Possibility of Weather Disruption

While there were patches of clear sky and sunshine, the ferry company was warning about the possibility of disruption of services.  High winds and unpredictable squalls would cause the ferries to stay in port.  So we stayed in Oban until Tuesday.  Underneath one of those red roofs in the photo above is a Michelin guide EE-USK seafood restaurant.  David had the Scottish oysters as a starter, which were large and tasted great.  I know because he offered one to me.

We sat next to the windows, and I kept my cap nearby to slip on when the sun came out.  Then we saw a storm approaching from the West as a ferry was coming into port.  However the ferry turned around to wait out the storm. You can see it in the distance in the photo below.

The rest of the afternoon was very windy and rainy, with gusts up to 40 or 50 MPH.  We could hear the roar of the wind in our hotel room throughout most of the night.  Still dealing with jet lag and not able to sleep, I struggled all night with worry that we would be stuck in Oban another day. 

We were pretty sure the large ferry from Oban to Craignure, the port on the East end of Oban, would be running.  And we knew the bus across Mull would be running without concern for the weather.  However, the ferry from Fionphort on the Western edge of the Island of Mull over to Iona is much smaller, and cannot handle the waves as well.  Fionphort is also very small, with few places to take shelter if there is a long wait for the ferry.  There was no way to know until morning.