Easdale

The Tourist Info people suggested a trip to Easdale. This turned out to be a good choice. The stunning scenery was complimented by my first opportunity to enjoy the Scottish single track roads with passing points. This experience stood me in good stead for the long journey through the Highlands planned for later in the week. The scenery was enhanced slightly as we moved slowly over the Atlantic Bridge enroute to Easdale. Wow, we simply couldn't see beyond the bonnet of the car as we crept over the apex. Not a place for a recreational vehicle. Having driven past yet another Loch, the view of Easdale and the coast was stunning. Time for a short nap before heading into town. Now that is something that I did miss while in Ghana. It's nice to have a 15 minute break each day. It's the only way to turn off the brain and to relax the mind. Pauline and I got good at this throughout our week in Scotland. We simply pulled over and had a nap whenever we felt like it. I suppose that's the benefit of being on Holiday and moving at your own pace. A pace that suited me at this moment in my life.



Easdale was a delight. It was almost like stepping back in time. As you can see by the photograoh, Pauline had nabbed my windproof water resistant fleece and was nice and cosy for yet another boat trip. This time it was on the Seafari out of Easdale. A tad pricey, but hey ho. What the lady wants, the lady gets. The 2.5 hour trip lasted over 3 hours as the Skipper was customer rather than profit orientated. We were on our way back when another boat spotted three blue nosed dolphins so he turned around and headed back out, very kind of him. The Seafari included moving close to isolated bits of the headland. So I enjoyed watching the Brown Mountain goat high up on a rock, the pair of Scottish Sea Eagles and the four deer on a deserted cove as much as the other sea birds and our quest for the elusive Whale. The Whirlpool was fun as well, but although our boat could cruise at 25 knots and reach 40, the Whirlpool was still a bit scary and somewhere that I did not want to hang around too long. The seats of the ribbed boat were good fun as well, almost like sitting on a rocking horse. Albeit a very fast and turbulent one!

Oban

Day two at Connel meant that we had the opportunity to visit the nearest town. Oban like Accra is a coastal community. Fortunately, unlike Accra, the shore off Oban was calm. This meant that I could chance my arm with a boat trip. No mean feat for yours truly as I suffer from chronic sea sickness. We skipped the pleasure boat running from the Station Pier and instead took the more sturdy looking trawler type boat from the North Pier in Oban. That was a good choice, as the crew were friendly and a little old lady from the United States joined the trip. Lucky us, as this old dear has been visiting Oban for the last 25 years and provided an extremely informative commentary as the boat chugged across the bay. We learnt about the Watch Tower where the locals looked for signs of the Viking invaders. The lovers island where a very naughty girl got caste off in a small rowing boat on a stormy night by her husband. Mind you it was worse for her lover, as he got run through with a sword for his troubles. And we saw the monument that was erected in memory of some clever chap who made Oban what it is today.

We even managed to catch sight of the Ferry running from Oban across to the Islands. Brilliant, as this particular Ferry is the star attraction on a television programme watched religiously by our grandson. "What's the story in Balamory" is a constant theme tune in our home. Well the ferry doesn't run to the fictitious Balamory, instead it plies its trade to the Tobermory community just across the bay from Oban that is the real life setting for what is after all a great childrens programme.

Well one exciting boat trip should have been enough. I'm not one for taking risks and we should have quit while we were ahead. Nevertheless we tucked into fish and chips sat down in the port. It was quite an expensive park bench as the fish and chips came in at £13 for the two of us. £7.50 for the boss and £5.50 for me. Well I know my plaice in the pecking order.

The sun shone through and we headed to the Tourist Information Office for inspiration