Oban (Day 13)
We woke up bright and (not very) early on our penultimate day and headed down to Oban for a day out in the town. After Kerry, Lois, Jennifer, and Dylan ate some lunch in a burger bar, and Mike and Lewis had fish and chips, we trawled around some books shops, charity shops, and thrift shops on the hunt for hidden gems. Mike found a copy of Around The World In 80 Days (which he only read half of on Skye) for dirt cheap, Lewis picked up some second hand jeans, and the girls left Oban with a whole collection of books and some whiskey.
After our little shopping session, we grabbed some coffees on the water front and considered the rest of our day. On our way out of Oban, we picked up a couple of bags of veggies for our final two dinners. Back at the house, Lois settled down in the sun with her new book while the rest of the team put on their swim wear and marched up the track to one of the fresh water Lochs in the hills. It was gorgeous! The water was warm and not salty (which took the team by surprise after so many days of swimming in the sea) but there was a strong-ish wind that whipped up the water. Dylan, Jennifer, and Lewis swam all the way to the other side of the Loch, which was further than they expected, but they enjoyed it and that's what matters.
In the evening, Lois, Kerry, and Jennifer settled into a game of monopoly deal (a faster and more enjoyable version of full-on monopoly) while Mike and Dylan prepared a Mediterranean style feast. It was delicious and completely filled us up. That evening, the moon was full and the glow on the water was breath-taking! We danced in our moon shadows for a little before heading back to have a Tunnock's Tea Cake for desert. The team headed up for a relatively early night, gearing ourselves for another day of adventures and our final day of expedition.
The End (Day 14)
This is it! Our final full day of our expedition! And what a day it was!
Before anything could be done, however, Jennifer had to prepare our desert for the evening - banoffee pie. Although several members of the team helped her prepare the base and toffee to set in the fridge, Jennifer has been the head baker on the expedition. While at Kilchoan, she has made us many baked goods that have kept us going while we have been out collecting data. She is for sure the team's official Baker. So big shout out to Jennifer, you baking wizard - we have loved everything you have made for us!
Once the pie was doing its thing in the fridge, we headed out to Easdale. Easdale is one of the Slate Islands, in the Firth of Lorn, which was once the centre of the Scottish slate industry. The old quarries are now beautiful blue pools which people can swim in. We got the little ferry, walked across the island to the pools, shimmied into our swimming costumes behind some rocks, and had a brilliant midday/early afternoon swim. The water was certainly warmer than the Loch at Kilchoan and it was so clear! There were also several small cliffs we could jump from into the water. Once we had finished swimming, we dried out on some rocks, reading books and skimming stones.
When we arrived back at the house, Lois and Kerry prepared a baked chicken stew with veggies and roast potatoes for dinner while Jennifer and Dylan went kayaking and Mike and Lewis went fishing. Dinner was totally delicious! After eating, we headed down to the beach for a final walk (with our new friend Gabe) and enjoyed a beautiful sunset as we skimmed stones and strolled on the rocks. While we were on the beach, a seal popped out of the water to say hi. We also got the chance to snap a few group photos on the beach.
We headed back to the house, where Jennifer finished preping our banoffee pie. The team settled down at the table, eating banoffee pie, having a few drinks, and reminiscing about our time on expedition and plans for when we get home. With so much to do tomorrow, and since we are heading off early, the team geared themselves up for an early(ish) night so we can clean and pack up in time.
The blog has gained a bit of a cult following over the last two weeks but we have one more blog on the way tomorrow so don't stress, it isn't the end just yet!
The Seaweed Team
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