Oban by Boat – Seals, Castles and Lunch on the Pier
A few hours, from Oban station and back.
The route
Oban Sea Tours takes its boat out of the bay and into the Firth of Lorn for two hours, past the seal colony and the castles on the shore.
The crew point out the wildlife and tell the stories as you go. You step off at the North Pier right beside Ee-Usk, the seafood restaurant on the pier, for lunch by the water.
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, a mile away.
Book Oban Sea Tours, the North Pier
Book the 10am boat with Oban Sea Tours online, from April to October only: it sails at 10am, 12.30pm and 3pm every day from April to October, two hours, £39.50 an adult, £19 for children aged 5 to 15 and £1 for under-5s at the time of writing, dogs free, with a full refund if you cancel 48 hours or more ahead.
Book Ee-Usk
Book a table at Ee-Usk on the North Pier by phone on 01631 565666 for about 12.15pm, after the boat: lunch is served every day from noon to 2.30pm, and dogs aren't allowed inside.
The day
Oban
A morning on the water. Two hours out on the Firth of Lorn looking for seals, porpoises and eagles, then a long seafood lunch on the pier where the boat comes in.
About four hours
Oban Sea Tours
It's a 6-minute walk from Oban station round the bay to the North Pier, where Oban Sea Tours' boat leaves at 10am, 12.30pm and 3pm every day from April to October. Book ahead online, and be at the pier 15 minutes before the boat goes. If you come by car, the North Pier car park beside it is a paid car park. The trip takes two hours, out into the Firth of Lorn with a crew who talk you through the wildlife and the history on the way. The seal colony is there all year round, and you may see porpoises, seabirds and sea eagles, and now and then otters and dolphins. From the water you see the Lismore lighthouse and three castles: Gylen on Kerrera, Duart on Mull and Dunollie. Wear warm layers and a waterproof: it's colder out on the water. There's a toilet on board, and dogs on a lead travel free, but a wheelchair can't be wheeled aboard. If strong wind stops the boat, they'll move you to another day or refund you.
7 min on foot
Ee-Usk
Lunch
Back at the pier, lunch is a few steps away at Ee-Usk, the seafood restaurant on the North Pier. It serves fish and seafood every day from noon to 2.30pm, so book a table on 01631 565666 for about 12.15pm, after the boat. A wheelchair can get in, but it takes no dogs. It's 7 minutes' walk back to the station.
If it rains
The boat sails in rain but not in strong wind: if the crew calls it off, they'll move you to another day or refund you. On a wet day lunch at Ee-Usk is under a roof, and the War and Peace Museum on the Esplanade, a few minutes away, is free.
