Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
ACCOMMODATION AND EATING
Kerrera Bunkhouse
Lower Gylen
T
01631 566637,
W
kerrerabunkhouse.co.uk.
Located in a lovely spot a
45min walk from the ferry, this converted eighteenth-
century stable building, with seven rooms, also has a byre
living space for hire by the evening. They also rent a room in
the farmhouse for B&B. Bed per person
£15
Kerrera Teagarden
Lower Gylen, next to the bunkhouse.
Given that Kerrera has no shop, you may well find yourself at
this delightful café where you can eat home-made veggie
snacks, cakes and coffee.
Easter-Sept daily 10am-4.30pm.
6
Appin
Seventeen miles north of Oban is
Appin
, best known as the setting for Robert Louis
Stevenson's
Kidnapped
, a fictionalized account of the “Appin Murder” of 1752, when
Colin Campbell was shot in the back, allegedly by one of the disenfranchised Stewart
clan. he name Appin derives from the Gaelic
abthaine
, meaning “lands belonging to
the abbey”, in this case the one on the island of Lismore, which is linked to the
peninsula by passenger ferry from
Port Appin
.
Port Appin
A pretty little fishing village at the peninsula's westernmost tip,
PORT APPIN
overlooks a host of
tiny little islands dotted around Loch Linnhe, with Lismore and the mountains of Morvern
and Mull in the background. Without doubt, it is one of Argyll's most picturesque spots.
Castle Stalker
A828, near Port Appin • Visits by tour only, mid-July to early Sept • £10 •
T
01631 740315 or
T
01631 730354,
W
castlestalker.com
Framed magnificently as you wind along the single-track road to Port Appin is one of
Argyll's most romantic ruined castles, the much-photographed sixteenth-century ruins of
Castle Stalker
. he castle, which is privately owned, can only be visited on a pre-booked
tour, which are limited to five weeks of the year (roughly between mid-July and early
September). Otherwise, there is a footpath from the
Stalker View
café that winds down to
a point some 200m from the castle, affording some cracking photo opportunities.
ARRIVAL AND DEPARTURE
PORT APPIN
By ferry
Ferries to Lismore depart from a small jetty at the
southernmost point of the village, by the Pierhouse Hotel.
Destinations
Lismore (hourly; 5min).
ACTIVITIES
Bike rental
Bike rental is available from Port Appin Bikes
(
T
01631 730391; £10/day) - useful if popping across to
Lismore (bicycles travel for free on this ferry).
Watersports
For outdoor pursuits, head for the Linnhe
Marine Water Sports Centre
(May-Sept;
T
07721 503981)
in Lettershuna (just north of Castle Stalker), which rents
out boats of all shapes and sizes, offers sailing and
windsurfing lessons, plus waterskiing, clay-pigeon
shooting and even pony trekking.
ACCOMMODATION AND EATING
Castle Stalker View
Overlooking Castle Stalker
T
01631 730444.
In a tiptop position overlooking
Castle Stalker, this large, light-filled café makes for a
super little pit stop, serving up fluffy jacket spuds with
unusual fillings like crayfish tails or haggis (£7.95), and
a mouthwatering selection of baked goodies.
Daily:
March-Oct 9.30am-5pm; Nov-Feb 10am-4pm.
Pierhouse Hotel
Just a few paces from the jetty
T
01631 730302,
W
pierhousehotel.co.uk.
Ideally
situated, the whitewashed Pierhouse has twelve
sumptuously furnished rooms decorated in cool beige and
mocha tones, most with unrivalled loch views - it's pricey,
mind you. The hotel's sp
arklin
g seafood restaurant is highly
rated in these parts too.
£130
Isle of Lismore
Lying in the middle of Loch Linnhe, to the north of Oban, and barely rising above a
hillock, the narrow island of
LISMORE
(around ten miles long and a mile wide) offers
