Bed and Breakfast in Oban – A Simple Historical Guide for Tourists
The history of the United Kingdom is a complex tapestry and this stands true for Scotland, individually, as well. The formation of the country we now know as Scotland, is said, to have begun around 500 Ad. The land was at that point separated into four separate and culturally diverse regions. The Peoples that inhabited the land in the north-east were known as the ‘Picts’ a name they seem to have inherited thanks to a description of them by the Romans, the ‘Scotti’ in the west, Angles in the South-East and the Britons in the South-West. An exact delineation is difficult to describe with words and is best understood by looking at a map from the specific era. Much historical data is to be found about each of the tribes and is not within the scope of this article. The focus here is on the emergence of Scotland as it is known today. As may be surmised by the above description it was the ‘Scotti’ of the West Coast and Islands that ultimately would gain control of the country. This was achieved, so it is speculated, by a combination of military actions, the spread of Christianity as the primary religion of the island and Royal succession through inter-tribal marriage.
The disappearance of the Picts from Scotland is a topic of much interest and some debate. Whilst it may not be true to suggest that the Picts were eradicated from the land or even that the Scotti ‘conquered’ them in the modern understanding of the word we know that their cultural identity was eroded away. Ultimately it was the Pictish culture and name which was destroyed, culminating in two peoples forming into a single entity, one in which the Scotti traditions would dominate. This may be mainly due to the lack of a Pictish written text and the primary communication ultimately being the use of the written word by Gaelic Christian Monks. The monks presence and influence had rapidly spread after acceptance of Christianity in Ireland through to the east Coast of Scotland Via Argyll and the Islands. It would seem that military dominance would allow a cultural assimilation and ultimately lead to the formation of Scotia (Scotland) by Kenneth (Cinaeth) Macalpine in 844 AD. There had been, for a few hundred years a kind of peace between the two peoples that had made life difficult for the Roman invaders of the South. Perhaps it was the final withdrawal of the invading Roman armies which allowed conflict to resume between the Picts and the Scotti culminating in one unified Northern Tribe. It would also appear to be feasible that the Roman occupation of the southern lands of Great Britain would also have weakened the Britons and Angles to such an extent that the Scots would then come to dominate and originate the country of Scotland.
The Kingdom of the ‘Scotti’ known as Dalriada (or Dalriata) was formed by the migration of Celtic people inhabiting the North of Ireland to the Islands and western coastline of Scotland via the northern channel. The area that it encompassed included the Islands of the Hebrides and the county we now know as Argyll. Thus it can be seen, if even from a purely geographical viewpoint, the importance of Oban as a port to the main islands such as Mull, Tiree and Islay. The term, by which Oban is referenced, “gateway to the isles” is probably an indication of the dominance and bias of the central belt rather than a historical truism. If anything it would be more accurate to consider the town as the last outpost or frontier from the Islands to the mainland. It may be deduced that the town was an important centralised point for the Scotti in traversing the areas that DalRiada encompassed. The importance of Argyll itself seems to have been slowly eroded later in British history probably due to influence from the English Monarchy and the ultimate seating of the Scottish Capital in Edinburgh. Today, the administrative capital for the region lies at Glasgow in Strathclyde a further symbol of the importance the central belt would come to have. DalRiada itself had initially been three kingdoms which were established when Fergus mor, Aonghas and Loarn mac eric, who were the direct lineage of an Irish King, arrived there after failing to inherit their father’s land. One of the sons, Loarn established his stronghold at Dun Ollaigh a promontory at the northern end of Oban harbour which later became Dunollie castle the ancestral home of the MacDougall clan. Ultimately, it was Fergus after outliving his two siblings who united the three kingdoms to forge the Kingdom of DalRiada, the capital of which was Dunadd by Kilmartin Glen near LochGilphead.
Ultimately it was the unification of the Pictish and Scotti kingdoms that formed the emergence of Scotland as we know it today and is perhaps of no surprise to see this result when we consider that this period of history included the Viking raids of what is today, the whole, of the United Kingdom. It appears that it made sense to form an alliance with the sole purpose of fighting off the Norse raiders. The ‘enemy of my enemy is my friend’ seems to be the inclination of both Peoples. In 839 AD a combined army of Picts and Scots had been defeated by the vikings at the battle of Fortrui. Many of the Royal households on both sides were killed leading to a power vacuum that a Scot Alpin, of whom very little is known, was able to take advantage of and ultimately become leader of both. His Son Kenneth Mac Alpin succeeded his death in 841 and the formation of Alba (Scotland, Scotia) was established. Over the next century the kingdom expanded to include Strathclyde and Lothian and therefor bears a striking resemblance to the Geography of Scotland as it is today.
If you would like to learn more about the heartland of the area, which would later expand to form Scotland as it is today, then why not visit Oban in Argyll? The town, today, is very much defined by tourism with plenty of Bed and Breakfast Guest Houses, Hotels and Lodgings of all kinds. Traditionally, Bed and Breakfast in Oban is well served with high quality rooms and a sense of welcome that is possibly unique to the area. There is a large percentage of the population who make their living in this industry and allows for competition to improve the standards year on year. There is much to be seen in an around the area and the natural habitat is one of serene beauty. The views are absolutely stunning and the sense of peace and tranquility is all-pervasive.
You can find more information about Oban Bed and Breakfast by clicking this Link –Bed and Breakfast in Oban
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