Things to do in Oban & Easdale Island, Scotland – 2 Day Itinerary

I had the pleasure of living in Scotland for 15 years and it is truly a magical country. Aside from being close and convenient to Europe, Scotland has some incredible holiday destinations of its own. Oban is located on the west coast of Scotland, along the Firth of Lorn; opposite the Isle of Mull. Oban is a great stop if you are visiting the west coast, along with Glenfinnan (Harry Potter viaduct), and the Isle of Skye (amongst many others). I would recommend at least 2 days in Oban and Easdale Island to see the sights.

Getting to Oban

Oban has a train station, so you can catch a train from Glasgow – it takes about 3 hours. There is then a bus onwards to Seil. The easier and more scenic route is to go by car and stop at the many lovely places along the way.

The drive up to Oban, via Callander, Lochearnhead, or Crianlarich, and on to Seil and Easdale Islands is around a 125 mile / 3 hr drive from Edinburgh (although longer when you add in stopping in all these places).  There are loads of lovely places to stop at or stay over on the way, if you wanted to make it a longer holiday – Callander, Loch Lomond and the Trossachs National Park, Balquhidder, and Crianlarich or Killin are the few I’d recommend.  

Callander is a cute one-main-street town, but with all the amenities you could need.  And Balquhidder is wild and vast and is the final resting place of Rob Roy.  Crianlarich is on a junction, so is good if you want to explore the area (we always stay at the Best Western on the junction, as it’s central for travelling and has a great restaurant).  And Killin, although remote, is a great wee town with lots of restaurants and country walks.

Check the Visit Scotland website for more tourist information about this area

Oban

Driving up over the hill and into Oban is special. It sits on a natural harbour, from which you can catch ferries over to Colonsay, Mull, and the Outer Hebrides.  The main street runs down near the harbour and is full of cashmere and outdoor clothing stores – it is, after all, a resort town (growing to 25,000 people at the height of summer).

On top of Battery Hill, stands McCaig’s Tower – an unfinished project for a local philanthropist, who died before it was finished.  You can visit the gardens which now inhabit the inside of the tower, and check out the fabulous view it affords you of Oban, Kerrera, Lismore and Mull.

Spend the day in Oban, visit the Oban Distillery, the Dog Stone rock and the ruins at Dunollie Point. Enjoy an evening in a traditional pub with folk music and some fish and chips!

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Seil & Easdale Islands

Seil

If you head 12 miles south of Oban, you reach Seil Island. Seil is connected to the mainland by the cutest bridge. The ‘bridge over the Atlantic’ (around 22 meters) is called Clachan Bridge, and was built in 1793.

Seil itself feels like going back in time – little white cottages and a feeling of isolation keep it special and unspoilt. Seil and Easdale are two of the ‘slate isles’ of Scotland, where this natural resource lead to an economic boom in the area in the late 1800s and early 1900s.

Easdale Island

Off the coast of Seil is Easdale Island – only accessible by a short boat ride.  Easdale was the most important and prolific of the Slate Islands. Easdale slate helped to build major cities around the world and can still be seen on rooftops as far afield as Melbourne, Nova Scotia, Dunedin and Dublin.  

There is also a gorgeous contemporary concert hall (which I happen to have played a gig at), a Folk Museum, and a pub, so it is quite the destination! The grocery delivery system is something to behold – the numbered wheelbarrows belong to each family on the island and when deliveries arrive they are loaded into the barrows and taken home.  It is such a unique and wild place – it feels like it’s on the edge of the world.  

Depending on the weather, it can either be like a hurricane, or quaint like a quiet seaside town. Enjoy the snug Puffer Bar on the island, and walks around this wildly beautiful place.

Sailing

The sailing around Oban Loch Sween and the Firth of Lorn is amazing. It’s a wild coastline, and can be rough sailing; but those western winds can sure make you fly across the water.

On my last visit to Easdale I tried my hand at sailing. It was windy, crazy, and magnificent (if not a little terrifying).  I nearly ended up with hypothermia, but I did ‘drive’ the yacht (what do you call it when you drive a boat?!); and for that, I am proud! Getting to see the amazing Scottish coastline around Oban and Easdale was an absolute privilege.

Where to stay in Oban and Easdale

You can either choose to stay in Oban for both nights, or have one night in Oban and one night on Easdale Island.

In Oban, I recommend staying centrally, so you can enjoy the delights of the local pubs. The Perle Oban Hotel & Spa is a lovely option with bay views. For a charming B&B experience, I would suggest the Failte Bed & Breakfast Oban.

If you choose to have one night on Easdale or Seil Islands, your options are obviously more limited. Near the Clachan Bridge, the Oban Seil Farm B&B has a lovely chalet option. On Easdale Island itself, there are a few self-catering cottages and a B&B.

See more of our Scottish adventures in the Isle of Skye and the Edinburgh!

All photos & content © Hannah Henderson and may not be used without permission (sharing this blog post is fine, though!). Images shot with Fuji Finepix; and an iPhone.