David’s sister is our waitress again for breakfast this morning. She’s a really nice gal but not used to the service world. Whether it was she or the kitchen responsible, our breakfast wasn’t the best of the trip. Mary was hoping to get yogurt with fruit and toast and ends up with pineapple and watermelon with a tablespoon of yogurt mixed in. I ordered eggs and ‘solders’ – nearly hard-boiled eggs with a piece of toast sliced into ‘sticks’ for dunking. Oh well.
We are off on a small boat cruise to the Inner Hebrides tomorrow. We’re only allowed a soft-sided duffel on the boat and will likely have little or no internet access, so our morning chores include sorting out clothes for the boat and getting some work done on our very tardy blog.
It’s a beautiful day and we decide to take a ferry to the nearby island of Kerrera. Reports are it’s a fantastic place with a castle and fine walks. After taking a taxi to the ferry terminal there is already queue waiting for the next passage. As it is already after noon and it will likely be almost an hour before we can get to the island we decide to bail on Kerrera and return to town.
The Oban Inn advertises steak and ale pies so we stop in for lunch. Mary goes with the Steak & Ale, I have the chicken and leek paired with a ‘Jarl’ pale ale from Fyne Ales. Not bad. While we’re finishing our lunch they put up a new sign advertising their award of CAMRA ‘Argyle Pub of the Year 2022’! That’s something like 4 or 5 years in a row. Well deserved.
Mary’s not up for the hike so I do a solo climb the few hundred really steep steps up McCaig’s Tower. McCaig’s Tower, also known locally as McCaig’s Folly, dominates the Oban skyline and gives great views of the town and bay. It’s an impressive structure with two tiers of nearly a hundred arches. John McCaig was an admirer of Roman and Green architecture and wanted to provide a monument to his family and to provide work for the local stonemasons.
On the way down, I was feeling quite proud of my efforts until I passed a older woman (with a very full rucksack) briskly walking up the steps. Believe it or not, there were palm trees along the route! Later someone suggested they are not that unusual in the area in sheltered spots due to warm currents off the coast. Also along the way down was a fascinating garden with tiled walls and unusual sculptures – check out the photo.
Later we walked through the shops in town. Mary found a quilt store and purchased some material. One of the storefront chip shops also had advertised a range of haggis ‘puddings’ – you’ve got your regular haggis pudding, ‘chilli’ haggis, spicy haggis, and veggie haggis. Haggis your way!
