In our experience, people usually arrive in Oban, Glencoe or Skye with a rough plan, a list saved on their phone, and a few recommendations they’ve seen online. And that’s a good start. But the conversations our Scottish teams end up having most often aren’t about the big landmarks; they’re about timing, or where to go when it’s busy, or what’s actually worth the effort.
Because we’ve got hotels in all three locations, we spend a lot of time helping people figure that out as they go. Someone will come down to reception and ask what they should do that day, and the answer usually depends on the weather, how early they’re up, and how much driving they feel like doing.
So, this guide isn’t everything you could do in a Scottish summer – that would be an ENORMOUS blog! (though you should definitely follow along on our Instagram channel for extra inspiration) Instead, we’ve included things we tend to suggest most often, the places that hold up even when it’s busy, and the small adjustments that make a difference once you’re here.
Our favourite things to do in Oban this summer
Oban’s often treated as a stop on the way to somewhere else, but if you’re staying a night or two, it’s an easy place to settle into. While not a huge town, it acts as a major hub for ferry travel and tourism, and in the summer, the population swells significantly.
A few of our favourite Oban events returning for 2026
The Oban International Shanty Festival 2026 (Fri 19th – Sat 20th June 2026)
Three days of sea songs and maritime music, bringing together performers from Scotland, England, France, the Netherlands and the USA.
This year’s line-up includes groups such as My Druthers, All@Sea, Sea Swallow, Morgan’s Men, The Mizzen Crew and The Salty Scrimshaws, alongside artists including Shona Cowie, Hans Weehuizen and Voicemale. Further acts are expected to be announced.
Alongside performances across the town, the programme also includes workshops and exhibitions.
Read all about The Shanty Festival.
Clipper Round the World Yacht Race Stopover (July 10–19, 2026)
Oban has been confirmed as a Host Port on the 2025–26 Clipper global route. Following a successful stopover last year, when Race Crew joined the town’s ‘Festival of the Sea’, plans are already underway for an even bigger celebration of culture and community.
Oban will feature in Leg 8, The Atlantic Homecoming, as crews race from North America towards the final finish in Portsmouth. As one of the last stops on the route, it’s set to be a lively and well-timed welcome before the race concludes.
Find out more about the Oban leg of the Clipper Race.
Argyllshire Gathering Oban Games (Thurs August 27, 2026)
The Oban Gathering has been running for well over a century, yet it still feels very local. You’ve got pipe bands, track events, and the heavier competitions, caber tossing, hammer throw, all set just a short walk from the centre.
It’s a day when you don’t need a strict plan. Turn up, wander between events, grab something to eat from the local Scottish food stands, and stay as long as you feel like. If you’ve never seen a Highland Games before, this is a great one to head to!
Find out more about The Oban Games.
Places to see in Oban (with a few local tips from our team)
Harbour walks timed around the ferries
Most people head straight to the harbour when they arrive, which makes sense, it’s the centre of everything. But it’s also often when it gets busiest, especially late morning into the afternoon.
If you’re staying overnight, head out early to get a feel for the town (around 7–8am) – it’s usually just locals, a few dog walkers, and the first ferries coming in. It’s calm, and you’ll often spot seals close to the pier if the water’s still.
If that sounds a bit too early for you, head back down after dinner instead. The light sits low over Kerrera, and it’s noticeably quieter again.
Walk up to McCaig’s Tower, but skip the obvious route
Everyone goes up to McCaig’s Tower, and it’s certainly worth doing (from here, the view over the bay could almost be mistaken for a drone angle!)
If you’ve got the time, walk up via Duncraggan Road instead. It loops you up behind the tower through quieter streets and avoids that stop-start climb. We usually suggest heading up around 7pm in summer, you’ll miss the peak crowds, and the view back over the bay is a lot better once the light starts to soften.
Boat trips from Oban
There are a lot of different boat trip options advertised along the Oban harbour front, and they’re not all the same. A couple of our favourites:
Sealife Adventures
This is the one we tend to recommend most. Smaller boats, wildlife-focused, and they’ll adjust routes depending on what’s been spotted recently. Guests regularly come back having seen dolphins or even minke whales. A seal or two is almost always a certainty.
Caledonian MacBrayne (the public ferry to Mull)
While not marketed as a “tour”, this is a great value trip (though you will need to plan well in advance). You get incredible views heading out of Oban, and if you’ve got a few hours, Tobermory is an easy wander before coming back.
Seafood dining in Oban
Oban is celebrated for its seafood offering (and if you’re set on a specific restaurant) we recommend booking ahead as evenings fill up quickly in summer. Otherwise, going slightly off-peak, a later lunch or early dinner, tends to be a bit more relaxed.
The Perle Oban Hotel features the Oban Brasserie, serving locally sourced, fresh Scottish seafood, with highlights such as Steamed Oban Harbour Mussels, Pan-seared Isle of Mull Scallops, and Homemade Locally Caught Fish Pie.
Things to Do in Glencoe in Summer
Glencoe doesn’t have the same kind of event calendar as Oban, but there are a few things that come up through the season:
- Local guided walks and ranger-led sessions (often run through the National Trust for Scotland)
- Small community events and pop-ups around nearby villages like Ballachulish
These aren’t always heavily advertised in advance, which is why we usually suggest asking when you arrive. Your hotel team will normally know what’s happening that week, especially anything worth building your day around.
Longer days mean you’re not rushed (in peak summer, the sun doesn’t set until around 10.15pm), and you’ve got more flexibility to work around the weather. When guests stay with us at Glencoe House, the questions are usually the same: where to go, when to go, and how to avoid doing it the way everyone else does.
Here’s what we tell them …
If you’re here in summer, plan around light, not a checklist
If there’s one thing we repeat a lot, it’s that Glencoe is at its best early or late in the day. By mid-morning (especially in peak summer) you’ll notice more traffic building through the main valley, tour buses stopping at the key viewpoints, and lay-bys filling up quickly.
If you’re up early, or happy to head out later in the evening, it’s much quieter.
It’s often worth structuring your day around that, even if it means a slower start in the middle of the day. If you can, shift your day:
- early morning for walks
- evening for viewpoints and drives
In our experience, even something as simple as revisiting a spot after dinner instead of at midday can completely change it.
Aonach Eagach viewpoint – the one most people miss after they’ve seen The Three Sisters
The Three Sisters is the stop most people recognise, and it’s usually the busiest (especially in the summer months). While most people stop at the obvious, nearby layby, just along the A82, there are quieter pull-ins facing the Aonach Eagach ridge, which is arguably the more dramatic side of the valley.
There’s no big sign, and that’s why it stays quieter. If you’re driving east through Glencoe, keep an eye out for smaller lay-bys after the main viewpoints.
The Lost Valley (worth the effort if you’ve got the time)
If you’re looking to do one proper walk while you’re in Glencoe, this is usually the one we recommend.
The Lost Valley sits just beyond the Three Sisters and takes a bit more effort to reach, with uneven ground, a few steeper sections, and you’ll need decent footwear, even in summer. But once you’re in, it widens and feels far more remote than anywhere along the main road.
A couple of things we always mention:
- Start early if you can, parking fills up quickly. Fortunately, the early summer light is on your side
- Bring layers, even on warmer days, the weather can shift fast here
Signal Rock and An Torr, a quieter alternative to the main stops
If you want something easier than the Lost Valley, this is where we usually point people.
The An Torr circular route is a peaceful one; a 50-meter (165-foot) wooded hill with a special rocky summit, Singal Rock, rumoured to be the site where the signal was given to start the Glencoe Massacre back in 1692.
The walk is short and manageable, and much quieter than the main valley stops. And, despite its length, the route is surprisingly varied, with woodland, open views, and glimpses back to the mountains. It’s also a good option if the weather’s mixed, as you’re not fully exposed like you are on some of the longer walks.
Staying in Glencoe, location matters more than you think
One thing that makes a real difference here is where you’re based, and staying at Glencoe House puts you right on the edge of Loch Leven and within easy reach of the main valley, meaning you can head out early or later in the evening without committing to a full day of driving.
If you’re looking for a unique accommodation story while travelling through Scotland, this is an excellent choice. This historic mansion offers 14 luxury suites (8 situated in the mansion house, where you occupy your own wing, and 6 lodges just 50 metres from the mansion house).
Things to do on the Isle of Skye in summer
We’ve found that Skye is usually the part of the trip people plan the most, and the part they underestimate at the same time!
By summer, most of the well-known spots are busy from mid-morning onwards. Car parks fill early, single-track roads slow everything down, and what looks close on a map can take longer than expected to reach.
When guests stay with us on Skye, the focus is usually on making the most of it without feeling like they’re hopping between crowded stops all day.
Summer events on Skye to look out for
While Skye’s summer doesn’t revolve around big festivals, there are still a few things that add something extra if your timing lines up:
The Skye Live Festival (May 7-9)
Hosted in Portree, Skye Live Festival mixes live music with food, talks, and local culture across three days. Celebrations begin on Thursday evening, with opening acts Beluga Lagoon and Dougie MacLean. Find the full Skye Live Festival line-up here. If your visit to Skye lines up with it, we strongly advise making dinner reservations a good couple of weeks in advance (and allow extra time for parking and getting around).
Skye Half Marathon & 10K (June 13)
The Skye Half Marathon is widely regarded as one of the UK’s top races, offering runners the chance to take on a memorable course in one of Scotland’s most iconic landscapes. Set against the rugged backdrop of the Isle of Skye, the route combines challenging terrain with exciting coastal views, making it as rewarding as it is demanding. Online registration is now open.
Skye Highland Games 2026 (August 5)
The Highland Games are one of the highlights of the island’s annual calendar, bringing together traditional sport, music and culture in the heart of Portree. The day begins with a procession led by the Portree Pipe Band from Somerled Square to the games field, followed by a full programme of events including classic competitions such as the caber toss, putting the stone and tug-of-war. Alongside this, visitors can enjoy Highland dancing and bagpiping competitions throughout the day.
Events run from the morning through to late afternoon.
Summer on Skye, plan your days around pressure points
If you’ve looked up things to do on the Isle of Skye, you’ll already have a list that looks something like this:
- The Fairy Pools
- The Old Man of Storr
- The Quiraing
- Neist Point
They’re popular for a reason, and if it’s your first time on Skye, they’re still worth seeing. But they’re also the places that:
- are busiest by mid-morning in summer
- most of the main tour groups tend to hit between 10am and 3pm
- have the most pressure on parking and access
- and tend to be experienced quickly, rather than properly
There are already plenty of guides that cover those in detail, and you’ll find the same advice repeated across most of them. With that in mind, what we try to do instead, especially when guests are staying with us, is help balance those headline stops with places that feel a bit less crowded, or experiences that people don’t always plan for but end up enjoying more.
So, rather than walking through each of the main sights again, this section focuses on a few alternatives and a different way of approaching the island while you’re here.
Elgol and the road to get there
One that a lot of people miss in favour of the more obvious ‘bucket-list’ stop across Skye; getting to Elgol involves a long single-track road, which puts some people off (but that’s part of why it stays quieter.) The views open towards the Cuillin mountains in a way you don’t really get elsewhere on Skye … which is saying a lot, because Skye’s landscape is dramatic wherever you go!
We recommend taking advantage of the sea-life boat trips that launch from here or perhaps hiring a local guide to hike the mountains. The area also boasts two caves, one of which (Spar Cave) you can kayak to with the assistance of the Sea to Skye Experience team.
Loch Coruisk, one of the most overlooked experiences on Skye
This inky blue loch, surrounded by looming peaks, is one of the few places on Skye that still feels genuinely remote. You can reach it by a boat from Elgol (noted above) or a much longer walk. You can take a boat with either Misty Isle Boat Trips or Bella Jane Boat Trips, and you have the option to book a one-way trip to tackle a partial hike.
‘Loch Coruisk’ translate to ‘Cauldron of waters’ and experienced wild swimmers tout it as one of their favourite spots on Skye. However, we must note that the loch’s darker waters mean it’s important to prioritise safety and never swim alone here.
Coral Beach, but only if the tide’s right
Coral Beach looks like it shouldn’t be in Scotland, with white sand, clear water, and much lighter colours than you’d expect. Fun fact: It’s not actually made from coral, but rather crushed, sun-bleached maerl (a type of seaweed). However, the detail most people miss is the tide:
- at low tide, you can walk further out across the exposed areas
- at higher tide, it feels much smaller
It’s also a bit of a walk from the parking area, which keeps numbers down compared to some of the more accessible spots.
Hotels in the West Highlands of Scotland
Building a summer route around Oban, Glencoe or Skye? Or perhaps you’re planning to travel through all three? Our hotels are positioned to give you sightseeing flexibility, whether it’s being close to the harbour in Oban, tucked into the landscape in Glencoe, or well placed to explore Skye without rushing from one end to the other. Take a more detailed look at our properties: