Oban to Dumbarton Scotland

Day 55/Scotland 32

Travelled:193km

Stay:Dumbarton Castle- carpark N55.9363 W4.5610

Visited: Oban, Inveraray, Loch Lomond, Geilston Garden (NT nonmembers £7.50pp), Dumbarton Castle £6pp

Early bird catches glimpses of deer!

It’s been our first dry day in Scotland for a while which is nice for a change. 

Nice looking bridge on the way to Oban.

This morning we drove to Oban, located on the Firth of Lorne, which is a busy ferry port to the nearby islands. 

We parked up and had a stroll through the streets but nothing was open as it was only 8am! There were some lovely buildings of eras gone by, apparently it was all about the distillery. 

From here we headed east and then south to Inveraray, which sits on the banks of Loch Fyne. The town was built by the 3rd Duke of Argyll (the Head of the Campbell Clan) in the 18th century. There is a castle and jail to visit but we opted for a stroll around the town.

 We then continued on to Tarbet on the shores of Loch Lomond, the largest fresh water lake in Great Britain.

 It is a very popular destination for boating and water sports, angling, golf, cycling, walking and mountaineering. Unfortunately due to time constraints, our only pursuit was to drive along the western shore, stopping at a couple of places as we continued our southward journey towards Glasgow. 

After leaving the Loch we visited Geilston Garden of a small country estate, offering a beautiful walled garden dating back to 1797 which is dominated by a mammoth Wellingtonia tree. 

We were envious of The Kitchen garden which had plenty of varieties fruit and vegetables. 

Our last stop of the day was Dumbarton Castle, spectacularly sited on a volcanic rock overlooking the River Clyde. It has the longest recorded history of any stronghold in Scotland. At least as far back as the Iron Age it had been a site of strategical importance. In 871 the Irish Vikings laid siege for 4 months. Once it fallen, 200 ships and captives were taken back to Dublin. In medieval times it became a royal castle with William Wallace and Mary Queen of Scots spending time here. Later it was a mighty garrison fortress.

Gun powder kegs...easy does it..

Views of River Clyde.