Oban, Argyll & Bute, Scotland, Winter
We’ve only ever been to Oban once before.
This was way back in Autumn 2014, when we first went into the Highlands of Scotland. On a particularly murky, misty, and wet day we drove away from the mountains and instead went to check out the nearest major town: Oban.
On that occasion, we were unimpressed. The place seemed drab and down on its luck.
On this trip, we decided to revisit Oban now that we had great light and clear blue skies. Oh boy, did we completely misjudge Oban. It’s a beautiful little town that enjoys terrific sea views across to Kerrera Island and the Isle of Mull beyond. It also enjoys lovely independent shops, top cafés, and gorgeous restaurants.
Amazing what better weather and 10 years can do.
All photos taken on my Fujifilm X-T2 using my Vivitar “Series 1” 28–105mm f2.8–3.8, Laowa 9mm f2.8, and Super Ozeck 80–205mm f4.5 lenses. RAWs converted in Capture One for iPad, developed using RNI Films’ Kodachrome film profiles, and finalised in Affinity Photo 2 for iPad.
Oban, Argyll & Bute, Scotland, Winter by Ian Cylkowski is licensed under CC BY-NC-SA 4.0
Round the corner from where we parked, Oban Distillery is a beautiful building. The distillery was established in 1794, before there was even a town around it.
Our first order of the day was to hike up the hill behind Oban to check out the area’s most well-known landmark, McCaig’s Tower.
The way to McCaig’s Tower. It was built in 1897, commissioned by wealthy banker John Stuart McCaig as a monument to his family and to provide work for the local townsfolk. He was also the tower’s architect.
Out of the tower’s western side, you can enjoy expansive views across the Inner Firth of Lorn towards Kerrera Island and the Isle of Mull. Regular ferry trips courtesy of CalMac are available to the various islands near Oban.
One of these days we’ll have to check out some of the small isles you can visit from Oban.
McCaig’s Tower has 94 lancet arches, one of which I utilised as a literal compositional frame towards the mountains on the Isle of Mull.
Mr. McCaig commissioned the building of the tower at a cost in 1897 of £5,000 Sterling… that’s over £500,000 in today’s money.
The tower was built between 1897 and 1902, when Mr. McCaig died of a cardiac arrest. Construction of the tower promptly stopped, with only the outer walls completed.
Mr. McCaig planned for a museum and art gallery with a central tower to be incorporated. Inside the central tower he wanted to commission statues of himself, his siblings and their parents. None of this happened due to his death and the contesting of his Will. Nevertheless, I like that inside the tower a garden has been allowed to form.
Back down at the shore we gently meandered around the town’s coastline, looking for shots before stopping for lunch.
After a delicious lunch at Ee-Usk (which included the freshest oysters I’ve ever had), our next plan was to head up another hill above the town: Pulpit Hill.
A short and sharp climb up onto Pulpit Hill gave us tremendous views of the town, like this. Even from here, McCaig’s Tower is easily visible, as is the Oban Distillery’s bright red chimney.
From this vantage point I hastily equipped me Super Ozeck 80–205mm zoom lens for long compositions. The day was so crisp you could even make out Ben Cruachan (1,126m/3,694ft), 26-miles away.
Zooming in across the Inner Firth of Lorn. Bottom left is the northern tip of Kerrera Island, followed by the tiny islet of Maiden Island in the centre. In the distance is the uplands of the Isle of Mull.
Along the northern coastline of Oban one can find the ruins of Dunollie Castle, which enjoys a great lookout towards the uplands on the Isle of Mull. There’s been a fortification where the castle sits since the Early Middle Ages, but the current ruins date from the 12th or 13th century.
A super-zoomed in shot of upper Oban, with McCaig’s Tower visible and the craggy uplands above.
Hutcheson’s Monument on Kerrera Island, acting as a beacon pointing the way towards the Isle of Mull.