Let’s be honest, there are plenty of beautiful places in the UK that people just aren’t aware of. Whether that’s because locals and tourists who have already stumbled across these places want to keep them secret, or because they’re not the easiest place to get to, or because people immediately look further afield for their holiday options, there’s a lot of reasons these places get overlooked.
Then the pandemic closed a lot of the foreign travel market, meaning that we had to look closer to home for our escapes. That’s what happened to me and rather than returning to Devon, Cornwall or Wales, I looked North to a place I’d never been and fancied an adventure.
From where I live, Oban is about a six hour drive, up through Loch Lomond and the Trossachs National Park. Luckily, I wasn’t driving and my sister, who was visiting a friend in Scotland and was just dropping me off, was so I could enjoy all the scenery as she contended with the world’s slowest drivers on windy mountain roads.
So, what actually is there to do in Oban?
Realistically, the biggest thing about Oban is that it’s a major ferry port to the islands, and by local standards, a pretty decent-sized town. It’s also the seafood capital of Scotland (according to a sign on a seafood shack…) and there’s pretty much nowhere in the town where you can’t get very, very good fish and seafood.
As such, especially this year, it was very busy. I was warned about this when I was asking other travelers online for their recommendations, that accommodation, ferries and excursions were all getting booked up quickly for the summer. Even when I was there, locals were saying this is the busiest that they’ve ever seen. It may be great for the town, but certainly a weird sight coming out of a year of multiple lockdowns…
This being said there are plenty of walks and activities you can do to get out of the hustle and bustle. Something I did twice (for some reason in 24-degree heat) was climb up to McCaig’s Tower, a sort of Roman Amphitheatre-looking thing that sits with a complete view of the town as well as the neighbouring islands. Admittedly, I did arrive in the middle of a heatwave so the views were great, but as with anything in the UK, the weather is not guaranteed. The inside of the tower has plenty of grass and trees to sit under and relax if you need a change of pace.
Another must-do in Oban is the distillery. Now it’s no secret that the Western isles and regions of Scotland have some incredible whisky – always without the ‘e’ – and Oban is no different. Opened in 1794, it has a long and illustrious history that you can learn about on one of the many different tours (some cheaper than others), which all include some well-earned tastings. However, you might want to book in advance, otherwise, you might end up like I did with the only available slot being 10.30am on a Monday… But I’m on holiday, right?
Isle of Mull, Staffa and Iona
Okay so onto the nearby islands. Really, you have to take the ferry there, there’s no other option unless you get a private charter – either way, you’re getting on a boat. Now, if you don’t have a car up there, like I didn’t, getting around takes some planning. The good thing on Mull is that the bus company, West Coast Motors, lines up their bus times with the ferries coming in and out of Oban. However, they don’t line the buses up with each other. Not even close.
The other thing is the majority of roads on the Isle of Mull are single track roads, meaning the 35-mile ride from the port in Craignure to the little town of Fionnphort takes about an hour and 15 minutes, depending on how many sheep and highland cows are in the road – not kidding. For this reason, I didn’t get a chance to visit the capital of Tobermory which apparently looks like Balamory.
That’s because I was heading straight out of Fionnphort on a trip to the Isle of Staffa on a trip I’d pre-booked on Viator. This is an amazing island with a rock formation cave that you’ve probably seen on Instagram but didn’t know where it was. It’s about a 45-minute boat ride out of Fionnphort and on the way you can see seals and all kinds of wildlife. Also once you’re on the island you can have a wander not only to the cave but across the island to see the Puffin colony. They’re so used to visitors that they come relatively close, except in August apparently due to the hatching season.
On the way back from Staffa, you can either be dropped off back on Mull or visit the tiny but ridiculously beautiful Isle of Iona. Known as the birthplace of Christianity in Scotland, it’s home to ancient abbeys and nunneries that you can have a look around. However, Iona is also well known for its Caribbean-esque beaches which have white sand and crystal clear waters. Seriously.
You wander through these fields, seemingly going nowhere and then you climb a little ridge and the beach is right there in all its beautiful glory. Obviously, I had to go in. But lulled into the false sense of security that the 24-degree weather and the aesthetics of my surroundings, I forgot that, yes I was still in Scotland and the water temperature was absolutely baltic. Although for 20-minute stints at a time, running out to warm up and diving back in, it was easy to imagine you were in a much more exotic location than the Western Isles of Scotland.
Paddleboarding on Lismore
The island of Lismore again is a short ride away from Oban, about 45 minutes, on a much smaller ferry. Think more of The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou than your bigger channel ferry crossing. Only being 10 miles long and 1 mile wide it’s pretty popular with cyclists wanting to get off the grid, however, I was there to get out on the water with the guys from Explore Lismore.
Explore Lismore is run by husband and wife, Robert and Iris, Robert being an islander through and through and Iris moving here from the Netherlands via Sweden and Canada. They run jeep tours around the island as well as paddleboard tours. They picked me up directly from the ferry and took me down to the tidal bay where we paddled over oyster farms, towards lime kilns, near seals and shoals of fish, and took in the wonder of Ben Nevis in the distance. Basically, you can’t really get a much more calm and picturesque place to paddle. It was amazing and made even more so by the incredible brownies Iris made for our mid-paddle picnic.
So, there are plenty of ways to spend a week up in Oban and the Inner Hebrides. There were plenty of other islands, such as Barra and Tiree that I wanted to visit but ferry times and accommodations just weren’t working out this time.
Top places to eat and drink:
- Cuan Mor, Oban
- The Creel Seafood Bar, Fionnphort
- Piazza, Oban North Pier
Top Tips:
- Check the last ferry times and prebook
- Bring your trainers or walking shoes for sure
- Eating out in Oban can be expensive so check the lunch menus
I stayed in the Oban Backpackers Plus Hostel, booked via the amazing Hostelworld app, and it was amazing. Due to the pandemic, all the dorms were single-family only, so I ended up getting a private room for the price of a bed. The WiFi was great for all but one day, there’s free breakfast and teas, coffees, and juice all day long and if you’re up early for the ferry you can request a packed breakfast ahead of time.
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