Days in the Bays of Oban
Highlights to Look For
Cliff Castles
Sea Food, Chocolate, and Gin (but not together)
Roman Colosseums??
SO. MANY. SEALS.
Oban Itinerary
Day 4: Isle of Mull, Duart Castle, Tobermory
Day 5: McCaig's Tower, Dunollie Castle, Oban Sea Tours
We woke up to rain and heavy winds out on the water which pretty much shut down our trip to Iona. But the great part of Rick Steves? Our guides have great back up plans. So instead of Iona, we took a ferry to the Isle of Mull (more inland and sheltered from the winds). Once there, we toured Duart Castle then spent the afternoon in Tobermory - trying a delicious grilled goat cheese salad at Macgochans, window shopping on the colorful waterfront strip, and of course getting the most delicious desserts at Tobermory Chocolates!
Is there a Roman Colosseum in Oban?! A similar structure appears at the top of the hill above Oban but this structure is anything but. It was built in the late 1800's to provide more work for local stonemasons. It now houses a calm and peaceful garden with great views of the town and ocean below. The hike up is pretty steep, but the views are 100% worth the trek. After the hike, make sure to stop at the harbor for the freshest seafood - the prawns, langoustine, and mussels were delicious - and the Oban Distillery for a wee dram.
Our second full day in Oban was free time to do as we please. We hiked to Dunollie Castle and McCaig's tower in the morning, met the group for a fresh seafood lunch, then my travel companions and I decided to try an Oban Sea Tour, and our guide James came along as well! The boat took us around the islands near Oban stopping at places were wildlife was known to be spotted. As ocean and wildlife lovers, this was one of our favorite parts of the whole trip! I took a few hundred pictures of the seals, they were just too cute!
We had dinner at EE-usk, which I highly recommend! Everything we had was delicious.
Little side story - I am NOT a fan of Gin
I know everyone has their preferences, but to me, gin tastes like you just licked a tree.
But Scottish Gin. let me tell you. Scottish gin has changed my mind. Our stay in Oban was my first sip of Scottish gin on our tour (and was not the last). Once again, our guide comes up with the best recommendation, and he wasn't wrong. I enjoyed it so much, I bought a few bottles to bring back home with me after the tour.
I linked my favorite here, the Edinburgh Plum and Vanilla which was my first drink that night in Oban. And yes, before you say "Amanda, that's a liqueur, not Gin!", I know. But its delicious, and was a gateway to get me try some other Scottish gins, which also happened to be fantastic.
Background: Scottish coast outside Oban