The search is on for a mystery woman who helped a struggling German couple after their hire car broke down in flood water, leaving them with no transport, a flat phone and nowhere to stay.
Taking the visitors under her wing and feeding them sandwiches, the woman rang around town trying to find them a bed for the night. She managed to get them a reservation at No 17 The Promenade and dropped them off before disappearing – without telling them her name.
The hotel’s food and drinks manager Sarah King hopes to find out who the woman was so that she can reward her kindness with a voucher for their restaurant.
General manager Cameron Hill said the couple were definitely down on their luck and having a bad time until the woman showed up and saved the day.
“She made sure they were fed and found them somewhere to be safe and warm. They stayed with us for two days and we sorted out a bus to get them to Inverness where they already had a hotel booked. They might have missed out on a day in Skye but what they did get to experience was Oban’s wonderful hospitality and the kindness of a complete stranger,” he said.
While some stranded tourists resorted to sleeping in cars, others tried their luck finding shelter in people’s homes after posting their pleas on line – and there were lots of offers.
Atlantis Leisure Centre was also open for anyone stuck on Sunday offering showers and toilets. Oban Lorne Rugby Club, too, opened its doors over the weekend for anyone needing a warm space until the water lowered and roads started to reopen.
Touched by people’s kindness, one comment online said: “It warms my heart to know that this amazing town and wonderful people still maintain enough sense of community to go out of their way to not only help each other but often times, complete strangers and their families.”
Another message read: “The messages and offers of help to people this weekend has been wonderful. Well done to the folk of Oban who have helped those stranded in this awful weather.”
Argyll and Bute Council-run North Pier toilets were eventually kept open.
Rallying round was not just on the mainland, over on Luing neighbours in Cullipool combined efforts to divert a torrent of water from high ground and stop it running into people’s homes. Thanks to the community’s best efforts, including improvising barricades, many homes did stay dry.