Day 55: Fort William to Glasgow

I got a text this morning at 4.45am from a German telling me Britain had voted to exit. I didn’t see it until I woke up but I was shocked. Oh dear...

Breakfast was a sombre affair. My host knew Scotland had wanted to stay in so he thought he better not say anything. Then there was me, and two German couples.

Two hours of debate and discussion later, all that remained of breakfast were crumbs and empty coffee cups and it was all sorted.

1) The EU is undemocratic as it operates now.

2) Germany did not think through how its immigration policy would impact on the other member states. My breakfast sharers actually said they thought in part it was about over compensating for past behaviours. As a numerologist I totally agree. That is the 2 balance and co-operation and understanding and the 16, a karmic debt of past lack of love. This is not about people. Even the immigration issue is just a smoke screen. It is about power, control and business and the few that control them.

3) We need a new politics. We all need to stop WAR being ALL our countries most lucrative industries, then situations where people need to flee as refugees would be less urgent and emotive. Selling weaponry should be considered a crime against mankind.

4) (My contribution) We need to immediately sack the leaders of both sides of the referendum debate for running a disgusting and immoral campaign where some voters including  Paul our host, had no idea what was true or how he was going to vote even when standing in the ballot box with his paper in his hand. None of them have my confidence to negotiate a reasonable or generous leaving on my behalf.

Any true visionaries interested in running a humanitarian country out there? If not leave it to the five of us.

Argyll and Bute are beautiful today folks.

There are excellent cycle paths running parallel with the main roads and the locks are full of small yachts bobbing about at anchor. My friend Crispin would love it here. He could pop his boat Magic onto a low loader and just get up here. They all say that it snows more in Kent in the winter than it does here, and Paul my most recent host,  lived in Tunbridge Wells for 30 years so he should know!

Yet more castles everywhere

And then Oban.

Oban was looking good in the weak sunshine. She had all her flags flying and to me they looked European! 

Oban styles herself the fish capital of Scotland and it was interesting that here were did not have the bog standard fish and chips. On no...far more Marks and Spencer advert type of fish and chips.

And it was everywhere.
On the pier where the ferries leave for the Islands there were several fish stalls doing a roaring trade in seafood: scallops, oysters, mussels, crab, langoustine and crab often all on the same sharing plate. Too much claw and shell for me I’m afraid.

Above the town is an incongruous monument that looks like a bit of a film set in Rome.

It’s McCraig's Tower started in 1897. John McCraig was a banker and wanted it built as a memorial to his family and to give work to local stone masons who had no work in the winter. Constructed of granite it wasn’t built on level ground so its walls vary in height from 30 to 47 feet. It looks like the Coliseum in Rome intentionally. Mr. McCraig admired it. He died  in 1902 before he could put in place the third tier where he planned to have a series of statues in stone or bronze created  by young Scottish sculptors to be priced at £1000 each to encourage and support the arts in Scotland. .What a shame he died before he could see that happen

I had lunch in a vegetarian cafe called the Potting Shed where unfortunately the radio was on and I heard more than I wanted to about reactions to the referendum. The owner of the cafe said the result  would negatively affect her business. She had advertised for help in the cafe for months with no takers until a Slovakian girl applied. The girl is excellent, speaks English, is clean and works hard. Now what?

Chocolate – that’s what. Oban has its own Chocolatier. It has a shop on the seafront Oban Chocolate Co.  ‘where indulgence is compulsory.’ 

They have a lounge area inside with soft leather sofas where you can relax and enjoy hot chocolate, tasting plates of chocolate, waffles with fruit and cream or ice-cream or all of the above to compensate for the referendum results. Today lots of people were probably doing just that.

The chocolate making factory is small but perfectly formed at the back of the store and has a viewing window so you can watch the staff at work.

It also has a chocoholics dream shop where you can buy what they make. They produce over 50 flavours of hand made truffles. I did think of buying some but have no self control and they would have been eaten even before I got back to my car.

Outside the chocolate factory were about 600 6x6inch wooden plagues tied to the promenade railings. Many had coloured hand-prints on them, others simple drawings. All were signed. The artists? Children under ten saying thank you for their new Play park.

The other thing I noticed about Oban were the builders. They were everywhere. Oban is redesigning their seafront and making it more pedestrian friendly.

It was causing traffic problems to ferry traffic but I imagine the sheer number of workmen about would mean the job would be speedily completed. The parts they had already completed looked very smart and well planned with space for flower beds and benches and perhaps even street performers. My town Eastbourne has something similar in mind for the town centre.

I look the coast road to Glasgow from Oban, and stopped briefly in Inverarary, another place with very white washed buildings.

I still haven’t discovered why so many Scottish buildings are all painted white. There was a team of heritage restoration builders in Inverary  working on a large tarpaulin covered building. The ideal experts to answer this pressing question I thought.

“Excuse me, I can’t help noticing that all the buildings in North and West Scotland and on Skye are just one colour. White. Why?”

“No idea. White paint’s cheap. Mebbe that’s why.”

“I doubt it. Is this building going to be white too?”

“Aye.”

I asked in Visit Scotland too and weirdly got the same answer.
 No that really can’t be why.
Anyone else know?

Inverary has lots of cafes to feed and water the tourists who come here for two reasons: the castle, a 18^th century one looking more like a French chateau, summer home to The Duke of Argyll

And the jail. Yes this town has turned their jail into a successful tourist venue.  www.inveraryjail.co.uk

Take note Dornoch!!! You missed an opportunity.

On past Loch Fyne famous for oysters, lobster and all the other Scottish seafood.

And the forest park of Trossocks and Loch Lomond, to Dunoon.

Now why did I have an idea that Dunoon would be a quaint little seaside village. It wasn’t quaint or little. It was a bit like Newhaven. Enough said. 

The ferry took about 20 minutes to go to Gourock (pronounced Geruk)

And then it was another 30 miles, through Glasgow Docks to Glasgow town.
 Here I am staying with Helena, a medical secretary in her nice little apartment in a house in a quiet road about 15 minutes from the city centre.