The Barn Bar

The Barn started life as the cattle byre at the heart of Cologin Farm, and the slate stalls where the beasts once stood are still in there among the tables. It sits hidden in Lerags Glen, 2.5 miles south of Oban town centre, at the foot of the hills beside the Cologin holiday chalets, and it has quietly built a reputation as one of the best feeds in the area. Julie runs the place, Angus runs the kitchen, and the menu changes constantly around what's local and in season, chalked-up specials included. Argyll venison turns up regularly. So do mussels, and the Sunday roast has been nominated among the Good Food Guide's best in the country, which for a pub up a single-track glen road says a fair bit.

The rest of the offering is what a country pub should be and mostly isn't any more. Real ales, a long whisky shelf, a covered beer garden with its own wood-burning stove, and local musicians who gather to play on Sundays from around 4pm. Dogs are welcome on a lead, with treats and water at the ready, and under-14s can stay for a meal with their parents until 9pm. Around the pub, Cologin's grounds have waymarked forest walks, a playpark and fishing, so an afternoon stretches easily either side of lunch.

Two practical things. It opens Thursday to Monday in the main season and stays shut Tuesdays and Wednesdays apart from private bookings, and tables go fast, so ring ahead on 01631 565721. The glen road in is narrow and unlit, worth remembering if you're heading back to Oban late on a winter night. Go for the Sunday roast and the music.