October in Glasgow and Oban

[Sinclare]

Hey everyone! My fiancée and I are headed to Glasgow and Oban in October. This will be my first proper visit to both places and my fiancée's first time to the We've got a pretty good idea of what we're doing in both places, but I wanted to get some recommendations for food, drink, places, etc. Here's a quick rundown of what we're doing.

Glasgow:
-The Willow Tea Room (we're big fans of Mackintosh)
-Glasgow Transportation Museum
-Mackintosh Art/Architecture Walk

Oban:
-Oban Distillery
-Gaelic Heritage Center on Lismore
-We're renting bikes to visit some of the castles in the region

Anyway, do you have any recommendations of what we MUST do in either place? We're both big whisky and beer drinkers, however she has celiacs (or coeliacs for you Brits), so we're looking for any gluten-free beer and food options. We also love Indian food, so if anyone knows of a great place to go, let me know.

[The Q]

The roads In the area are tight and twisty and by British standards dangerous, however we are one of the safest countries in the world for road traffic. I hope you are fit for the odd steep hill, I assume you will be going by the coast road northwards since that is where most of the castles are. Wonderful views, great scenery .
You don't say how you are getting to Oban, I can recommend by rail, as you get to see the scenery with having to concentrate on driving.
I like your choices to visit, how long are you visiting for?

[JohntheBiker]

Since your fiancee is a Celiac, you may wish to do some research on this site. There have been a number of threads that have discussed travelling as a Celiac in Scotland and accommodating gluten free diets. Scotland, and the rest of Britain, have an awareness comparable to North America and gluten free products are available in grocery stores as well as gluten free options in restaurants. Personally, I have not had any problems in this regard in the UK. Not sure how she gets to be a "big beer drinker" though.

[Sinclare]

The roads In the area are tight and twisty and by British standards dangerous, however we are one of the safest countries in the world for road traffic. I hope you are fit for the odd steep hill, I assume you will be going by the coast road northwards since that is where most of the castles are. Wonderful views, great scenery .
You don't say how you are getting to Oban, I can recommend by rail, as you get to see the scenery with having to concentrate on driving.
I like your choices to visit, how long are you visiting for?

We're from Colorado, so I'd like to think we're fit enough to handle some hills! We fly into Glasgow, stay for three days and then we take the train up to Oban for another three days. Then we head down to London to see family for another three days.

Whenever travelling, I always opt for rail. I'm a big rail fan, so it's nice to get out of the US and ride some real trains.

[Sinclare]

Since your fiancee is a Celiac, you may wish to do some research on this site. There have been a number of threads that have discussed travelling as a Celiac in Scotland and accommodating gluten free diets. Scotland, and the rest of Britain, have an awareness comparable to North America and gluten free products are available in grocery stores as well as gluten free options in restaurants. Personally, I have not had any problems in this regard in the UK. Not sure how she gets to be a "big beer drinker" though.

From my research on google, it almost seems the UK is better than the US at Celiac's! She's real keen on trying to find some gluten-free fish and chips and haggis (the oats can often be cross-contaminated with wheat).

In terms of the beer, there's two options. The first is beer brewed with gluten-free ingredients (rice, sorghum, potatoes, etc.). The other is beer brewed regularly, but you add an enzyme at the same time you pitch the yeast that actually breaks down and eats the gluten. The latter is becoming rather common. There's a brewery near our apartment that brews exclusively with it and I now brew all my beer with it. She's even picked up brewing too!

Anyway, sorry for the long explanation how she became a beer drinker. I'll start browsing the site for celiac info. Thanks for the tip!

[Father Bill]

No apology needed in this corner; I find that to be useful information. int:

[Sinclare]

No apology needed in this corner; I find that to be useful information. int:

Good to hear! If you need any further information on gluten-free brewing, available gluten-free beers, etc., let me know! I may not be Celiac's, but I consider myself quite the expert now.

[Jock Scot]

Apart from the distillery at Oban, there is a first rate chip shop that betters most fish and chips produced in Scotland. Also there is a large Tesco's(store) there and I do know that they cater for the needs of Celiacs. If you like sea food, there is a sea food snack bar right by the ferry port, although I am not sure that will be working in October. There is also a rather good small museum at Oban that specialises in Oban's part in the Battle of the Atlantic in WW2. There are some good castles around Oban and if you have a car then take the road to Fort William and you will pass the iconic Castle Stalker. Close by is Port Appin where the Pierhouse Restaurant and Hotel is well worth a visit(a must in my book!) . If you choose to go that way, assuming you have a car, you could return South through Glencoe.

[tulloch]

I would say don't miss the Ben Nevis at 1147 Argyle Street in Glasgow. Lots of whisky to choose from. Lovely place.

[Sinclare]

Thanks for all the tips! Another question though, whenever I've visited the Highlands, it was in May. What can we expect for weather in Oban and Glasgow in October? We were planning on sweaters with rain jackets and maybe long underwear. We'll also have wool socks, hiking boots, hats, and probably light gloves and scarves. Are we over-dressed/underdressed? We're used to the cold in the Rocky Mountains that time of year, just not the rain I suppose.