Visiting Oban was one of my favourite parts of my Haggis Adventures: Highland Fling Tour (full review here) and as I had actually never heard of this town before, I had to share my experience.
Oban is on the west coast of Scotland surrounded by the mountains of Morvern and Ardgour, the islands of Kerrera and Lismore and the Isle of Mull. This makes Oban a perfect base for day trips to see a variety of Scottish scenery. I highly suggest visiting the Oban and Lorn tourist information website here for a detailed overview of activities and trips available for visitors.
On arrival to Oban in the afternoon the first thing I did was climb up to McCaig’s Tower. This tower overlooks Oban and is a monument to the McCaig family commissioned by John Stuart McCaig. Being a huge fan of Roman architecture, McCaig planned the monument based on the Colosseum. This is reflected by the circular shape and large windows of the building. He had planned to fill the structure will statues of himself, his siblings and their parents but his death brought an end to construction with only the exterior walls completed. The view from McCaig’s Tower did not disappoint and had me eager to start wandering the streets below.
After the climb I had dinner at a Fish and Chips shop along the harbour. I chose Nories Oban’s Fish and Chips which was delicious, however I suspect all seafood restaurants and takeout in this town (being on the coast) would be of a high standard.
After this, the tour group (led by a man playing the bagpipes in a kilt haha!!) went to the Skipinnish Ceilidh House. You do not have to be a part of a tour group to visit this establishment, and if in Oban I highly recommend making a night of it. Click here for all the details and information – but basically, during the first part of the night there is a traditional Scottish band playing as you learn traditional Scottish dancing. This is a lot of fun and a real cultural experience. Don’t worry if you can’t dance, I am the most uncoordinated person ever, and I still (kinda) managed to get the hang of it haha! After this you can leave if you wish, but the venue then turns into a nightclub! Drink prices are around £4 and they play plenty of popular dance music. For a night of Scottish shenanigans you can’t get much better than this!
After a (surprisingly!) huge night at Skipinnish Ceilidh House we watched the sunrise from McCaig’s Tower over Oban.
If I had the chance I would have definitely spent more than a night in Oban and taken up the opportunity to do some of the day trips near by. Between the friendly residents, the charming architecture, the ocean and the views – I just fell in love with this town. For information on how to visit Oban, what to do in Oban and convenient day trips in the surrounding area, visit the Oban tourism website here.