Appreciating the Scottish town of Oban - Argyll and Bute is easy enough to do once one learns a little bit about this beautiful slice of Scottish heaven sitting on the Firth of Forth. Currently boasting a population of 8200 or so people, it is located between the much larger towns of Helensburgh and Fort William, and its tourist season population can grow to more than 25,000 people.
Oban also is gifted by its location on Oban Bay, a nearly perfect inlet of horseshoe-shaped proportions. Its weather also is moderated because of its proximity to Kerrera island, which sits in the bay and which is further sheltered by the very large Isle of Mull. The town benefits from its proximity also to a collection of mountains known as the Morvern and Ardgour as well as the Isle of Lismore.
Within Scotland, Oban is sometimes referred to as the "Gateway to the Isles, " and is also well-known for the number of residents that can speak Gaelic (over 10%). The town also has several notable historical attractions as well as being the home of a famous Scotch whiskey distillery and several castles of some note in Scottish history.
Many tourists stay in and around the town in order to go out and explore the wider region known as Kilmartin Glen. That particular area is known for the quality of its Neolithic and Bronze Age remnants and ancient monuments. There are also remnants of an ancient fortress nearby in the Glen, which many tourists and sightseers make a special effort to visit.
From a historical viewpoint, Oban is also well known because it was a very busy port used by various merchant marine and Royal Navy ships during World War II. It also played a role during the Cold War, being as it was the landing site of the famous transatlantic cable that hosted the "Hot Line" used by the leaders of United States and the USSR during that eventful era.
Oban is also well known and appreciated throughout Scotland as being the home of one of the country's most famous and historic Gaelic festival's, the Mod, which first took place in 1892. The town is also twinned with Laurinberg, North Carolina and is known in this country as being a good example of Scottish living. Oban sits at the western end of the A85, one of the major roads in the country.
Argyll and Bute, the local council area in which the town resides, has a population of around 92,000 people. It is a very large council area when coastline is added into the equation. With all of its islands counted, there's well over 3000 miles of such coast, giving it more than the total coastline of France. Both Oban and Argyll and Bute are emblematic of Scottish history and tradition.
Oban also is gifted by its location on Oban Bay, a nearly perfect inlet of horseshoe-shaped proportions. Its weather also is moderated because of its proximity to Kerrera island, which sits in the bay and which is further sheltered by the very large Isle of Mull. The town benefits from its proximity also to a collection of mountains known as the Morvern and Ardgour as well as the Isle of Lismore.
Within Scotland, Oban is sometimes referred to as the "Gateway to the Isles, " and is also well-known for the number of residents that can speak Gaelic (over 10%). The town also has several notable historical attractions as well as being the home of a famous Scotch whiskey distillery and several castles of some note in Scottish history.
Many tourists stay in and around the town in order to go out and explore the wider region known as Kilmartin Glen. That particular area is known for the quality of its Neolithic and Bronze Age remnants and ancient monuments. There are also remnants of an ancient fortress nearby in the Glen, which many tourists and sightseers make a special effort to visit.
From a historical viewpoint, Oban is also well known because it was a very busy port used by various merchant marine and Royal Navy ships during World War II. It also played a role during the Cold War, being as it was the landing site of the famous transatlantic cable that hosted the "Hot Line" used by the leaders of United States and the USSR during that eventful era.
Oban is also well known and appreciated throughout Scotland as being the home of one of the country's most famous and historic Gaelic festival's, the Mod, which first took place in 1892. The town is also twinned with Laurinberg, North Carolina and is known in this country as being a good example of Scottish living. Oban sits at the western end of the A85, one of the major roads in the country.
Argyll and Bute, the local council area in which the town resides, has a population of around 92,000 people. It is a very large council area when coastline is added into the equation. With all of its islands counted, there's well over 3000 miles of such coast, giving it more than the total coastline of France. Both Oban and Argyll and Bute are emblematic of Scottish history and tradition.
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