly a ringing endorsement of the strength of the defences!
Life on the ocean wave!
By the time we were halfway there, I was beginning to look for signs of sunshine!
We're nearly there!
Our first stop was the site of Lismore Cathedral. Hard to believe that such a small island would be home to a cathedral, but it was. Around 1200, the MacDougall's were the Lords of the Isles and they were instrumental in setting up a new diocese centred on Lismore. They established the building here in the second half of the 13th Century. The site had been of religious significance as far back as the Bronze Age. The Cathedral fell into disuse and disrepair after the Reformation. The Chancel was cut back and repurposed as the local Parish Church. The remains of the Cathedral are no longer visible, except for those features retained within the parish church.
Naturally, the establishment of a cathedral meant that people of high status would want to be buried in the associated graveyard. There is a collection of grave slabs displayed next to the church and these are thought to commemorate famous MacDougalls.
These are known for their reliability and simplicity, making them perfect for crofters and long lasting - they stopped being made in the 1970's. Clearly the upholstery wasn't so robust, but a Lidl shopping bag is the ideal running repair.
Whilst we were there, an old local came across the road carrying some very old looking bibles. A younger man arrived on an electric bike in a hi-vis jacket. A third man was at the side of the church digging. We guessed that there was a burial due to take place and rather than intrude, we decided to move on.
Our second stop was Tirefour Broch, a late Iron Age broch. It was certainly occupied during the Roman period as a Roman enamel brooch was found in the foundation level.
Once you get up to the broch, you can see why it was built here. It has great views in all directions and, in these days most travel would be undertaken by boat.
You can get inside the structure and it is a good bit larger than you might think, although it is thought that the floor is covered by at least a metre of rubble.
As everyone knows, crofters never through anything away, just in case.....The question is, where did they get the MInion from and what did it come in handy for?
Our next stop was the point, where the passenger ferry from Port Appin on the mainland arrives. We had no real interest in the ferry, but it was the end of the road and everyone wants to see what's at the end of the road.
Well, the answer is this - very picturesque views up Loch Linnhe.
The odd Great Northern Diver.
That view again! And, of course, the ferry pier.
Remarkably, while we were there, the guy in the hi-vis jacket came speeding to the pier on his electric bike. We got chatting - it would have been rude not to. It turns out he was the local minister. He lives in the manse at Port Appin and had just come across to go to the church where we had seen him earlier. He was not, however, there to bury some unfortunate parishioner, but to bury the bibles that the old crofter had been carrying! Yep, bury the bibles! I had never heard of such a thing and enquired further. They were very old and belonged to nobody left alive. They were deteriorating quickly and the decision had been made to bury them in consecrated ground. Sounded a bit occult to me, but what do I know about such things?
We chatted for quite a while. He was a Cameron - chances are we could be related, but we didn't explore that. Anyway, he was going to get some stones off the beach for schoolchildren to paint for Easter and we were about to leave. So, he took a couple of photos of us before we parted after a thoroughly enjoyable time.
We were off to Port Ramsay on the west coats of the island. This is an interesting place. In terms of Lismore it is a new settlement. There does not appear to have been much in the way of crofting settlement there prior to the very early 1800s. The landowner was seeking a variety of ways to increase income from his holding. The island of Ramasa (Gaelic for Ramsay) sheltered the adjacent bay and provided safe anchorage. He saw the opportunity to develop a port and, perhaps to capitalise on limestone deposits, which make up a significant part of the geology of Lismore. The village and the lime quarry and kilns developed over time. It would have to be said we are not talking a major port here. 14 houses, a small pier, a couple fo lime burning kilns and a quarry. People also worked at sea, because the amount of arable ground attached to the houses was insufficient to support a household.
The long terrace of houses are set fairly close to the shore. They were originally built by people encouraged to the site by the landowner. They had to build their own houses at their own expense, but ownership remained with Sir John Campbell of Airds and he controlled the materials and the standard of the buildings. Once built, the houses were the property of the building family on a 30 year lease.
This is the village pier. Later in the 19th Century, residents became involved in trading at sea as well as continuing in the lime burning business. A number of residents owned sailing smacks and, indeed, there are records of at least two of these boats being lost near the port, one without loss of life and the other with the loss of three crew members.
There are actually two limekilns here, sitting hard up against each other. They are set into the hillside to allow ease of access for the limestone from the higher ground behind.
As we walked back from the kilns, these two loudly honking geese flew directly over us.
There were some, presumably feral, goats on the shore opposite.
Time was moving on and we were really in need of somewhere for a picnic.
We decided to head down to the south end of the island.
It is a bit difficult to see, but there is a hare on the other side of the fence! That made Sharon very happy!
It is still there!
Then there were lots of Herons.
And lambs.
There were some fine views out to the shining sea.
Some atmospheric skies.
An eagle! It might even be a Sea Eagle.
A boat on the still water.
There was all of that, but nowhere to stop for a picnic, although we did manage to find a place eventually. If any other vehicles had come along the road, we would have had to hang on to our Nosecco and move the car! Luckily, we probably met less than half a dozen cars all day!
Birthday lunch by a little lochan!
Then it was time to get the ferry back to the real world.
Due to timings we had time to go for a decent walk after we got back to the hotel. So we set off along the promenade towards Dunollie Castle.
It wasn't terribly long before we got to the Old Carriageway path. How very quaint and irresistible.
Even more irresistible, was this strange stone, standing in the field.
It is quite spectacular.
It is Clach a' Choin - The Dog Stone. Legend has it that this is where the Celtic Legend Fingal used to tie his immense dog, Bran. Bran was so strong that his straining on the leash wore away the base of the stone. Given the stone is at least 30 feet high, the dog must have been pretty big.
The rather less romantic story is that this used to be an old sea stack that was once connected to the land by a bridge of rock, but that was eroded away. Only this stack remains of a long ago beach. Where we were walking was once under the sea.
Past the Dog Stone and we get a nice view of the old Dunollie Castle on the left and Dunollie House, which dates from 1746 on the right. I suppose the two buildings mark the progress from fortification to gentrification.
You do get a nice view of Oban Bay from the Carriageway road.
In fact, the view was from this very bench. So, we sat, reflected on and talked about Lismore and as well as enjoying the view.
There was also a nice view of Dunollie House, which has been much improved over time since construction in 1746.
The time for reflection was over. It was time to get back to the hotel for Sharon's birthday dinner, which we had at Porcini restaurant in the hotel itself.
We had the nice seat by the window.
I started with the crab and mascarpone ravioli with a lobster cream, and I was delighted with my choice. A great start.
The birthday girl had scallops with n'duja butter, salsa verde and a rocket salad. Another winning plate.
For her main, Sharon had the crab ravioli starter. I had oven roasted chicken on a porcini and truffle risotto with asparagus and parmesan. Very nice it was too - much tastier than it looked.
I had ordered a chocolate orange mousse. Sharon didn't want a sweet. she did, however, get a little bit of ice cream with a candle and a rendition of Happy Birthday from the staff, to go with her coffee liqueur.
She also ate nearly all of my unwanted cream on top of my mousse!
A fine end to a fine day.
Day4 Wednesday 20th March
It might be hard to believe, but we managed a spot of breakfast in the morning, before we packed up and checked out.
We had another wander round the town centre, then drove up to McCaig's Tower, overlooking the town. If you've ever been to Oban, you will have seen the Colosseum on the hill. It was a glorious morning.
John Stuart McCaig was a local banker, philosophical essayist and a self-styled art critic. He clearly had a well-developed sense of his own place in the world. Most people do wee towers and the like as follies. He decided on the Colosseum.
Not only that, he also intended a 100 foot tower and statues of his family. Sadly he died in 1902, before it was finished. He actually left a sum of money for yearly maintenance of the structure. His heirs, perhaps thought less well of him and successfully challenged his Will through the courts.
Despite having been in Oban, many times, I had never been here and it was really good to be there on such a fine day.
There is no doubting the curiosity of the place, but the views are something else.
Just the high point to leave Oban on and start our journey home.
We weren't going too far to begin with - Dunstaffnage Castle was the next stop.
This is a most impressive castle, some of which dates from about 1220 - 800 years ago! It was built by Duncan MacDougall, the grandson of the Lord of the Isles, Somerled. It commanded the surrounding land and the sea.
This is where the dormers once sat.
Onwards and upwards for Sharon.
You get some really good views over the bay and marina from the top of the walls.
As well as views over the rest of the castle.
Somewhere over in that direction, HMS Islip was lost in 1655. Unfortunately, the citations do not say how the ship was lost or what mission she was on. The ship was only 16 months old and was a two decked warship, with batteries of guns on both decks. What was she doing here, I wonder?
Should the Islip have been out here on her way up to Fort William?
Not only is there a castle here, but off through the woods there are the remains of a chapel. On our way there, we spotted this little Nuthatch in the trees.
The Chapel is contemporary with the castle and there is no other of its age and quality left on the Scottish mainland. It was only ever the castle chapel and never served as a parish church. It is pretty ornate in its architecture, which, again is 800 years old.
The windows are narrow, but the wide splays on the inside of the windows would allow more light to bathe the interior of the building than might otherwise have been the case.
The weather was still excellent and quite warm. Warm enough for a picnic outside, so that's what we had, nearby to Ardchattan Church. We didn't visit the church, just sat outside the grounds on the bank, overlooking the loch, with our Marks and Spencer goodies.
It couldn't have been better.
Our final stop in Argyll was Ardchattan Priory - what a religious journey this has been. Not deliberately, but old stuff tends to be castles or churches and we like old stuff.
Duncan MacDougall, of Dunstaffnage Castle fame, built the priory in 1231, no doubt on the basis that building religious edifices would get him to heaven.
However, there is little left of the priory. Much of it was subsumed into a private house from 1602 onwards. The churchyard contains a collection of carved stones of national importance, such as this one, which is thought to date from the 10th Century!
Others, such as the two below are more likely to be late Medieval in date.
To one side, the church belonging to the priory was appropriated by the Campbells as a burial place after the reformation.
Whilst it is largely a ruin and also included in a house, it was a tranquil and fascinating place.
All around were reminders of previous grandeur.
You can quite see why this location was chosen.
The Civil War was over by a matter of days by the time that he died in 1865.
Amazing, really.
On that somewhat sombre note we headed homewards, stopping off to visit my parents' graves at Kilmallie Cemetery.
Ben Nevis was looking altogether better than it had on the way down.
We really did have a great time, with some fantastically interesting visits and some fabulous food. Maybe an official birthday later in the year would be too busy. March has a bit of peace and quiet that you don't always find in the west in August!
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