8 reasons to go wild about Glasgow & Oban

Glasgow & Oban

Glasgow

#1 Football focus

Glasgow is one of the world's top sporting cities, with Hampden Park, Celtic FC and Rangers FC all providing stadium tours. Visit the Scottish Football Museum at Hampden Park to find out more about the history of Scottish Football.

#2 Fast and furious

See the Glasgow Tigers Speedway team in action at the Peugeot Ashfield Stadium in the Springburn area of Glasgow. Speedway bikes have no brakes, just one gear, a clutch and 500cc engines which can accelerate them from 0 to 60 mph in around 2.5 seconds! It’s fast, furious and great fun to watch!

#3 Pedal power

Hop on a bike and go on a two-wheeled adventure around Glasgow. The city is made for biking, with 300km of cycle ways and just a few hills. You can rent bikes through Next Bike, an innovative bike share scheme with 500 bikes and 62 stations across the city. How about following the City Central Mural Trail?

#4 Eat, drink & play

For lunch follow the smell of freshly roasted coffee beans to Gordon Street Coffee, where coffee is roasted onsite and served up alongside a delicious selection of sandwiches and snacks. For dinner make your way to Mezzidakia for a taste of the eastern Mediterranean. They do cracking cocktails too. Head to the legendary Maggie May’s for drinks and live music and then on to Bar Soba on Byres road for cocktails, street food and more great tunes. Finish your night at Sub Club on Jamaica Street.

Stay at Moxy, the stylish, affordable, tech-savvy hotel accommodation in the heart of the city. 

Glasgow & Oban

Oban

#5 Paddle power

Oban is one of the best places in Scotland for sea kayaking. It’s also home to a number of operators offering sea kayaking instruction and guiding. Explore the coastline, islands and sea caves and get up close to some amazing wildlife. 

#6 Float your boat

Take a boat trip to see the famous Corryvreckan Whirlpool, the world’s third largest whirlpool. There are a number of operators based in and around Oban offering boat trips, including Sealife Adventures, Seafari Adventures and Coastal Connection. You could even go on a basking shark trip with Basking Shark Scotland. .

#7 Spirit of Oban

Take a tour of the historic Oban Distillery, which sits at the heart of Oban town centre. It’s one of Scotland's oldest sources of single malt scotch whisky. The tour is fascinating, exploring each part of the whisky-making process, and ends with a dram – of course! Take a walk up behind the distillery to McCaig’s Tower. This prominent landmark sits overlooking Oban. The views from the top are incredible.

#8 Eat, drink & play

For lunch it has to be Food From Argyll at the Pier. This café on the busy South Pier serves up delicious food and drink sourced from Argyll. For diner book a table at Etive Restaurant on Stevenson Street in Oban. Recently relocated from Taynuilt, this stylish, small restaurant offers Scottish produce cooked simply and presented with style accompanied by a selection of stunning wines. Bustling Oban is packed with pubs, bars or head to The View for the best ceilidh experience in Scotland.

Stay in Oban’s newest hotel, The Ranald. This super-modern, affordable accommodation, is just a stone’s throw from the seafront. Dive into a delicious breakfast in the morning.

Partnership

'The Heart & Soul of Scotland' campaign is a partnership between Argyll & The Isles Tourism Cooperative and Glasgow Life, supported by partners: Visit Scotland, Argyll & Bute Council, Love Loch Lomond, ScotRail, Calmac Ferries, Loganair, Enterprise rent-a-car and West Coast Motors.