Neptune’s Staircase to Oban
When I woke up early, the day looked dark indeed. Behind us, back east, the glowering clouds appeared foreboding in every sense of the word. Throughout the morning I heard comments thanking our lucky stars for the sunny skies of yesterday as we visited, walked and hiked the Ben Nevis, Glen Nevis and Glencoe area.
But today we were prepared to start a new and different stage in our travels here in Scotland. Before breakfast ended, the Lord of the Glens had warmed her engines, thrown off her lines and started her gentle descent of 62 feet to the North Atlantic Ocean. Neptune’s Staircase is the name given to the series of eight locks, and at each, one or two folk(s) decided to either embark or disembark the ship for photo opportunities.
As a final farewell to the Caledonian Canal, a small group decided to walk the last mile to the Corpach Locks, the last to separate us from sea water. We will have passed through twenty-one locks (twenty-two if you count a “regulating” lock – unused but ready for action if needed) in the last four days.
A light sprinkling of rain had everyone on board before the steam train passed by and we sailed clear of the last two locks and headed west; a brisk head-wind made it clear we were no longer in protected waters. Gulls of many species accompanied us, and cormorants and shags as well, until we finally came in sight of Oban, and the sun started to shine once more! Yes, our afternoon and evening in Oban, a principal hub of transportation for western Scotland, turned out to be a bright and sunny visit!
By the time everyone made it up to the spectacular look-out post known as McCaig’s Folly, the sun was such that glasses and hats were donned, and coats removed. Technically named McCaig’s Tower, this is a construction that hails from 1897 when John Stuart McCaig hired out-of-work stonemasons to create employment, and ended up with a structure that resembles the coliseum of Rome. Some family members thought it a waste of money, but the town of Oban has adopted it as its own, and it provides the ideal walking destination for an overview of the entire harbor and nearby islands.
As we gazed out at the view, a small raptor (not successfully identified to my satisfaction) stooped on a pigeon along the town beach…a Hobby? Peregrine? Not sure.
To celebrate a delightful day, a few folks decided that a visit to a local pub was called for, and after a whiskey-tasting, cider-tasting and lager-tasting hour, the view of Oban out the blown-glass window panes became an interesting focal point…
