Oban

Other meanings: See Oban (disambiguation)

Oban (An t-Oban in Gaelic) is a resort town in Argyll, Scotland with a population of around 8,500. Despite its small size, it's the largest town between Glasgow and Fort William.

Attractions in Oban include the Waterfront Centre, the Cathedral of St Columba, the Oban Distillery, Dunollie Castle, Dunstaffnage Castle and McCaig's Tower, which dominates the town's skyline.

The town also boasts a cinema and a railway station, and is an important ferry port. Oban is known as the Gateway to the Islands, with ferries sailing to the islands of Lismore, Colonsay, Coll, Tiree, Kerrera, Craignure on Mull, and to Castlebay in Barra and Lochboisdale in the South Uist.

In 2003, Oban hosted the 100th Royal National Mod (a Gaelic festival), in anticipation of which many signs were replaced with bilingual versions.

Oban has also been used as a back drop to many films varying from Ring of Bright Water to Morven Callar. See http://www.scotlandthemovie.com/movies/obaninfo.html.