The Dog Stone – A Seafront Dog Walk and a Hot Chocolate
A few hours, from Oban Chocolate Company, Corran Esplanade and back.
The route
Oban's seafront makes an easy walk for a dog, and the Dog Stone at the end of it comes with its own dog story.
It's a stroll along the Corran Esplanade to the great rock where the giant Fingal is said to have tied his hound, then back to a chocolate shop on the bay where dogs are welcome inside.
Before you go
Book accommodation nearby
If you are staying over: here are ours nearest where the day starts and ends.
The nearest of ours is Glencruitten House, 2 miles away.
The day
Oban
A gentle walk on the flat along the bay, with the dog on its lead. Out along the front to the Dog Stone under Dunollie's woods, then back for a hot chocolate by the window.
About an hour and a half
The Dog Stone
An attraction
It's 14 minutes' walk from the Oban Chocolate Company, north along the Corran Esplanade with the bay beside you, to the Dog Stone. Keep the dog on its lead along the front, where the road is close. The pavement ends at the town's war memorial, just before the little lighthouse, so take care crossing there. Beyond it, on a wide tarmac path into the trees, the Dog Stone stands in the grass, a great rough pillar of pebbly rock that was once a sea stack. The story goes that the giant Fingal tied his hound Bran to it, which makes it the right place to bring your own. Dunollie Castle's tower stands on the wooded crag above. Its grounds, where dogs on leads are welcome, are open with a ticket from mid-March to the end of October, Tuesday to Sunday.
14 min on foot
Oban Chocolate Company
A drink
Walk the 14 minutes back the same way for a hot chocolate with fresh cream at the Oban Chocolate Company. Dogs on leads are welcome inside as long as they stay on the floor, with a bench and lead clip by the door. It opens 10am to 5pm and is closed on Wednesdays. There are no toilets, but public ones are on the North Pier, two minutes away. If it's shut, Cuan Mor on George Street welcomes dogs in its set areas, as long as they're dry.
If it rains
A wet day still works: the walk is short and flat, and the Chocolate Company has indoor seats and a couple of sofas. Dry the dog's paws at the door.
