A Wet Day in Oban – Castle, Museum and Whisky
A day by bus and on foot, from Oban station and back.
The route
When the rain comes in over Oban, the town's big views go first.
Cloud sits down on Kerrera and Mull, McCaig's Tower looks out on grey, and the boat trips to the islands lose their point. This is a day for exactly that weather, from the station and back, with no car needed. Most of it is spent under a roof, with the town's own distillery, a small free museum, seafood on the pier and, three miles up the coast at Dunbeg, a centre for the science of the sea. The walking comes to about 45 minutes, in short stretches. The only long spell outdoors is at an old stone castle by the water, which looks all the better under a grey sky.
Before you go
Book lunch at the Waterfront Fishouse
Book lunch for 1pm (12.30pm by car), Monday to Wednesday, or Thursday from April to September; it's up a flight of stairs, so if they're a problem, ring 01631 567415 or try the Food from Argyll café on the same pier.
The day
Oban
A day out of the rain, by bus up the coast to Dunbeg and on foot round Oban's harbour. The morning is the ocean under a roof, then the castle next door, above the shore. The afternoon is back in town between the two piers, with a long lunch by the water and two warm rooms to finish in.
Ocean Explorer Centre
An attraction
It's a 13-minute ride on West Coast Motors' 005 bus from Station Road, by the station, to Dunstaffnage Place in Dunbeg, then 7 minutes' walk. Take the first 005, the 9.18am (check the times), to be back in town for a 1pm lunch. By car it's 10 minutes' drive. The Scottish Association for Marine Science runs this free centre, with an Arctic cinema, a model of a flapper skate and cameras on the sea life under its pontoon. It opens at 10am on weekdays (from November to March, check its website first), and the Beach Café next door from 9.
13 min on foot
Dunstaffnage Castle
An attraction
Walk 7 minutes on to Dunstaffnage Castle, raised on a rock at the mouth of Loch Etive by the MacDougall lords of Lorn in the 1200s. Flora MacDonald was held here briefly in 1746. Wet stone suits it, but in heavy rain, stay on at the centre. Keep off the ramparts in a strong wind, and skip the ruined chapel if its path is wet. It shuts on Thursdays and Fridays from October to March. Leave by 12.15pm for the 13-minute walk to Dunstaffnage Place and the 12.36pm bus (check the times).
12 min by bus, 2 min on foot
Oban War & Peace Museum
Lunch comes first. It's a 12-minute ride on the 005 back to Station Road (check the times), then 2 minutes' walk to the Waterfront Fishouse, up a flight of stairs on the Railway Pier, for small plates of seafood. After lunch, the museum is 7 minutes' walk along the front, by the North Pier. Free and run by volunteers, it tells the town's story, from fishing boats and the railway to the RAF's flying boats on the bay. It's open from March to October, until 2pm on Fridays; in winter, go on to the distillery.
3 min on foot
Oban Distillery
An attraction
It's 3 minutes' walk on, in Stafford Street, to Oban Distillery, which dates from 1794, before the town spread round it. On a wet afternoon its shop and the Wee Still Bar make a warm last stop, with drams, tasting flights and cocktails, and drinks without alcohol for anyone driving. Neither needs booking. The bar closes earlier in winter, at about 4pm. A tour may be running on the day: look at the distillery's booking page before counting on one. The station is 5 minutes' walk away.
If the rain stops
If the rain lifts in the afternoon and the cloud comes off the hills, climb to McCaig's Tower from the distillery, 12 minutes up Craigard Road and the lanes above it. Its ring of arches on the hill looks out over the bay to Kerrera and Mull. There's no gate and nothing to pay, but there's no shelter at the top either, and the way up is steep, so come down while it's still light. If the cloud is still down, there's nothing to see: leave it for a clearer day.
Where to eat
The Waterfront Fishouse, Oban, a restaurant in Oban.
George Street Fish, Oban, a restaurant in Oban.
