We woke up to grey, but brightening skies. We headed back up to the dining room for breakfast........not as elaborate as we had seen recently, but still a nice way to start the day. We packed up and found a quicker route with the bags. It was actually quite fun, as the path went through a small garden on the side of the hotel. It was full of delphiniums.....so beautiful! After checking out of the hotel we drove around the small town of Glencoe. It is on a body of water, Loch Leven, which was very picturesque. The landscape of the area is rather dramatic and is home to the famous peak, Ben Nevis, the highest mountain in the UK. It is a favorite climbing destination and when we were there it still had snow on the top.
The destination today was a remote hotel (The Pierhouse Hotel) in the town of Port Appin. It was not a long drive from Glencoe, so we added the town of Oban to our itinerary - and lunch! The drive was similar to previous days with curving, narrow roads - but we were getting used to this! Oban is a resort town within the Argyll and Bute council area of Scotland. Despite its small size, it is the largest town between Helensburgh and Fort William. During the tourist season, the town can have a temporary population of up to over 24,000 people. Oban occupies a scenic setting in the Firth of Lorn.
We found more traffic in the City than we expected, but then realized it was Friday on a bank holiday weekend and everyone seemed to be headed to the water! We lucked out and found a parking space in a centrally located municipal lot......the last one we saw while we were there. We tried to pay in a machine in the lot, but it didn't seem to work. We then headed to a nearby municipal toilet (very nice) but our coins did not seem to work there. Finally, a short time later in the Oban Information Center, Andrea was buying a souvenir in the gift shop and the cashier chuckled and said our British Pound coins were out of circulation. They had changed currency 8 years ago. These were the coins we had stored at home in a baggie (obviously a while ago) and brought along!
We stopped at a small cafe for hot coffee and a small sandwich for lunch. It was simple and fun. We wish we had options like this at home! After lunch we toured around the outskirts of Oban and then drove out to Port Appin. It seemed like the rhododendrons were even more prolific in this part of the country, literally wild everywhere.
PORT APPIN
Both the drive and the actual arrival in Port Appin offered several of the more enjoyable experiences of our Scotland visit. We were traveling on the west of Scotland to find those more remote and out of the way places that put us into a more authentic assimilation of both culture and location........somewhat removed from from density of larger cities and general population. We are not 'escapists' per se, but were really hoping to find the spirit and character that Port Appin offered. It was rather remote, actually at the end of the road. Either you got on the ferry to the island of Lismore (population 146) or you turned around and went back to where you came from.
The landscape was a wonderful merger of land and water. The low and high tides offered totally different impressions of this interface. Being here in May was wonderful as the vegetation was emerging from spring into summer with a wonderful energy. It felt as if we were in a timeless situation which could have been a century or two ago.......very few cars and many, many boats. It is hard to describe the impact.......only that it was an experience that was stimulating to us.
The Pierhouse Hotel
and
The Pier
It is hard to put a lot of this into writing, so again we may default to images here. There was a unique confluence of place, people, weather, lighting (clouds) and an enhanced sense of being somewhere special. This is the reward that travel brings.......a different place and a different perspective. In its most elemental it is energizing. We were getting tired from our extended travels, but this place was elevating. The pier was somewhat magical and yet so simple as a narrative. You could see the locals using the ferry boat and could imagine the way of life.
We arrived a little after 2:00 and the staff were still cleaning our room. We enjoyed some coffee and scones in the bar and our room was ready before we finished. We defaulted to a short nap before more explorations and ended up in the dining room for dinner at around 7:30. It was a fun atmosphere and we had a great time, including connecting with the two 'bikers' at the table next to us. Barry and Rich were on a 9-day bike and camping trip in western Scotland, which was an annual tradition for them. They had somewhat diverse background in the UK, but were apparently old friends. We had a very nice exchange of conversation through our meals. They apparently knew the manager of the hotel (who was absent today due to other travels) who said they had to try the 'arbroath smokie, mull cheddar souffle'. We had no idea what this was.......but at their recommendation ordered it. It was totally amazing and so unusual. We also fell for another appetizer, the 'loch linnhe creel caught langoustine' (also stunning!) and a main course of a local fish that we can't even remember the name of......totally delicious.
I saved the best for last (actually it came first). This was a martini made with a local gin and a fresh oyster. This was my cocktail dream come true! I have to admit it was a bit intimidating, but astonishingly good and such a great experience! Andrea stuck with her spritz at this point! Barry and Rich were quite amused by this and could not believe I ordered this drink. They both gave me a 'thumbs up.' They then proceeded (after two bottles of wine) to order the oyster martini for dessert! Really a lot of fun and some good laughs! Again, this is what makes travel so fun (and necessarily important)! It was a wonderful evening.
I have to offer special thanks to Andrea here for making this happen. She found out about this hotel in her research and made a reservation in January.......and got the last room! They only have 12 rooms, and despite its crazy out of the way location, it is not 'undiscovered.' They are fully booked months in advance. Barry and Rich (despite knowing the manager) had not been able to get a room here. They pitched their tents out at the 'point' of Port Appin. We were so lucky! Nice job HB!
