Oban, Scotland

Our first overnight stop was in Oban, Scotland.  It was here that I learned just how long a Scottish day could be.  Sunrise was about 4:30am and sunset was around 10pm.  But even after the sun set there would still be enough light to get around well until 11pm.

Oban was where we had our first taste of delicious seafood; smoked salmon and trout, mussels and langostines.  We learned the hard way on our first day that the restaurants closed everywhere around 2:30 and don’t open again until five-ish.  You could get a drink in a pub but nothing significant to eat.  I also experienced some travel shock with being in a hotel that didn’t have air conditioning.  I knew we would be carrying our own luggage up stairs but the no air conditioning caught this big city girl off guard.  I was told that it was something they never really need.

We happened to be in Scotland during a very warm spell of weather – warm as in mid to upper 70’s with plenty of sunshine; I actually got a bit of a sunburn!  Fortunately it cooled down nicely once the sun really did go down and with an open window, sea breezes and temps in the 50’s we slept well.  Air conditioning in hotels, B&B’s and restaurants was not to be seen until we stayed in a big hotel in Edinburgh.

At the top of the image below is a site I wanted to see but we didn’t have enough time as well as we couldn’t quite figure out how to reach it.  McCaig’s Tower; a prominent landmark in Oban built in 1897.  The views from it across Oban to the Atlantic islands is supposed to be fantastic.

I never saw a Scottish sunrise, I just couldn’t make it up that early and to a good viewing area.  Oban had the honor of being the first to introduce me to Scotland’s amazingly beautiful sunsets which I will share with you tomorrow.

Teri  📷