Oban was originally going to be my Port of Call. However, this spring I learned that the UK has gone all electronic for border control. So there actually are no more Port of Calls anymore.
Once approved electronically, I have been free to go anywhere. No more mandatory port visits.
I took the Kerrera Marina ferry that runs back and forth to Oban today.
Kerrera Marina Ferry Heading to Oban
We arrived arrived at Oban just 10 minutes after our departure from the marina. It was low tide. The tidal range is about 8 feet here. From the ferry’s dock, you can see the Oban Distillery in the center of town and McCaigs Tower at the top of the hill above the distillery.
View of Oban from the Ferry Dock at Low Tide
To get an idea of how steep those hills are, just outside the photo are some houses. One house was three stories tall. Their next door neighbor’s ground level entrance, was about equal with their third floor.
My first stop was the distillery. I had reserved a spot for the late morning tour.
After having my e-ticket scanned, I was directed to the bar area to wait for the tour. It was a very nice bar. What caught my eye first was the Guinness tap.
Oban Distillery Bar
Our tour guide, McCauley, arrived on time. He gave us the safety speech and we entered the distillery. I was surprised to learn they have just two stills. A picture of one is below. The crowd was too big to get a picture of both. However, they are identical and sit side by side.
Oban Distillery Still
Shortly afterwards, we were in the warehouse where they store the casks.
Casks Being Stored Until They Have Properly Matured.
The tour was short, just an hour. McCauley explained the entire process in great detail. He also gave a sample tastes along the way. We we given our tasting glass to take home with a health warning. “This must be used for Scotch Whisky only. If you pour Irish Whisky in the glass, it will explode.”
Oban is one of the smallest distilleries in Scotland. They have no room to expand for several reasons.
First, as McCauley said, Scots have their priorities right. There was no town of Oban when the distillery was built. A pub down the street was the only building there at the time. So, the town built up around the distillery.
Second, there is a very high cliff directly behind the distillery. They had tried to have the cliff excavated for an expansion once. In doing so, they found a cave. Inside the cave there were bone of two humans, which ended the expansion project. The two humans were direct relatives, thought to be brothers. They were dated back 6,000 years and are currently on exhibit in the Royal Historical Museum because they are the oldest remains ever found in Britain.
It was an excellent tour.
After the distillery, I walked up the steep streets to McCaigs Tower.
McCaigs Tower
There is no point in reiterating the story. This placard explains the story quite nicely.
McCaigs Tower Placard
From the tower, there is the most amazing view of Oban, the Bay, and surrounding area.
Oban Bay and Surrounding Area
Oban is in the foreground. Across the bay, is Kerrera Island. The marina is just to the right of the lowland in the middle of the photo. Beyond Kerrera, is the Isle of Mull. I spent three days anchored there sitting out some nasty weather due to a couple frontal changes. I’ll be returning there in a couple weeks. Hopefully for a more pleasurable visit.