Oban

Oban grew up around its distillery, which came first in 1794, with the town assembling itself around the still house in the decades that followed. The railway arrived in 1880 and turned a fishing station into a resort, and the ferries did the rest: today CalMac sails from here to Mull, Iona, Coll, Tiree, Barra and beyond, which is why Oban has called itself the Gateway to the Isles for over a century. Above it all sits McCaig's Tower, the unfinished granite colosseum commissioned by banker John Stuart McCaig in 1897 to keep local stonemasons in work, abandoned when he died in 1902 and now the town's great landmark and best viewpoint.

The harbour keeps the town honest. Fishing boats still land into the bay, the Oban Seafood Hut on the ferry pier sells langoustines at prices that embarrass restaurants elsewhere, and the town wears its Seafood Capital of Scotland title with some justification. But Oban rewards more than a dash between train and ferry: there's a growing art scene, serious whisky shopping, and the island of Kerrera five minutes across the Sound, close enough to touch and quiet enough to feel like a discovery.

Start with Oban Distillery, one of Scotland's oldest and smallest with just two pot stills, then climb to McCaig's Tower for the view over the bay to Kerrera and Mull. George Street has The Jetty Gallery and Passing Place, the contemporary gallery that opened in 2026, with Oban Whisky and Fine Wines on Stafford Street for rare single malts and in-store drams. For eating, the Seafood Hut at the pier is the institution, Sorcha Bakery at the top of George Street sells out of plant-based doughnuts most Fridays and Saturdays, and the Oban Chocolate Company on the Corran Esplanade handles hot chocolate with a sea view. The esplanade walk leads past St Columba's Cathedral to the Dog Stone, the sea stack of Fingal legend, and on to Dunollie Castle and Ganavan Sands. Save a day for Kerrera: the passenger ferry from Gallanach takes five minutes, and the southern circuit takes in Gylen Castle and the Kerrera Tea Garden.