17 Sept 2014

Another long drive up to Oban in Scotland. We got a relatively early start at 9:45. (breakfast is 8:30) TomTom says about 5 hours. The first bit is on the A66 and M6 – equivalent of interstate highways in the US. Speed limit is 70. At Glasgow we get off the motorway onto Axx roads – still pretty good. The scenery is amazing – but we’re shooting through the windows again. All the laybys with a view are on the other side of the road. Around Loch Lomond we stop for lunch at a hotel - $$$, but nice.

Loch Lomond

Loch Fyne

I had set a route to Oban, then inserted Inverary as a waypoint. It looked like a detour of about a half hour. It did not sound that enticing and we were already looking at 4+ hours in the car. So when we set the destination, I did not include Inverary, I thought. So I was surprised to find we were in Inverary. Hm. Not only that, but the TomTom missed the turn onto A819 to Oban. About 7 miles down the road in the wrong direction, she said, “turn around when possible”. Okaay. Back to Inverary and make the turn onto A819. 14 miles up and over the pass.

Finally arrived in Oban about 4:30. Oban is a working harbor. Unlike Chipping Campden and Keswick, it does not feel like a tourist town – it is, a bit, but not as obvious. The B&B is nice – we have a ground-floor room and parking. All of the B&Bs have been in old houses. The rooms are 14-15’ square with a bath carved out of one corner. Breakfast has been more that enough – cereal, juice, eggs, sausage, bacon, toast, grilled tomatoes, fried mushrooms. Oink.

We wandered down to the harbor and found a restaurant next to the ferry dock. Wonderful dinner of roast cod on a potato and asparagus pancake with wild mushroom cream sauce. And a starter of mussels. Yummy. The sunset was wonderful.

Weather continues to hold. Tomorrow we are off to Skye for 2 nights.