Argyll and Bute

Travelling from Edinburgh to Oban

A day by car, from the Kelpies to Dunstaffnage Castle.

Written by Graeme Johncock

Oban is the gateway to the isles, a perfect base for travelling to the Inner or Outer Hebrides. It’s somewhere that I find myself spending more and more time every year, making it feel almost like a second home! Don’t rush to reach this west coast town as fast as possible though, there’s a lot to enjoy on this journey.

Pick your dates, and who is coming, and every stop will say whether it is open that day, and what it is like with children, a dog or a wheelchair.

How: A day by car
Distance: About 102 miles
Starts: The Kelpies
Ends: Oban Seafood Hut
Good for: Food and drink, Castles, History

Book before you go

0 of 1 booked

Accommodation nearby
If you are staying over: here are ours nearest where the day starts and ends.
2 miles awayGlencruitten HouseA place to stay 4 miles awayUisge BothySleeps 2 4 miles awayBeathaSleeps 2 8 miles awaySlochdSleeps 2

Worth booking aheadThe Kelpies: book the 1.30pm Kelpies Tour at the Helix, which it lists daily from April to October: it is the one tour that fits this day, ending at least an hour before your boat at the Falkirk Wheel leaves. If the Helix shows other times for your date, take the early-afternoon tour that ends at least an hour before your boat. If the tours are sold out or not running, walk round the Kelpies without one: the sculptures stand in the open, and the tour is only for going inside. That hour holds the walk back to the car, the 17-minute drive to the Wheel and the walk in from its car park. The tour takes about 25 minutes and starts at the Helix's visitor centre; the Helix advises booking ahead. A booking can't be refunded, but it can be moved to another time if your plans change. From November to March the Helix lists fewer tours, so one that fits your boat may not exist: then keep the boat and walk round the sculptures. If you mean to walk the whole way round Linlithgow Loch, book no tour. An adult ticket is from £9 at the time of writing, and two children go free with each paying adult. Only assistance dogs can go on the tour.

The day

The Kelpies
An attraction
It’s a long drive to Oban from Edinburgh, so I like to break the journey up early on with a stop at the Kelpies. These are the tallest equine sculptures in the world at 30m high, created in 2014 by artist Andy Scott. They’re a nod to the Clydesdale horses that once pulled boats along the Forth-Clyde Canal here, but also to creatures from Scottish mythology. Kelpies are shape-shifting water spirits that often take the form of horses to lure travellers onto their back and to their doom down in a loch or river!
More about The Kelpies
The rest of this day is for members.
8 more stops, what to do at each, and the drive between them. Members read every one of our days, and the magazine.
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Doune Castle
Loch Lubnaig
An attraction
Artisan Cafe & Deli
Food and drink
Kilchurn Castle
An attraction
St Conans Kirk
An attraction
Pass of Brander
An attraction
Dunstaffnage Castle
An attraction
Oban Seafood Hut
Food and drink