Our guests were treated to a special sighting this morning from their bedroom windows. A beautiful sperm whale roaming around very close in Oban bay. What a lovely start to Easter weekend.
Sperm whale visits Oban Bay
UPDATE 15/4/13
The Oban Bay Sperm whale left today for deeper, more open waters as it headed out across the Firth of Lorne towards Mull. We wish it well!
Tibault Repertiore wallpaper was the choice for a new look for Room 3 above the greenhouse.
The Manor House was recently the venue for Mr and Mrs Harrison’s Ruby Wedding Anniversary where all the guests enjoyed a fabulous 3 course lunch in our restaurant.
Mr Harrison's guests having a little break between courses
Some entertainment was a welcome treat for the guests at the end of the meal
Mr Harrison thanking all of his guests on behalf of himself and his wife for attending and sharing their special day with them
The Manor House would like to thank Mr and Mrs Harrison for choosing our venue to celebrate their special day.
It’s been a long 9 weeks recovering from what we first thought was a small kitchen fire. Building manager Ronnie Dalgleish directed Oban contractor Owen Hoey repairing the kitchen, two guest rooms and staff accommodation upstairs.
The kitchen is complete and tested. The halls and carpets have all been refreshed and we are ready to open tomorrow Monday 16th July. The 3 rooms, which are at the end of a closed hall, will be finished with complete re-decoration in two weeks.
Chefs Shaun, Liam, Vilas and Duncan prepared for the Manor House re-opening Monday July 16.
The fire started when some duck confit ignited. Flames spread to the smoke extractor then into the ceiling and walls above. The Oban Fire Service was quickly on the case and no one was hurt. Smoke was modest and contained in the kitchen and room above.
Our thanks go to manager Gregor MacKinnon, the Manor House staff and the tradesmen who have worked long hours getting everything back into “Manor House Shape”. We appreciate the many calls of support from our Manor House friends and look forward to seeing you soon.
Les & Mags Crane
The season of Spring has arrived early in Oban this year with temperatures reaching 20 degrees on Sunday the 25th of March.
Oban basking in 20 degrees of heat on Sunday 25th March 2012
We are looking forward to a busy Easter followed by the return of Lobster Thursdays in late April witch have always proved popular with locals and guests alike.
One of our new Cordyline Australis
We also have some new additions to the entrance of the hotel with two new Cordyline Australis. They are in place of the old ones which were damaged during a storm earlier in the year.
The Manor House was busy this weekend with a number of guests attending the annual Pedigree Highland Cattle judging and auction.
The Highland Cattle Society Oban Spring Show and Sale
Prize Highland cow on show in Oban
Admiral Henry Charles Otter became the owner of the Manor House in 1845 and was one of Oban’s most influential characters. The Admiral was responsible for charting the waters of Scotland’s north west coast resulting in the Hebridean Survey, and he had a strong religious influence on and west coast communities and Oban’s townsfolk, some of the latter having been baptised at the spring in the Manor House grounds.
More details on Admiral Otter are available at the Manor House website’s History page and also on Peter Kerr’s informative blog on the historical people, places and events that helped shape the Scottish Western Isles.
Manor House owner and Past Commodore of the Royal Bermuda Yacht Club, Les Crane joined a group of approximately 150 North American members of the Cruising Club of America in their anniversary cruise of the Western Isles the last two weeks of July.
CCA chorus studying later verses of Donald Where’s Your Trousers.
The cruise ended in Kerrera with a party for about 1000 in the old seaplane hanger. The following night, the Manor House was pleased to hold a private party for Cruising Club of America organisers of the event including CCA Commodore Shelia McCurdy and her husband Admiral Brown, Event Co- Chair Thatcher Rose, organisers Dianne Embree, Kenneth Gumley and their spouses.
The Crinan to Tobermory Classic Race takes place on Saturday July 10. The organizers of the Crinan Classic Boat Festival, which recently took place between July 1-4, have re-introduced this classic race which will see wooden boats both sail and motor venture from Crinan to Tobermory on Mull through some of the most spectacular coastal scenery in Scotland.
The boats will set off from Crinan early to mid-morning with one or two starts depending on weather conditions. Although it is an informal race, the organizers aim to attract boating enthusiasts who may wish to either take part or simply take off and cruise at their leisure to explore the fabulous west coast with its beautiful waters and picturesque islands.
We at the Manor House Hotel, Oban wish all those taking part happy sailing!