Oban in the sunshine!

Oban was at it’s best last week-end. There was an Indian summer on the West Coast and Pat and I were lucky enough to take full advantage of it. The unseasonably good weather meant that it was t-shirts all the way. There one or two things that immediately impressed me about the Oban area. The sea and the islands which surround the Bay were top amongst these. Large Cal- Mac ferries sailed by the bedroom window at regular intervals, taking customers to the string of West Coast Islands that make it the doorway to the Isles. The seafood dishes were another delight and as one of the many French visitors sitting in the out door café said ‘C’est delicieuse.’
The highlights of the week end were:
• A seafood dinner, in the ‘Coast,’ restaurant.
• A trip to seal island to watch the pooches sunning themselves on the rocks.

Image via Wikipedia

• A trip to Kilmartin, south of Oban, which boasts more prehistoric sites of interest than almost anywhere else in Europe

• A trip alongside the Crinan Canal to the sea loch (no 15) This must be a canal junkie’s dream

• Crinan Hotel had an exhibition of the art of Frances MacDonald (Ryan.) I have to admit that I had not come across her before, even though she is well know and successful. She produces wonderful acrylic paintings of the local beaches and mountains, as well as paintings of horse racing and many other subjects. All of them completed with a Pallete knife. There is great texture and life in her paintings.
• Another gem I found in the tourist information was a book by Mairi Hedderwick called ‘An Eye on the Hebrides.’ It is an illustrated account of a trip she took around the Hebridean Islands in 1981. Her sketches and descriptions of the places she visited are wonderful.

I had some spare time to sketch a famous landmark, next to Oban harbour