Festivals aren’t just for summer! Every November a 10-day festival takes place in Oban complete with markets, parades, music and much more. The festival has been running since 2011 and has been awarded the Queens Award for Voluntary Service.
Events taking place throughout the festival include; Ballet West Winter Wonderland a show performed by the semi professional touring company with a reputation for delivering quality productions. Whisky lovers will be treated to a unique whisky tasting event featuring rare malts from around Scotland. And Michael Cassidy, recent winner of Best Accoustic Act at the Scottish Alternative Music Awards will also be headlining a show during the festival.
If festivals aren’t quite your thing, the change in seasons also brings remarkable change to the islands wildlife which makes for spectacular viewing. During winter, the changes in temperature from the Gulf Stream allow the island otters to benefit from the warmer weather and begin their breeding season which provides visitors with a rare seasonal experience. Ptarmigan and hares can be spotted on the mountains sporting their winter coats which help them cope with the frosty weather, providing visitors with excellent opportunities to not only see but to photograph rare wildlife.
Oban also has the advantage of being situated close to some of Scotland’s most reclusive sea life with seal, whale and dolphin watching trips being very popular. For the more adventurous there is the famoud SeaFara which offers a choice of wildlife tours and a trip to the exhilarating Corryvreckan whirlpool.