After an exhausting, but good , walk on Aonach Beag, we had coffee in the Alexandra Hotel in the Fort. While there, we heard via mobiles, that it was snowing in Oban, and so decided to leave first.
We (Ian, Ralph and John) were in my car that unfortunately does not have four-wheel drive, but, although dark, the weather was fine leaving the town. There was a fair amount of traffic travelling at a decent pace, so we were making good time, expecting to be home before seven o'clock. However, around Appin, it began to snow, though nothing serious and it didn't slow us down. But it was lying on the road, and by Barcaldine (about 10 miles from Oban), it was becoming heavy. Naturally the traffic slowed down, but still kept going at a reasonable speed. By Benderloch, seven miles from Oban, it was a blizzard, and we were doing no more than 25 mph. Over Connel Bridge, and we were nearly home. Then, going up the hill about 1.5 miles from Oban, the traffic in front of us stopped. We could see hazard warning lights ahead, but did not know why we had been stopped. The snow was still coming down heavily, and Ian got out to ask a pedestrian what the hold-up was. He was told that the police had stopped all traffic from going up or down the Bealach an Righ (the hill leading down into Oban).
Ahead, we could see one car trying to negotiate the hill, but was slewing all over the place. Four-by-four vehicles, plus one or two two-wheel drive vehicles were passing us successfully up the hill, with one or two coming down. This caused a few problems as cars were not always on the correct side of the road. But there were no collisions.
After waiting for a while, my two valliant passengers decided that they would get out in the still-falling and several inch deep snow to try to get me going up the hill. With the help of another stranded motorist, they managed to start me off, but I had to stop when I was met by another car coming down. So another shove was required. This time, I did manage to keep going. Of course, it meant that Ralph and Ian were left behind, but we had arranged that I would stop at the top of the hill At Pennyfuir (the local cemetery!).
When two snow-covered people climbed into the car, I suggested that conditions were so bad that I would not be able to navigate the hill into Oban in my front-wheel drive car. I was parked beside the entrance to the car park for the cemetery, so we decided to get the car in there and then walk the remaining distance into town. So. after a bit more shoving, that was achieved.
Just then, a snow plough arrived, turned at the car park entrance and drove off back towards the town. We walked after it in its tracks, that were even more slippy than before. In fact, I had my only fall of the day then.
Nearing the top of the hill, we came across all the cars, including the four-by-fours that had passed us earlier, waiting where the police had stopped them. Halfway down the hill, there were three cars, one facing the wrong way, abandoned at the side of the road, and just below them was a bus. Traffic was going nowhere! We all arrived home at about 7.45pm.
The next day, I walked up to the car park with a shovel and my grandson, Chris. After some digging and some shoving by Chris, we got out on to the now clear road, and home. Chris did suggest that I should do the shoving and he would drive! But I decided that at 13 years old, he was a bit too young.
John Burton
