I am going to head into Scotland for a few days from England. Would like to get a taste of a place more out-of-the-way. Have two girls ages 9 & 13. Does Oban sound like a good stop? Any hotel tips? thanks in advance for any feedback......

We were in Oban in 1992. Enjoyed tha area and would return.

It really depends on what you mean by out-of-the-way. Oban is not a sleepy little village. It is a busy holiday resort town with TONS of hotels, B&Bs, restaurants and shops.

It is a nice town - but if you want to get away from it all you could pick better.

I love Oban. I think it does have a "village" feel, but perhaps that's because I visit it with friends who were born and raised there.

Lovely seaport. Abiyt five miles south, via one-lane roads, is a very small village (can't think of the name, sorry--begins with an "E.&quot It is tiny and windswept and must be reached by going over a little bridge that holds the distinction of being the only bridge in the world to span the Atlantic Ocean (you can walk across it), as the Atlantic is just an inlet there.

I love Oban!

Will you have a car? If not, Oban is a pleasant enough place and the train ride to there is scenic. If so, as Janis said, you could easily get more out-of-the-way.

Been to Oban twice and enjoyed it very much. If for no other reason you MUST take the ferry to Mull and then a tour to Iona.

Thanks everyone for your input. Really helps. We will have a car. I have read some things about Fort William and staying at the Inverlochy Castle. Any thoughts about that vs. Oban?

We spent a week near Oban in July. The countryside around Oban is beautiful, and, as someone else mentioned, it's the gateway to Mull and Iona. But the town itself is busy, commercial and not particularly interesting. You might do better staying in one of the smaller towns just outside Oban, where you could easily get into town if you needed to, or indeed on Mull, which is a much quieter and more rugged destination.

The "E" place is Easdale.

I think Oban, whose greatest charm is its location, is far to touristy to give you any sense of Scotland and it's certainly not out-of-the-way.

Ullapool if you can bear going further north. Tarbet, if not. Stay at the West Loch Hotel. All that ssumes you want to be on the west coast.

Fort William is a total dive.