Day 3 - Stirling to Oban - Saturday, 31 August, 2024

Weather - Fine - 19ºc max.

Accommodation - Glenroy Guesthouse, Oban


We spent the majority of the day in Stirling before setting off for the 2.5hrs drive to Oban. We walked up the hill to Stirling Castle just after the opening at 9.30am and the place was already heaving with tourists. We opted for a tour of the castle with a local Scottish guide who was both highly amusing and informative. She managed to keep all forty of us interested for an hour as we walked the length and the breadth of the fortified castle.



The story behind the Hunt of the Unicorn tapestries in the Queen’s Presence Chamber was a fascinating one. The fifteenth century originals are held in the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City. A team of weavers researched the medieval weaving techniques, colour palettes and materials to reproduce four of the large tapestries. It took ten years and 12 million pounds to complete the project in 2015. The vibrant, rich colours are stunning.



Next to the castle is the Church of the Holy Rude which has a significant place in Scottish history. It is where Mary, Queen of Scots worshipped, James VI was crowned and John Knox preached. There is an impressive oak-beamed roof which is one of the few medieval timber roofs surviving in Scotland. 



After visiting the castle and church we walked down the hill to our accommodation, picked up our car and drove to the Wallace Monument which was about ten minutes away on Abbey Craig. From the car park we walked up a steep incline through forest to the base of the 67m tower and then climbed the 246-step spiral staircase to the viewing gallery which sits under the monument’s top crown. The steps are narrow and steep. 



Thankfully, there are three exhibition galleries which we viewed on the way up so we could catch our breath. When we arrived at the top there was an 85 year old Scottish/Australian woman looking very spritely taking in the extensive views with her Australian family. 




From the Wallace Monument we drove to Oban through stunning countryside, alongside lochs and streams and below huge mountains. Once again we saw many signs to places we had walked through. We stopped at the small village of Tyndrum for a short break. In 2009 we had a rest day at this isolated place when we walked the West Highland Way.


We arrived at our accommodation in Oban at 4.30pm, quickly unpacked and walked down to the beautiful horseshoe-shaped harbour. 



As it was a wonderful sunny Saturday evening the town was buzzing with many sitting outside cafes and pubs soaking up the sun. We walked around the town for quite some time getting our bearings before choosing the Italian restaurant, Piazza for dinner. It was an ideal spot as it is located on the pier and so we had views over the harbour and to the islands of Kerrera, Mull and Lismore.



We returned to our accommodation via a different route climbing a steep staircase called Jacob’s Ladder. 





Tomorrow we will spend the day exploring Oban. 


And just for fun at the Wallace Monument…





Comments

  1. Julie HSeptember 2, 2024 at 4:03 PM

    Did you send Brian a pic of the Wallace monument while you were there?

    ReplyDelete

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