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Inside Ben Lora, the café counter at one end and shelves of books on the wall.
Argyll and Bute

Ben Lora Cafe & Bookshop

A family-run café and bookshop in Benderloch, north of Oban, a short walk from Tralee beach.

Welcome

Ben Lora is a family-run café and bookshop on the A828 in Benderloch, the village across the Connel Bridge north of Oban, in a whitewashed building with a slate-blue gable and a covered terrace by the door.

Inside, the café is light and open, with a counter at one end and shelves of books along the wall, and the bookshop takes up its own part of the room.

It serves breakfasts and lunches, with soup and plenty of home baking: scones, cakes and traybakes, with vegetarian and gluten-free choices and a licence for a drink with lunch. Dogs are welcome at the tables outside. It is open from Wednesday to Sunday, 10am to 4pm, and closed on Monday and Tuesday. Tralee Beach is a short walk away, which makes Ben Lora an easy place to warm up after a walk on the sand.

A short drive awayIsle of Lismore CaféThe award-winning café at the Lismore Gaelic Heritage Centre, with a deck looking out over the island, open April to October.9 min by roadSee itThe café's timber deck with tables and red parasols, looking out over green fields to the hills.
Before you go

Open Wednesday to Sunday, 10am to 4pm; closed Monday and Tuesday.

Phone 01631 720296.

Hours
Wed to Sun, 10am to 4pm.
Phone
01631 720296.

Opening hours

Monday
Closed
Tuesday
Closed
Wednesday
10am–4pm
Thursday
10am–4pm
Friday
10am–4pm
Saturday
10am–4pm
Sunday
10am–4pm
Where it is

On the A828, Benderloch, near Oban, PA37 1QW.

Close byIn Benderloch.
  1. Tralee BeachTralee BeachA sheltered sweep of pale sand at Benderloch, north of Oban over the Connel Bridge, looking across the water to Lismore and the hills beyond.1 mile4 min by road
  2. Connel BridgeConnel BridgeThe steel cantilever of 1903 over the Falls of Lora at the mouth of Loch Etive, built for the railway and now carrying the road.2 miles4 min by road
  3. The Oyster Inn, ConnelThe Oyster Inn, ConnelAn inn by the Falls of Lora at Connel, dating back to the 18th-century Ferryman's Inn, with a seafood restaurant, the Gluepot bar and rooms.3 miles5 min by road
  4. The heritage centre's sign and its grass-roofed building.Lismore Gaelic Heritage CentreThe island's own museum and café on Lismore, with a thatched cottar's cottage of the 19th century outside.3 miles9 min by road
  5. Couple share wine at a driftwood table overlooking a yacht-filled bayPoppies, Saulmore4 miles8 min by road
Directions
Slochd, Argyll and ButeArgyll and ButeSlochdSleeps 2 · 3.1 miles
The café's timber deck with tables and red parasols, looking out over green fields to the hills.CafeIsle of Lismore Café3.3 miles
A stained-glass window above old stonework inside the church.AttractionsSt Moluag’s Cathedral4.5 miles
Crumbling walls of the castle above Loch Linnhe.AttractionsCastle Coeffin4.5 miles
AttractionsDunstaffnage Castle5.4 miles
The timber-clad visitor centre and its welcome sign.AttractionsOcean Explorer Centre5.4 miles
Glencruitten House, Argyll and ButeArgyll and ButeGlencruitten HousePlace to stay · 6.6 miles
The Drury from the lawn below: a grey granite Victorian villa with sandstone bay windows, dormers in the slate roof and tall chimneys.ObanThe DrurySleeps 22 · 7.2 miles
Sorcha Bakery, Argyll and ButeCafeSorcha Bakery, Oban7.2 miles
Stay nearby

Places to stay near the café, and when each is next free.

Slochd, Argyll and ButeSlochd
  • Sleeps 2
  • In Argyll and Bute
  • 3 miles from Ben Lora
Check datesGlencruitten House, Argyll and ButeGlencruitten House
  • To stay
  • In Argyll and Bute
  • 6 miles from Ben Lora
Check datesThe Drury from the lawn below: a grey granite Victorian villa with sandstone bay windows, dormers in the slate roof and tall chimneys.The Drury
  • Sleeps 22
  • In Oban
  • 6 miles from Ben Lora
Free 18–20 OctTimber cabin with copper roof beside a loch, shaded by oak treesUisge Bothy
  • Sleeps 2
  • In Oban
  • 6 miles from Ben Lora
Check datesPlaces to stayEvery stay in Argyll and ButeAll our places to stay nearby, to search by date and by who is coming.See them all
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