The Lorne, Oban

Despite the name this doesn't have an extensive garden but just a side patio. It's an open plan room with an island bar and two TVs which were showing silent news. It was fairly quiet on my Friday afternoon visit. The two hand pumps had Fyne Jarl & Vital Spark. I went for the Vital Spark (£3.60) which was in good nick. This and the JDW were the only two of four pubs visited in Oban that seemed worth bothering with.

This establishment looked, and smelled, more like a fish restaurant than a pub on the Tuesday night at 8.30 when I entered it, as all of the other customers appeared to be eating. It does, admittedly, proclaim itself, on the blackboard outside, to be the "Number 1 Seafood Restaurant." Overcoming my initial reservations, I ordered a pint of Oban Bay Kilt Lifter from one of the two hand pumps. It was in excellent condition, although relatively expensive, by Oban standards, at £3.50. Keg alternatives on offer were Tennent's, Heverlee and Stella Artois lagers, Guinness, Caledonia Best and Magner's cider. The interior is traditional in style, with a full island bar and an attractively corniced ceiling. There were two TV screens and music playing at a low level. On the spirits front, a good selection of malt whiskies was supplemented, surprisingly, by ten varieties of Scottish gin. I hadn't previously been aware that Scotland made ten varieties of gin.The atmosphere, at the time of my visit, was rather sedate, largely due to so many customers having dinner. Unless it has changed dramatically since the previous reviews, however, it is no doubt livelier later at night and at weekends.

The traditional island bar looks very smart, with its brass elephants and twisted pillars, though the RSJs in the ceiling do suggest that it can't be an original fixture. Still, it shows the good taste of whoever was responsible for its installation. The floor is tiled near the bar, with bare boards elsewhere and traditional pub tables and chairs. The usual Scottish fonts are augmented by three hand pumps, which on my visit were serving Deuchars IPA and the local Oban Bay Skelpt Lug. The service was very friendly and welcoming, the only downside to my visit being the rather awful 1970s music on the sound system.