Today's program is not too restrictive, it involves covering kilometers to change regions and... eating seafood, the local specialty!
Route : 244 km and 4 hours minimum on a slow road to reach Oban from the Isle of Sky. The area around Fort William is very busy, there are lots of tour buses, trucks and campervans which make it slow and even dangerous, with some drivers appearing uncomfortable with rental vehicles. One thing is certain, we have joined the tourist routes.
Scotland may be full of lochs, inlets and fishermen, but there are not many seafood platters. As for the real ones, made from local products and not imported and frozen, they are even less so. Most products are in fact exported and/or depend on small fishermen in the region and vary depending on weather conditions. That is to say that sometimes, like in Kylesku whose restaurant is famous for this specialty, there is simply none. The region around Oban, however, allows you to eat it almost everywhere, which is not the case elsewhere in Scotland. We've tested!
EILEAN DONAN CASTLE
First stop 60 minutes from Portree, Dornie, to admire its 13th century castle, emblematic of Scotland, with its stone access bridge. The parking lot is huge (4 people park) and there are already (too) many visitors for our liking. We're back to civilization, that's for sure. The visit is certainly beautiful, at a cost of 12 pounds per person, but for our part, we skipped it.
FORT WILLIAM - GLENCOE
The road to Oban passes through the magnificent Glencoe region, one of the most famous in Scotland. Fort William is also crowded and full of hotels and places, each more touristy than the last. We decided not to stop there. The Glencoe area, on the other hand, if you go a little off the itinerary, is beautiful and well worth the detour.
You will find some gems there, notably the Nevis Range ski resort, the highest in Scotland (1223 m), whose cable car is open all year round (skiing in winter, cycling in summer) and which offers 35 ski slopes. The site is not high, but the snow cover should be there. At the end of April, snow is still present on the peaks.
LOCHLEVEN SHELLFISH
Shortly after Fort William, on the B863, we made our first taste stop in North Ballachulish, at Lochleven Shellfish Ltd. Located on the north shore of Loch Leven, we have undoubtedly found THE BEST PLACE TO BE for tasting the best seafood in Scotland.
Fishing is local and seafood is stored nearby, in reservoirs. The chef serves himself as and when requested by the restaurant, it is difficult to find fresher ones. The cuisine is simple, it is enough to highlight the products, whose taste is incomparable. The center's activity is the global export of seafood products and also includes a delicatessen and a shop. Unavoidable!
OBAN
For the night, we stayed in Oban, at the newly renovated La Promenade hotel. The establishment has been completely renovated, with modern Italian neo-Gothic style decoration. The ground floor is very nice and lively. The rooms on the other hand are a little small. Parking spaces are available in front of the hotel free of charge or on the platforms (parking meters).
Seafood obliges, in Oban, we brought it to the EE-USK restaurant. The view of the port is magnificent, the service correct, but the seafood platter had nothing to do with the lunch platter. The dishes are guaranteed all year round and some of the products offered came from Asia, notably the scallops or had been frozen... big disappointment, then!
There's nothing like the small town of Oban for a nighttime stroll on the quays. The light is magical and the view of the waterfront and the boats is magnificent. And for amateurs, the city is full of pubs to party or to taste one of the local whiskeys.
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