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Links to pages in the Place Guide
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Günter
and Monika |
Links to pages in the Place Guide |
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Günter and Monika visited Islay in August 2003, we had met in Köln (Cologne) during the Summer and they were returning the visit. They were kind enough to send me some of their pictures which I have added to this page with some commentary of my own. It is notoriously difficult to get good pictures from aeroplane windows, this is one of the nicest I have seen of the engine of the Easyjet plane on route from Amsterdam to Glasgow. |
 Opposite: this whimsical statue in Buchanan Street bus station says much about greetings. |
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Their trip is particularly valuable because they followed the Oban route which is available only on Wednesdays during the Summer. I have said little on this in the rest of the site but the trip on the ferry from Oban is very pleasant on a sunny, calm day passing as it does the Isle of Mull, along the West Coast of Jura and via Colonsay to Port Askaig. Buchanan Street Bus Station is a dreich place on a grey Glasgow day but the journey to Oban from Stand 56 is an interesting one. |
 all these pictures can be viewed at 640 x 480 resolution by clicking on them. To return here use the back button on your browser. |
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And oh dear, the weather was so unkind to them on this trip – after the hottest, brightest, driest summers on record the rain came to them. Even so the trip past Loch Lomond one the left and the “Rest and be Thankful” pass over the hills still had its attractions. Certainly they saw Scotland as the Scottish see it in a more normal year weatherwise. The picture on the right is not blurred because of the camera man, but because of the fine rain and mist! |
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Oban is a pleasant little fishing and market town in a sheltered bay, day and night there are things to see and do, including a working distillery. They arrived late in the evening on Tuesday and had the morning of Wednesday to look around the town. The ferry timetable for next year is not yet published but it is likely that this route will be available in 2004. It is always a good idea to book a hotel in Oban before you travel, it is a surprisingly busy little town |
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Thankfully the weather improved for them when they got to Islay, it was so bad they did not send me pictures from the ferry. Here are a couple of shots they took while they were here, and yes, that is me. |
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