4 Kidneys and a Wonky Leg

For no reason in particular, we decided to spend the day in Oban. Now while most of you are basking in the sunshine on the south coast, we are enjoying some dismal weather. We awoke once again to the patter of rain on the roof. Even the locals are getting disgruntled with how cold it is this year.

Oban marina is not actually in Oban, but half a mile away on the Island of Kerrera. To get to Oban you have to get a ferry, to get a ferry you have to book it online, to book online you have to buy credits and the man that is taking the booking is also the boatman and is sitting 50 yds away in his office and will only still only take the booking online. So we book to go at 10.00 and a return at 1600. All good so far. Now the ferry runs every two hours so when we get on we ask, “if we want to come back early can we just turn up at the jetty”. Ah well, he replies, If nobody has booked for the 1400 run then the 1400 run, won’t run. So if you go online, cancel the return, get your credits back, book a new time, then the ferry will run. .

Anyway ferry politics aside, once ashore in Oban, we found another castle to visit, more of a ruined tower really, but it had a small museum, some very nice gardens and a garden shed nobly named “the kettle “, where a staff of two were on hand to serve coffee and cakes.. Afterwards we returned to town to the whisky distillery which unfortunately was fully booked, (probably saved us a fortune). So we consoled ourselves mooching round the shops and had a hot chocolate and cake before catching the return taxiboat to the marina.

We ate out in the evening at the marina resturant which doesn’t have to be booked online and where during the day you can get coffee and cake which you pay for on a honesty box basis.

Two very different approaches to running a business!

As I sit writing this blog, the wind is howling, the rain is lashing the windows and the boat is being buffeted about, could be a disturbed night, luckily we can lay in, in the morning.