Things to do in Argyll & Bute
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Seafood Temple
Locally sourced seafood is the god that’s worshipped at this tiny temple – a former park pavilion with glorious views over the bay. Owned by a former fisherman who smokes his own salmon, what must be Oban’s smallest restaurant serves up whole lobster cooked to order, scallops in garlic butter, plump langoustines, and the ‘platter magnifique’ (£60 for two persons), which offers a taste of everything. Booking essential.
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Waterfront Restaurant
Housed on the top floor of a converted seamen’s mission, the Waterfront’s stylish, unfussy decor – dusky pink and carmine with pine tables and local art on the walls – does little to distract from the superb seafood freshly landed at the quay just a few metres away.
The menu ranges from crispy-battered haddock and chips to pan-fried scallops with lime, chilli and coriander pickle. There’s an early evening menu (5.30pm to 6.45pm) offering two courses for £11.50, or soup followed by fish and chips for £9.75. Best to book for dinner.
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Shellfish Bar
If you want to savour superb Scottish seafood without the expense of an upmarket restaurant, head for Oban’s famous seafood stall – it’s the green shack on the quayside near the ferry terminal. Here you can buy fresh and cooked seafood to take away – excellent prawn sandwiches (£2.75), dressed crab (£4.75), and fresh oysters for only 65p each.
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Bowman’s Tours (Stafford St)
From April to October, Bowman’s Tours offers a Three Isles day-trip (adult/child £49/24.50, 10 hours, daily) from Oban that visits Mull, Iona and Staffa. Note that the crossing to Staffa is weather dependent.
Bowman’s also runs a wildlife tour (adult/child £49/24.50) departing from Oban at 9.50am Sunday to Friday from May to July, and returning to Oban at 8pm. The trip takes in a ferry crossing to Craignure on Mull, travel by coach to Fionnphort, and a cruise around Staffa and the Treshnish Isles, plus two hours ashore on Lunga to visit a puffin colony.
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Bowman’s Tours
From April to October, Bowman’s offers a Three Isles day-trip (adult/child £49/24.50, 10 hours, daily) from Oban that visits Mull, Iona and Staffa. Note that the crossing to Staffa is weather dependent. Bowman’s also runs a wildlife tour (adult/child £49/24.50) departing from Oban at 9.50am Sunday to Friday from May to July, and returning to Oban at 8pm.
The trip takes in a ferry crossing to Craignure on Mull, travel by coach to Fionnphort, and a cruise around Staffa and the Treshnish Isles, plus two hours ashore on Lunga to visit a puffin colony. There's also a branch in Satfford St.
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Inveraray Maritime Museum
The Arctic Penguin, a three-masted schooner built in 1911 and one of the world’s last surviving iron sailing ships, is permanently moored in Inveraray harbour and houses the Inveraray Maritime Museum. It has interesting photos and models of the old Clyde steamers and puffers, and a display about Para Handy, the fictional sea captain created by local novelist Neil Munro (and celebrated in two successful TV series in the 1960s and 1990s). Kids will love exploring below the decks – there’s a special play area in the bowels of the ship.
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Ben More
The highest peak on the island, Ben More (966m/3168ft) has spectacular views in clear weather across to the surrounding islands. A trail leads up the mountain from Loch na Keal, by the bridge on the B8035 over the Abhainn na h-Uamha river (14km/8mi southwest of Salen). There's not much of a path. The round trip is 10.5km (6.5mi); allow five to six hours.
The glen can be rather wet. Return the same way or continue down the narrow ridge to the eastern top, A'Chioch, then descend to the road via Gleann na Beinn Fhada.
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Mull Wildlife Expeditions
Mull Wildlife Expeditions offers full-day Land Rover tours of the island with the chance of spotting red deer, golden eagles, peregrine falcons, white-tailed sea eagles, hen harriers, otters and perhaps dolphins and porpoises. The cost (adult/child £43/40) includes pick-up from your accommodation or from any of the ferry terminals, a picnic lunch and use of binoculars. The timing of this tour makes it possible as a day-trip from Oban, with pick-up and drop-off at the Craignure ferry.
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McCaig’s Tower
Crowning the hill above the town centre is the Victorian folly known as McCaig’s Tower. Its construction was commissioned in 1890 by local worthy John Stuart McCaig, an art critic, philosophical essayist and banker, with the philanthropic intention of providing work for unemployed stonemasons.
To reach it on foot, make the steep climb up Jacob’s Ladder (a flight of stairs) from Argyll St and then follow the signs. The views over the bay are worth the effort.
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Duart Castle
Two miles beyond Torosay is Duart Castle, a formidable fortress dominating the Sound of Mull. The seat of the Clan Maclean, this is one of the oldest inhabited castles in Scotland – the central keep was built in 1360. It was bought and restored in 1911 by Sir Fitzroy Maclean and has damp dungeons, vast halls and bathrooms equipped with ancient fittings. A bus to the castle meets the 9.50am, 11.55am and 2pm ferries from Oban to Craignure.
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Glengorm Castle
Just outside Tobermory a long, single-track road leads north for 4 miles to majestic Glengorm Castle with views across the sea to Ardnamurchan, Rum and the Outer Hebrides. The castle outbuildings house an art gallery featuring the work of local artists, a farm shop selling local produce, and an excellent coffee shop. The castle itself is not open to the public, but you’re free to explore the beautiful castle grounds.
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Ee’usk
Bright and modern Ee’usk (it’s how you pronounce iasg, the Gaelic word for fish) occupies Oban’s prime location on the North Pier. Floor-to-ceiling windows allow diners on two levels to enjoy views over the harbour to Kerrera and Mull, while sampling a seafood menu ranging from fragrant Thai fish cakes to langoustines with chilli and ginger.
A little pricey, perhaps, but both food and location are first class.
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Inveraray Castle
Inveraray Castle has been the seat of the Dukes of Argyll – chiefs of Clan Campbell – since the 15th century. The 18th-century building, with its fairytale turrets and fake battlements, houses an impressive armoury hall, its walls patterned with a collection of more than 1000 pole arms, dirks, muskets and Lochaber axes. The castle is 500m north of town, entered from the A819 Dalmally road.
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Loch Fyne Oyster Bar
Six miles northeast of Inveraray in Cairndow, this rustic-themed restaurant serves excellent seafood, though the service can be a bit hit-and-miss. It’s housed in a converted byre, and the menu includes locally farmed oysters, mussels and salmon. The neighbouring shop sells packaged seafood and other deli goods to take away, as well as bottled beer from the nearby Fyne Ales microbrewery.
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Kilmartin House Museum
The Kilmartin House Museum, in Kilmartin village, is a fascinating interpretive centre that provides a context for the ancient monuments you can go on to explore, alongside displays of artefacts recovered from various sites. The project was partly funded by midges – the curator exposed his body in Temple Wood on a warm summer’s evening and was sponsored per midge bite!
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Old Byre Heritage Centre
The Old Byre Heritage Centre brings Mull’s heritage and natural history to life through a series of tableaux and half-hour film shows. The prize for most bizarre exhibit goes to the 40cm-long model of a midge. The centre’s tearoom serves good, inexpensive snacks, including homemade soup and clootie dumpling, and there’s a kids’ outdoor play area.
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Oban Inn
The lively Oban Inn, overlooking the harbour by North Pier, is the best pub in town. It’s a traditional bar with wood panelling, brass rails and stained glass, and has real ales, a wide range of single malt whiskies and good bar food (£7) – the moules frites (mussels and chips) are a local favourite. Food is served from noon to 8.30pm.
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Burg
A highlight for trekkers is this 50-million-year-old fossil tree preserved in the basalt cliffs. A track leads from the car park at Tiroran to a house at Burg; the last 4km (2.5mi) to the tree is on a very rough coastal path. Nearby you can climb a metal ladder down to the beach at low tide. Allow six to seven hours for the strenuous 24km (14mi) round trip.
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Bowman’s Tours
The main operator on Mull, connecting the ferry ports and the island’s main villages. The routes useful for visitors are bus 495 from Craignure to Tobermory (£7 return, one hour, six daily Monday to Friday, four or five Saturday and Sunday) and bus 496 from Craignure to Fionnphort (£11 return, 1¼ hours, three or four daily Monday to Saturday, one Sunday).
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Oban Rare Breeds Farm Park
The Oban Rare Breeds Farm Park is a favourite with children, who get to meet all kinds of animals at close quarters, including rabbits, goats, cows, deer and even llamas. The farm maintains rare breeds of domesticated animals, including Tamworth pigs, Shetland and Soay sheep and longhorn cattle; it is 2 miles east of the town centre.
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Inveraray Jail
Inveraray Jail is an award-winning, interactive tourist attraction where you can sit in on a trial, try out a cell, and discover the harsh torture meted out to unfortunate prisoners. The attention to detail – including a life-sized model of an inmate squatting on a 19th-century toilet – more than makes up for the sometimes tedious commentary.
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Kilchoman Distillery
Kilchoman Distillery, 5 miles southwest of Loch Gruinart, is Islay’s newest, going into production in 2005. The distillery grows its own barley on Islay, and the tourist office explores the history of farmhouse distilling on the island. Its first single-malt was released in 2010, and was so popular it sold out within days.
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Antlers
This brand-new bistro makes the most of locally sourced produce, offering soup, sandwiches and burgers during the day, and an unexpectedly classy menu at dinner time, with dishes such as grilled goats cheese on black pudding with onion marmalade, glazed loin of pork with a cider reduction, and Cajun-style pan-fried venison.
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Bike Rides
A tourist-office leaflet lists local bike rides, which include a 7-mile Gallanach circular tour, a 16-mile route to the Isle of Seil and routes to Connel, Glenlonan and Kilmore. You can hire mountain bikes from Evo Bikes (566996; 29 Lochside St; ;09:00-17:30 Mon-Sat), opposite Tesco supermarket, for around £15 per day.
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Glebe Cairn Café
The cafe in the Kilmartin House Museum has a lovely conservatory with a view across fields to a prehistoric cairn. Dishes include homemade Cullen Skink, a Celtic cheese platter and hummus with sweet-and-sour beetroot relish. The drinks menu ranges from espresso to elderflower wine by way of Fraoch heather-scented ale.
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