By Michael Downing
Angus
We limped into Oban as a result of the flat tire merit badge we earned making our way from Glasgow up along Loch Lomond. Our tow truck driver was awesome, though. At first, we barely understood him but then, pretty quickly, we were able to dial in. He was going back and forth with other drivers on the radio and the conversation was mostly incomprehensible, although you could get the gist. And then pretty soon, you’ve having a conversation.
We never caught his name–and he wore no nametag–so after the fact as a means of referring kindly to this helper angel disguised in coveralls–I dubbed him “Angus” after me fadder, Bartholomew Angus Downing, whose lineage comes from these islands by way of Scotland, England, and directly through County Cork, Ireland.
But I must say, even though all the specifics of the Scottish language were not entirely familiar, I felt a strong kinship when I interacted with the people of Scotland. Sure, London is great and people all over the UK are generally kind–but by the time we started to move north into Scotland and began interacting with people, there emerged a tremendous kinship that I felt which is really quite magical and I have great gratitude for it.
Now, I’m not the only person who feels like this when they visit Scotland. Right now, there are hundreds of Edinburgh travelers who are having full-blown Cloud Talks about moving to Edinburgh permanently. Most won’t but that is the power of travel.
I’ve been to Mexico. It was very nice and the people were kind, but I did not feel the pull in my belly like I did when I visited Scotland. I’ve been to California and the American South, and a bunch of other places, but I didn’t feel the same pull. We plan to visit Ireland next year, so let’s see how that goes. Jackie might not be able to get me back on the plane. I find this all fascinating because I think the body knows…I think your DNA knows where it comes from in a visceral way.
Oban
So Angus drove us on the tight roads until we arrived in Oban. He took us along the upper road–Albany Street–then dropped us off on a side street in front of a tire place, which was closed because even though it was a Monday, it was also a holiday. Nothing more we could do so we retrieved our essentials and made our way across town.
Oban Bay is instantly beautiful. Situated on a bay with a gorgeous inlet, Oban (“The Little Bay of Caves,” if you’ve ever read the label on a bottle of Oban 14), has about 72,000 visitors each year and features dozens of shops and restaurants.
It is also a seaport for travelers to access the adjacent Scottish isles, including the Isle of Mull. If I had another shot, I’d make sure to get on a boat and visit one of the islands. But it’s so hard to know where to spend your budget on a 22-day trip without ever being there before. So good reason to go back, eh? But hell yes, I wish we would have jumped on a boat. If you ever follow in our UK tracks: Skip the one of the museums on the trip and take a ferry to a Scottish island.
The town of Oban is picturesque. It is a terraced landscape, with the bay being sea level and the hill rising up above the town, which features McCaig’s Tower and Battery Hill. I don’t typically tell people that something is “a must” because everyone’s experience is different when traveling, but McCaig’s Tower is open to the public and the views are incredible (see images below). It’s a slight of a challenge on foot, but absolutely worth it for the view. They also probably have local methods of accommodating people who might not be able to make the climb, so plan ahead with a Google search if you need that sort of assistance.
People ask, “What did you like most about Oban?” It’s hard to pick one because the Oban Distillery was impressive and the treats from Oban Chocolate Company were delicious. It was also fun to browse the various shops along the Corran Esplanade. Clothing shops, restaurants, and so much whisky! Big bottles and little bottles and whisky paraphernalia like you’ve never seen.
But I’d have to say that the memory that is most clearly imprinted on me was sharing fish and chips with Jackie at The Oban Inn. Sitting in a little pub, along Oban Bay, eating good food, sipping a pint, and making memories…man, that’s tough to beat.
Slides
I’ve decided to take a bit of a different tack with this entry and build more of the narrative into the slide show. I’ll have to give it some time to see if I like it. All photos by Michael Downing.
Slides 1-3: Up on the hill above Oban is McCaig’s Tower & Battery Hill. There is a great 360 of it here. The sun was starting to begin its descent so I took a photo of the shimmering water, toward the islands and the ocean. Important to note that the length of day in Oban on May 30 is 17:14, which means it’s dark for about 6:45, so it took the sun forever to go down over Oban Bay.
Slides 4-5: McCaig’s on the hill as taken from sea level. The Corryvreckan is a restaurant, which, as I know from my Scotch days, means both “whirlpool” and Ardbeg. Five is a shot across the harbor. You can see our AirBnB if you look at the direct center of the photo, the little brown building behind the big building with the turrets.
Slide 6: Oban Distillery! My introduction to Scotch was through Oban, so it will always have a special place in my heart: It all goes back to 2001 when I was moving from Nashua, NH back to to Western Pennsylvania. My friend Jon came up to help me pack the moving van. Once we had it all packed up, we ran a few errands and were contemplating our next move. I had originally planned a camping trip up to the White Mountains and had packed my car for such a trip, but it was pouring rain. I said to Jon, “We can either head back to the apartment and chill out or we can get on the Everett Turnpike and head north.” He opted for the latter. Here’s a thing you might not know about New Hampshire: They have liquor stores along the highway, like rest stops in Pennsylvania. So we stopped at the one near New Hampton and Jon bought a bottle of Oban. I wasn’t a huge whiskey person and never had the money for Scotch. I did drink Jim Beam in college and found that always treated me well. By now we reached our camping spot. The rain had mostly ended and we were thinking about dinner and setting up our tents when Jon produced the Oban. Needless to say it hit the spot. We overcame the rain, built a modest fire, ate dinner, slept like babies, and woke up in the morning feeling fine. Love me some Oban. Always will.
Slides 7-16: Whisky in a jar? How about whisky in a bottle? The standard bottles are really impressive but here’s the tricky thing: I’m traveling lightly and in no position to polish off an entire bottle by myself so the key is to find the little bottles. Big bottles: It’s all amazing, but the Scapa 25 is something I would steal if I thought I could get away with it. Lol. And the Lagavulin 26? Come on! Glendronach 26, Cask? Yes, please! Holy smokes! Little bottles: They are overpriced, but they allow you to try a bunch of different spirits without having to face down an entire bottle in two days. Omg. Slide 14 features a Harris Tweed flask that Jackie bought for me. I love it.
Slide 17: Jackie having fish and chips at The Oban Inn. The hand-pulled ales are fantastic.
Slide 18-20: On the way up to McCaig’s and an panoramic shot of the bay.
Slide 21: Inside our AirBnB.
Slide 22-24: Nighttime views from our Air BnB.
My Writing Wanderland 