Oban: Gateway to the Isles

We stayed two nights in Oban on the west coast of Scotland. It was our first stop. Oban is a resort town and seaport. It was a pretty decent size town, with plenty of places to eat. Oban is famous for being the "seafood capital of Scotland." 

Gateway to the Isles

My B&B

Waterfront

Waterfront in the evening

Oban's White Norwegian Church (closed), c. 1957

Harbor view

Working boats

Dunollie Lighthouse, c. 1892

Shoreline

Upper right:  Dunollie Castle

Sunset in Oban

Glenelg-Skye Ferry

There are two ways to get to Skye (with your vehicle): via the Skye Bridge or via ferry. There are two ferries. We took the smaller one. MV Glenachulish was built in 1969 and is oldest manually operated steel turntable ferry in the world. It has a capacity of six cars (and 12 passengers) and operates seasonally between Glenelg (on the mainland) to Kylerhea on the Isle of Skye. The crossing takes approximately 5 minutes and saves 36 miles of driving. 

Shortest gap between the mainland and Isle of Skye.

Oldest turntable ferry in the world

Ferry operators

Leaving

Control center

Ferry ramp in Glenelg

The Glenelg-Skye Ferry is over 60 years old and is registered with National Historic Ships UK. According to its web site, archaic land law forces the ferry to pay 5% of its earnings to its wealthy absentee owner. The community is currently petitioning the Scottish government to intervene on behalf of the iconic ferry.

Ready to disembark

Thanks for the lift

We were treated to a "seal show" during the crossing. The little guys bobbed in and out of the water.  

Playful seals

Dog helper

The ferry is based in Glenelg on the west coast of Scotland. Glenelg is also a location on Mars near the Mars Science Laboratory landing site. On October 20, 2012, Glenelg (Scotland) was officially twinned with Glenelg (Mars). Glenelg is also the name of a rival high school in Howard County. Glenelg, Maryland was named after Glenelg, Scotland. The name is a palindrome, meaning it is spelled the same forwards as backwards. 

Home of the iconic ferry

Grazing near the ferry

Misty mountain

Kilt Rock & Mealt Falls

We stopped for a quick photo stop at the Kilt Rock viewpoint. Kilt Rock is an almost 300 foot sea cliff on the Isle of Skye. It's vertical basal columns are said to look like the cleats of a Scottish kilt. Mealt Falls flow directly over the cliff, dumping water from Loch Mealt into the Sound of Raasay below. We could only view the cliff and falls from the side, but they were still a sight to behold. But, no opportunities for creative photography. A drone or boat would have been necessary to get different angles of the cliffs (columns) and waterfall.

STILL

MOVING

Hairy Coos

Hairy Coos (Heilan coo) is the affectionate Scottish name for Highland (or Highlander) cattle. The shaggy-coated, long-horned cows native to the Scottish Highlands have taken the world by storm and are very important to tourism in Scotland, probably second only to whiskey. We saw some, but not as many as I thought we would. Our tour guide told us that farmers were being encouraged to keep their Highland cattle away from tourists. Why? Because tourists do stupid things. Yellowstone, right?

Part of Scotland's identity

Highland (or Highlander) cow (coo)

On our tour, the best place to see and take pictures of Hairy Coos proved to be Culloden. There was a small pasture of them at the edge of the battlefield. The battlefield maintains them for historic purposes. We stopped at a place on the way back to Edinburgh that had some, but they looked more like crossbreds. I knew the friendly bull wasn't a Highlander. We also saw some cows near the Italian Chapel (on Orkney), as well as a few other places (as we were driving). Otherwise, most of the cattle we saw (they're were a lot on Orkney) were traditional European beef breeds, lots of Aberdeen Angus.

Grazing away

Bangs

Traditional black

So hungry

Highland Cattle are one of the oldest breeds of cattle, having been around since the 6th century Their herd book (registry) was established in the late 1800's. The breed is best known for its exceptional hardiness, making the most of poor quality forage and being able to thrive where other cattle would perish. They are especially tolerant of the cold, wet conditions typical of Scotland. Though their distribution is now worldwide, their true home is the Western Highlands and islands of Scotland. 

Wide body

The horn span

Cow close-up

How now brown cow

It goes without saying that Highland cattle are deeply intertwined with Scottish Highland culture. Historically, the cattle were a measure of wealth, a crucial source of survival, and a symbol of the rugged resilience of the Highlanders. The Highland Clearances completely upended the role, population, and geography of Highland cattle, as cattle were displaced by sheep. Victorian preferences further changed the traditional color of Highland cattle from black (or dark brown) to red or ginger.

Big horns

Hasn't missed many meals.

Two red ones

This bull was not a Highlander.

You could buy Hairy Coo souvenirs everywhere.

This little cow came home with me.

The fortress in the middle of the lake

Castle Stalker was a photo stop. There was only one viewpoint. That was about it.  A picture of the castle and a picture with me in front of the castle. No opportunity for creativity. It would have been neat to get pictures from different vantage points and at different times of the day. 

Castle Stalker, c. 1320

Surrounded by water

Castle Stalker is a 4-story tower house (keep) that is surrounded by water. It sets on an tidal inlet on Loch Laich. You can get there at low tide (across the mud flats), but mostly people take a boat. The castle gets its name from the Gaelic words for falconer or hunter. Stalker has been in a few movies, including prominently in the 1975 classic Monty Python and the Holy Grail. 

In front of the castle

Castle Stalker served as a strategic stronghold for the MacDougalls, Stewarts, and Campbells. In the 18th century, it fell into disrepair and was eventually abandoned. The castle was revived in the 1960's and it privately owned.