This industrial-type sports center has a rock-climbing wall, tennis courts, indoor “soft play centre” (for kids under 5), and indoor swimming pool with a big water slide. The outdoor playground is free and open all the time (pool only—£5.50, no rental towels or suits, fees for other activities; open Mon-Fri 6:15-21:00, Sat 9:00-16:00, Sun 9:30-16:00; on the north end of Dalriach Road, +44 1631 566 800, atlantisleisure.co.uk).

The club has welcomed visitors since 1869. This elegant green is the scene of a wonderfully British spectacle of old men tiptoeing wishfully after their balls. It’s fun to watch, and—if there’s no match scheduled and the weather’s dry—anyone can rent shoes and balls and actually play (about £5/person; generally daily “however long the weather lasts”; just south of leisure center on Dalriach Road, +44 1631 570 808).

Four corporations control 80 percent of the whisky production in Scotland—including at the famous local distillery. Whisky expert Mark Davison offers guided tastings that focus on the other 20 percent. His one-hour sessions at the Perle Oban Hotel’s Ooshka Bar guide guests through lesser-known, small-batch Scotch whiskies, often for sale at Oban’s popular Wee Wine Shop just down the road (from £40/person, +44 7441 348 394, ooshkabar.com, tastings@ooshkabar.co.uk).

Functioning like a giant breakwater, the Isle of Kerrera (KEH-reh-rah) makes Oban possible. Just offshore from Oban, and only four square miles, this very green and all but car-free island offers a quick, easy opportunity to get that romantic island experience. Home to about 70 people, Kerrera offers nice hikes, a ruined castle, and a few sheep farms. It’s also a fine place to bike (ask for advice at Oban Cycles; see “Helpful Hints,” earlier); find more info at isleofkerrera.org. You may see the Kerrera ferry filled with sheep heading for Oban’s livestock market.

Getting There: You have two options for reaching the island, depending on whether you want to visit its north end (just across the harbor from Oban) or its more remote midsection. A private boat operated by the Kerrera Marina goes from Oban’s North Pier to the Kerrera Marina on the northern part of the island (£5 round-trip, roughly every hour—see timetable and available seats online, 10-minute trip, last boat back at 21:15, book ahead at kerreramarina.com). To book you’ll need to set up an account and buy credits; 2 credits equals £5.

A CalMac ferry departs from Gallanach (two miles south of Oban) and goes to the middle of the island. This is the best option if you want to hike to Kerrera’s castle (passengers only, £4.10 round-trip, advance “Turn Up and Go” tickets—for use at any time—available online at calmac.co.uk/tickets/turn-up-and-go, bikes free, runs 8:20-12:30 & 14:00-18:00, none off-season, 5-minute trip, +44 1475 650 397, calmac.co.uk). To reach Gallanach, drive south, following the coast road past the ferry terminal (free parking available).

Sleeping and Eating on Kerrera: Amenities cluster at either end of the island. At the south end, from the dock for the ferry from Gallanach, follow the teapots on a pleasant two-mile walk from the dock to the ££ Kerrera Bunkhouse, a refurbished 18th-century stable that can sleep up to seven people in a small, cozy space (1 double and 5 single bunks, 2-night minimum, includes bedding and towels, open April-Sept but must book ahead, kitchen, +44 7951 964 231, kerrerabunkhouse.co.uk, info@kerrerabunkhouse.co.uk, Martin and Aideen). They also run a tea garden that serves meals outside and under the rafters of a charmingly rebuilt stone house (daily 11:00-16:00, closed Oct-Easter).

Near the Kerrera Marina, at the north end, the ££ Waypoint Restaurant has a laid-back patio and works hard to put out good-quality food; on a nice day, the open-air waterside setting—looking back across the bay at Oban—is unbeatable (Wed-Sat lunch and dinner, Sun lunch only, closed Mon-Tue and off-season, reservations a must, +44 1631 565 888 or +44 1631 565 333, kerreramarina.com).

Enjoy a drive, a walk, some solitude, and the sea. Drive 12 miles south of Oban on the A-816 to the B-844 to the Isle of Seil (pronounced “seal”), connected to the mainland by a bridge (which, locals like to brag, “crosses the Atlantic”...well, maybe a small part of it).

Just over the bridge on the Isle of Seil is a pub called Tigh-an-Truish (“House of Trousers”). After the Jacobite rebellions, a new law forbade the wearing of kilts on the mainland. Highlanders on the island used this pub to change from kilts to trousers before they made the crossing. The pub serves great meals and good seafood dishes to those in either kilts or pants (pub generally open daily—call ahead, +44 1852 300 242).

Seven miles across the island, on a tiny second island and facing the open Atlantic, is Easdale, a historic, touristy, windblown little slate-mining town with a small folk museum (a water taxi goes the 300 yards). Wildlife/nature tours plus tours to Iona and Staffa also run from Easdale.

To visit Mull and ultimately Iona, you’ll take a huge CalMac ferry from Oban to the town of Craignure on Mull (45 minutes). From there, you’ll ride a bus or drive 1.25 hours across Mull to its westernmost ferry terminal, called Fionnphort (FIH-nih-fort, meaning “White Port”), where you can catch the ferry to Iona (10 minutes) for several hours of free time. It’s a long journey, but it’s all incredibly scenic.

By Tour (Easiest): If you book a tour with West Coast Tours, all your ferry and bus transportation is taken care of and your seat is guaranteed. Tours use public buses and give you exclusive access to a midmorning departure time (self-arranged trips require a very early morning departure). The Mull and Iona tour costs £56 and runs every day, all summer long (no tours Nov-Easter). Because tours can sell out, book in advance at westcoasttours.co.uk—several days ahead in July and August. Save your emailed confirmation to show at each stage of your journey. If you prefer to hold paper tickets, print the email or ask the West Coast Tours office to do it for you (daily 8:30-17:30, a block from the Oban train station at 1 Queen’s Park Place, +44 1586 552 319).

Tour Tips: The midmorning Oban-Mull ferry leaves from the Oban pier at 9:55 (confirm times locally and board at least 20 minutes before departure). The best inside seats on the ferry—with the biggest windows—are in the sofa lounge on the “observation deck” (level 4) at the back end of the boat. (Follow signs for the toilets, and look for the big staircase to the top floor.) The ferry has a cafeteria with hot meals (including cooked breakfast items) and packaged sandwiches, a small snack bar on the top floor (hot drinks and basic sandwiches), and a bookshop with gifts. If it’s a clear day, ask a local or a crew member to point out Ben Nevis, the tallest mountain in Britain. About 10 minutes before landing on Mull, off the boat’s port side, you’ll see the striking 13th-century Duart Castle—the seat of Clan MacLean.

Reaching Mull’s port, called Craignure, you’ll find bus stops to your left after disembarking. It’s worth queuing up right away for the double-decker bus ride across the Isle of Mull. The bus is often full, and early arrivals get the best seats on the upper deck; the right/driver’s side offers better sea views during the second half of the journey to Fionnphort, while the left side has fine views of Mull’s rolling wilderness (you will be on the same route on the return trip, so try to experience both).

At Fionnphort, you’ll board a small, rocking ferry to Iona, landing in the village of Baile Mòr. You’ll have about two hours to roam freely around the island before reversing (arriving in Oban a bit before 18:00). Some guests choose to leave the tour to spend the night in Iona, then take a bus back to Craignure the following day (see “Sleeping on Iona,” later, and “By Public Transit,” next). To do this, let the tour operator know so that you get the correct ferry return tickets.

By Public Transit: Alternatively, you can arrange this trip on your own, using mostly the same buses as the tour groups. You’ll take the early ferry and public bus across Mull, paying individually per leg (early ferries run Mon-Sat only; round-trip price: £9.40 for Oban-Mull ferry, £19.80 for public bus across Mull, £9.40 for Mull-Iona ferry). It’s smart to book the popular Oban-Mull ferry online a few days in advance, especially in July and August (note this is a timed ticket, calmac.co.uk), and it is cheapest and easiest to buy the Mull 24-hour island bus ticket using the West Coast Motors mobile app (westcoastmotors.co.uk); tickets are also sold by the driver (contactless pay). The Mull-Iona ferry is a “Turn Up and Go” route, meaning tickets are valid anytime.

Take the first boat of the day (departs Mon at 6:45, Tue-Sat at 7:25), then connect at Mull to bus #96 or #496 to Fionnphort (departs 8:30, 1.25 hours). This is usually the same bus used for the Three Isles Early Bird Tour (see “Visiting Staffa,” later), so it may include narration. Next, hop on the Iona ferry (roughly every 30 minutes, buy open ticket in advance or on-site from small trailer ferry office; if closed, purchase ticket from ferry worker at the dock; cash or card accepted; leaving Iona, do the same, as there’s no ferry office). Allow about four hours on Iona and return to Fionnphort in time for the afternoon bus back (15:20 or 17:35). Conversely, you can take a later bus across Mull (13:30 or 17:00) and plan to spend the night on Iona (see “Sleeping on Iona,” later), and catch one of two morning buses back (9:20, 11:20). It’s important to confirm all these times in Oban (just pop into the West Coast Tours office).

By Car: You can do this trip on your own by driving your car onto the ferry to Mull (£35.20 round-trip for the car, passengers extra, calmac.co.uk), then driving across the island and walking on the ferry to Iona (no visitor cars are allowed on Iona). Car space on the Oban-Mull ferry is very limited, so book about two months in advance.

By Taxi: Alan from Mull Taxi can get you around his home island and also offers day trips (+44 7760 426 351, mulltaxi.co.uk).

With two to three extra hours, you can add a Staffa side trip to your Mull/Iona visit (£97 total for the Three Isles Tour or £91 for the Three Isles Early Bird Tour through West Coast Tours in Oban; or, if you’re getting to Fionnphort on your own, you can book the £40 Staffa portion directly via Staffa Tours, +44 7831 885 985, staffatours.com).

While Staffa is a thrill for nature lovers, it’s far more appealing in good weather than in bad (and, given its popularity, you may have to book before you know for sure...so it can be a crapshoot—if foul weather is in the forecast, all Staffa boat tours will be canceled and you’ll be notified the afternoon prior. If you can’t reschedule, you may need to request a refund). These tours start the same as the Mull/Iona tour (ferry from Oban, then bus or drive across Mull). But then, upon arrival at Fionnphort, you’ll board a much smaller boat bound for Staffa (35-minute trip, about an hour of free time on Staffa). From Staffa, you’ll head to Iona for about two hours before returning to Mull. If you’re on West Coast’s Three Isles Tour, you can either depart Oban on the 9:55 ferry, arriving back in Oban around 20:15; or do the early bird tour, departing at 7:25 and returning a bit before 18:00.

For a more relaxed schedule, both Staffa Tours (listed above) and Staffa Trips (£40, staffatrips.co.uk, +44 7809 136 694) offer variations that include more time on Staffa.

Turus Mara offers nature/wildlife tours from Oban or Mull to just Staffa or Staffa and the Treshnish Isles (turusmara.com, +44 1688 400 242).

Picnic Tip: If you’re taking a later departure to Staffa, be aware you won’t have much access to food until you arrive on Iona in the midafternoon. It’s smart to pack along a lunch (buy something in Oban before you board or in the on-ferry café).

As you pass the town of Balloch, take the right turn marked for Duck Bay Hotel for good views of this famous lake—head left past the hotel to find a half-mile-long grassy park with picnic tables.

Twenty-four miles long and speckled with islands, Loch Lomond is Great Britain’s biggest lake by surface area, and second in volume only to Loch Ness. Thanks largely to its easy proximity to Glasgow (about 15 miles away), this scenic lake is a favorite retreat for Scots as well as foreign tourists. The southernmost of the Munros, Ben Lomond (3,196 feet), looms over the eastern bank.

Loch Lomond’s biggest claim to fame is its role in a beloved folk song: “Ye’ll take the high road, and I’ll take the low road, and I’ll be in Scotland afore ye... For me and my true love will never meet again, on the bonnie, bonnie banks of Loch Lomond.” As you’ll now be humming that all day (you’re welcome), here’s one interpretation of the song’s poignant meaning: Celtic culture believes that fairies return the souls of the deceased to their homeland through the soil. After the disastrous Scottish loss at the Battle of Culloden, Jacobite ringleaders were arrested and taken for trial in faraway London. In some cases, accused pairs were given a choice: One of you will die, and the other will live. The song is a bittersweet reassurance, sung from the condemned to the survivor, that the soon-to-be-deceased will take the spiritual “low road” back to his Scottish homeland—where his soul will be reunited with the living, who will return on the physical “high road” (over land).

You’re driving over an isthmus between Loch Lomond and a sea loch (inlet). Farther along, park at Luss and stroll through this village of cute stone cottages to a pier with mountain views. Halfway up the loch, you’ll find the town of Tarbet—the Viking word for isthmus, a common name on Scottish maps. Imagine, a thousand years ago, Vikings dragging their ships across this narrow stretch of land to reach Loch Lomond.

• At Tarbet, the road forks. The signs for Oban keep you on the direct route along the A-82. For the scenic option that takes you past Loch Fyne to Inveraray (about 30 minutes longer to drive), keep left for the A-83 (toward Campbeltown).

You’ll pass the village of Arrochar, then loop around the north bank of Loch Long. The scenery crescendos as you pull away from the loch and twist up over the mountains and through a pine forest, getting your first glimpse of bald Highlands mountains—it’s clear that you’ve just crossed the Highland Boundary Fault. Enjoy the waterfalls, and notice that the road signs are now in Gaelic as well as English. As you climb into more rugged territory—up the valley called Glen Croe—be mindful that the roads connecting the Lowlands with the Highlands (like the one in the glen below) were originally a military project designed to facilitate government quelling of the Highland clans.

• At the summit, watch for the large parking lot with picnic tables on your left (signed for Argyll Forest Park). Stretch your legs at what’s aptly named...

The colorful name comes from the 19th century, when just reaching this summit was exhausting. At the top of the military road, just past the last picnic table, there’s actually a stone (dated 1814) put there by the military with that phrase.

As you drive on, enjoy the dramatic green hills. You may see little bits of hillside highlighted by sunbeams. Each of these is known as a “soot” (sun’s oot over there). Look for soots as you drive farther north into the Highlands.

• Continue twisting down the far side of the pass. You’ll drive through Glen Kinglas and soon reach...

This saltwater sea loch is famous for its shellfish (keep an eye out for oyster farms), and ££££ Loch Fyne Oyster Bar and Deli, in the big blue-and-white building at the end of the loch, shows this off to fine effect. It’s a famous stop for locals—an elegant seafood restaurant and oyster bar worth traveling to. In summer, it’s wise to reserve ahead for seating in the restaurant or in the more casual bar area (generally 12:00-16:00 but check hours online, reservations advised via email or phone, +44 1499 600 482, lochfyne.com, oyster.bar@lochfyne.com). Even if you’re not eating, it’s fun to peruse their salty deli (tasty treats to go, picnic tables outside, good coffee).

• Looping around Loch Fyne, you approach Inveraray. As you get close, keep an eye on the right (when crossing the bridge, have your camera ready) for the dramatic...

This residence of the Duke of Argyll comes with a dramatic, turreted exterior (one of Scotland’s most striking) and an interior that feels spacious, neatly tended, and lived in. Historically a stronghold of one of the more notorious branches of the Campbell clan, this castle is most appealing to those with Campbell connections or fans of Downton Abbey—this was “Duneagle Castle” (aka Uncle Shrimpy’s pad) from the first Christmas special.

Cost and Hours: £18, buy tickets online or at the entry kiosk; Thu-Mon 10:00-17:00, closed Tue-Wed and Nov-March, last entry 45 minutes before closing; tours available if staffing allows, nice basement tearoom; +44 1499 302 203, inveraray-castle.com.

Visiting the Castle: Roam from room to room, reading the laminated descriptions and asking questions of the gregarious docents. The highlight is the Armoury Hall that fills the main atrium, where swords and rifles are painstakingly arrayed in starburst patterns. The rifles were actually used when the Campbells fought against the Jacobites at the Battle of Culloden in 1746.

In the stairwell landing, see the duke’s very kingly coronation robes. Upstairs are more fine rooms, often displaying temporary exhibits. As with many such castles, the aristocratic clan still lives here (private signs mark rooms where the family resides). The room in the turret is like an Argyll family scrapbook; for example, see photos of the duke playing elephant polo—the ultimate aristocratic sport. The kids attend school in England but spend a few months here each year; in the winter, the castle is closed to the public, and they have the run of the place. The basement holds an old kitchen and a tearoom, which has outdoor seating at the base of the fortress.

And what about the Downton Abbey connection? The Campbells seem content to move on; you’ll find only a few photographic reminders of the castle’s moment of television fame—mainly scene stills hung in the tearoom.

After touring the interior, do a loop through the finely manicured gardens. The best views are at the far end from where you entered.

• Once you’re done visiting the castle, spend some time exploring...

Nearly everybody stops at this lovely, seemingly made-for-tourists town on Loch Fyne. Browse the main street—lined with touristy shops and cafés all the way to the church at its top. As this is the geological and demographic border between the Highlands and the Lowlands, traditionally church services here were held in both Scots and Gaelic. Just before the church is Loch Fyne Whiskies, with historic bottles on its ceiling.

There’s free parking on the main street and plenty of pay parking near the pier (where there are pay WCs).

The Inveraray Jail is the main sight in town—an overpriced, corny, but mildly educational former jail converted into a museum. This “living 19th-century prison” includes interactive displays (have fun with thumbscrews!) and a courtroom where mannequins argue the fate of the accused. Then you’ll head outside and explore the various cells of the outer courtyard. The playful guards may lock you up for a photo op while they explain how Scotland reformed its prison system in 1839—you’ll see the “old prison,” which housed children as young as seven, and the “new prison,” which had heating and tortured only older boys (£16, open daily, free 1.25-hour audioguide, +44 1499 302 381, inverarayjail.co.uk [URL inactive]).

• To continue directly to Oban from Inveraray (about an hour), leave town through the gate at the woolen mill and get on the A-819, which takes you through Glen Aray, past the turnoff for the Cladich Highland Cattle Farm Tour, then along the aptly named Loch Awe. A left turn on the A-85 takes you into Oban.

But if you have a healthy interest in prehistoric sites, you can go to Oban by way of Kilmartin Glen (adds about 45 minutes of driving). To get there from Inveraray, head straight up Inveraray’s main street and get on the waterfront A-83 (marked for Campbeltown); after a half-hour, in Lochgilphead, turn right onto the A-816, which takes you through Kilmartin Glen and all the way up to Oban. (To avoid backtracking, be ready to stop at the prehistoric sites lining the A-816 between Lochgilphead and Kilmartin village.)

In rolling hills on the south shore of Loch Awe, 30 miles from Oban and 10 miles from Inveraray, Cladich Farm offers private tours that get you close to some of their 100 head of Highland cattle. Queenie and Jon (or farm manager Stuart) begin by showing you around the barn and explaining their operation. Then you’ll board an ATV to head out into the hills for sweeping views over Loch Awe and the Cruachan mountain...and to find some cattle. The specifics of the tour can change with the weather, time of year, and your interests, but you’ll always get up close and personal with some hairy coos—scratching them behind the ears, brushing their shaggy coat, and so on. This is a real working farm (be prepared for cow pats, smells, and any kind of weather), but your hosts—who were accountants in a previous life—offer boots and include some classy touches. The private tour, which takes about 2.5 hours, must be arranged in advance. This is a small operation and capacity is limited; book two to three months ahead (£140 for two people, larger groups may be possible—ask, usually at 10:00 and 14:30; +44 7718 524 158, visitcladich.co.uk, highlandcattle@cladich-argyll.co.uk).

Sleeping at Cladich Farm: The property also includes the comfortable, well-equipped ££ Cladich House B&B, which operates separately from the farm (booking doesn’t guarantee a tour slot, +44 1838 200 845, stay@visitcladich.co.uk).

Except for the Orkney Islands, Scotland isn’t rich with prehistoric sites. But the ones in Kilmartin Glen, while faint, are some of Scotland’s most accessible—and most important.

Four to five thousand years ago, Kilmartin Glen was inhabited by Neolithic people who left behind fragments of their giant, stony monuments. And 1,500 years ago, this was the seat of the kings of the Scoti, who migrated here from Ireland around AD 500, giving rise to Scotland’s own branch of Celtic culture. From this grassy valley, the Scoti kings ruled their empire, called Dalriada (also sometimes written Dál Riata), which encompassed much of Scotland’s west coast, the Inner Hebrides, and the northern part of Ireland. The Scoti spoke Gaelic and were Christian; as they overtook the rest of the Highlands—eventually absorbing the rival Picts—theirs became a dominant culture, which is still evident in pockets of present-day Scotland. Today, Kilmartin Glen is scattered with burial cairns, standing stones, and a hill called Dunadd—the fortress of the Scoti kings.

Visiting Kilmartin Glen: Sites are scattered throughout the valley, including some key locations along or just off the A-816 south of Kilmartin village. If you’re coming from Inveraray, you’ll pass these before you reach the village and museum itself. Each one is explained by informational signs.

Dunadd: This bulbous hill sits just west of the A-816, at the end of a small farm road about four miles north of Lochgilphead and four miles south of Kilmartin village (watch for blue, low-profile Dunadd Fort signs). A fort had stood here since the time of Christ, but it was the Scoti kings who put Dunadd on the map by making it their primary castle from the sixth to ninth century. Park in the big lot at its base (tucked behind a low stone wall on the right as you approach) and hike through the faint outlines of terraces to the top, where you can enjoy sweeping views over all of Kilmartin Glen; this southern stretch is a marshland called “The Great Moss” (Moine Mhor) and is one of the few remaining raised bogs in Europe. Look for carvings in the rock: early Celtic writing, the image of a boar, and a footprint (carved into a stone crisscrossed with fissures). This “footprint of fealty” (a replica) recalls the inauguration ceremony in which the king would place his foot into the footprint, symbolizing the marriage between the ruler and the land.

Dunchraigaig Cairn: About two miles farther north on the A-816, brown Dunchraigaig signs mark a parking lot where you can cross the road to the 4,000-year-old, 100-foot-in-diameter Dunchraigaig Cairn—the burial place for 10 Neolithic VIPs. Circle around to find the opening, where you can still crawl into a small recess. This is one of at least five such cairns that together created a mile-and-a-half-long “linear cemetery” up the middle of Kilmartin Glen.

From this cairn, you can walk five minutes to several more prehistoric structures: Follow signs through the gate, and walk to a farm field with Ballymeanoch—an avenue of two stone rows (with six surviving stones), a disheveled old cairn, and a stone circle.

Sites near Kilmartin Burn: About one more mile north on the A-816, just off the intersection with the B-8025, is the small Kilmartin Burn parking lot (turn left toward Tayvallich to access it). From here, cross the stream to a field where the five Nether Largie Standing Stones have stood in a neat north-south line for 3,200 years. Were these stones designed as an astronomical observatory? For burial rituals or other religious ceremonies? Sporting events? Or just a handy place for sheep to scratch themselves? From here, you can hike the rest of the way through the field (about 10 minutes) to a back road with the Nether Largie South Cairn on one side and the Temple Wood Stone Circles on the other (accessible parking only). The larger, older of the stone circles dates to more than 5,000 years ago, and both were added onto and modified over the millennia.

Continuing north on the road, you’ll find a de facto hiking trail that connects more cairns of the linear cemetery—the Nether Largie Mid Cairn, the Nether Largie North Cairn (reconstructed in the 1970s), and through a pasture to the Glebe Cairn—before emerging at the museum (about 3 miles/60 minutes out and back). But the cairns don’t offer much more to see, so they’re mostly worthwhile for the scenic walk through the narrow valley (resist walking on the busy, shoulderless A-816 to make a loop).

Kilmartin Museum: This overpriced and loosely organized little museum in the center of Kilmartin village houses a fraction of a 22,000-piece collection. Inside, a reverse chronological exhibit touches on medieval history, veers back through the Iron and Bronze Ages, then ultimately displays relics of the prehistoric people who created its cairns and rock art. Prehistoric artifacts are punctuated by interactive displays demonstrating ancient techniques for pulling yarn and sharpening stone tools. You’ll see the remains of a Bronze Age woman found in Kilmartin Glen in 2015 and an artist’s 3-D rendition of her face (£16, daily 10:00-17:00, Nov, Dec, and Feb 11:00-16:00, closed Jan, café, gift shop, +44 1546 510 278, kilmartin.org).