Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Around Oban
ISLE OF KERRERA
POP 40
Some of the best
walking
in the area is on the island of Kerrera, which faces Oban across
the bay. There's a 6-mile circuit of the island (allow three hours), which follows tracks or
paths (use Ordnance Survey) and offers the chance to spot wildlife such as Soay sheep,
wild goats, otters, golden eagles, peregrine falcons, seals and porpoises. At
Lower Gylen
,
at the southern end of the island, there's a
ruined castle
.
Kerrera Bunkhouse
(
01631-570223;
www.kerrerabunkhouse.co.uk
; Lower Gylen;
dm £15)
is a charming seven-bed bothy in a converted 18th-century stable near Gylen
Castle, a 2-mile walk south from the ferry (keep left at the fork just past the telephone
box). Booking ahead is recommended. You can get snacks and light meals at the neigh-
bouring
Tea Garden
(
01631-570223; Lower Gylen; 10.30am-4.30pm Wed-Sun Apr-
Oct)
.
There's a daily
passenger ferry
(
01631-563665;
www.kerrera-ferry.co.uk
)
to Ker-
rera from Gallanach, about 2 miles southwest of Oban town centre, along Gallanach Rd
(adult/child return £5/2.50, bicycle free, 10 minutes). From Easter to October it runs half-
hourly from 10.30am to 12.30pm and 2pm to 6pm daily, plus 8.45am Monday to
Saturday. From November to Easter there are five or six crossings a day.
You can also reach the island via the
Oban Marina passenger ferry
(per person £3 re-
turn; every 30 min, 8am-11pm May-Sep)
from Oban's North Pier.
ISLE OF SEIL
POP 500
The small island of Seil, 10 miles southwest of Oban, is best known for its connection to
the mainland - the so-called
Bridge over the Atlantic
, designed by Thomas Telford and
opened in 1793. The graceful bridge has a single stone arch and spans the narrowest part
of the tidal Clachan Sound.
On the west coast of the island is the pretty conservation village of
Ellanbeich
, with its
whitewashed cottages. It was built to house workers at the local slate quarries, but the in-
dustry collapsed in 1881 when the sea broke into the main quarry pit - the flooded pit can
still be seen. The
Scottish Slate Islands Heritage Trust
(
01852-300449;
www.slateislands.org.uk
;
admission free; 10.30am-1pm & 2-5pm Apr-Oct)
displays
fascinating old photographs illustrating life in the village in the 19th and early 20th cen-
turies.
