September Newsletter: We won an award!
This is the September edition of a newsletter that everyone on the Adventure Oban mailing list receives at the start of every month. Fill in the very simple form at this link to sign up to get Adventure Oban news, updates and future plans straight to your inbox!
Awards season comes to Oban!
Lionheart’s Great British Row passes through Oban
Well, who needs international holidays when the West Coast gives us a summer like that! Record breaking temperatures made for lots of Factor50 and balmy BBQ evenings down the beach. The West has its own magic all the year round but it’s a particular treat when it’s like this. Read on to find out what we got up to over summer and find out what’s coming up as we head into September:
Volunteer of the Year Awards
Young Sports Leader of the Year Faraid Winterton with our Chairman Dave Bleazard
Earlier in the summer, we were invited to attend this year’s Argyll & Bute Third Sector Interface Volunteer Awards. These are annual awards that recognise volunteers from all across Argyll for the time, energy and generosity they give their various causes. Adventure Oban were nominated for the Community Sporting Heroes Award - and we won!
One of our most dedicated young adventurers, Faraid Winterton, took home the award for Young Sports Leader of the Year. Faraid was nominated for her enthusiastic commitment to Adventure Oban’s One Million Miles project, inspiring and encouraging her Dunbeg Primary school mates to contribute miles to the project
and in turn motivating her teachers to renew the school’s commitment to school-wide activities such as the Mile-A-Day initiative. As a result of Dunbeg’s enthusiasm, other schools have followed suit - so Faraid’s impact has been felt all over the area. Around the time of the awards, Faraid turned 9 so it made for an extra special birthday, well done Faraid and Happy Birthday!
Adventure Games at the Argyllshire Gathering
Earlier in August, we were delighted to accept The Argyllshire Gathering’s invitation to help them celebrate this year’s 150th Anniversary of the Oban Games. With fantastic help from Jan Kersel of Loch Eck Orienteers, we curated an ‘Adventure Games’ assault course as part of the programme of activities at Mossfield. The fun included a dash across the Games site in wetsuit and flippers (as modelled by Ruari and Rufus above) and an orienteering maze complete with controls and punches! With the sun splitting the skies, it was wonderful to see so many folks out enjoying the weather and soaking up Oban’s community spirit at its best. Here’s to next year!
The Highland Explorer Carriages are here!
Adventure Oban is all about partnership and over the past 18 months we’ve been working on a number of projects with Sustrans. One of these is a project to bring the Scotrail Highland Explorer Carriages to Oban. This is a fantastic service that connects adventurers with the stunning landscape that the West Highland Line winds its way through. With specially configured carriages to make it easier to carry bikes, kayaks, skis and other adventure gear - it’s a huge help to reaching your adventure’s setting off point.
The Highland Explorer Carriages are a pilot which, if successful, will be rolled out in other parts of the country. So, it’s important we use and enjoy this latest addition to our adventurous part of the world - find out more information at the following link: Scotrail’s Highland Explorer Webpage
One Million Miles of Whisky makes it to Oban!
Earlier in the year, we told you about James Morrison and Mattia Romero - two university buddies and friends of Adventure Oban who undertook an impressive 600+ mile walk, kayak and run from Tomintoul in the Cairngorms to Lagavullin on Islay. In July, they reached Oban and we caught up with them to get a snap and a chat - they even featured as that week’s guests on Adventurers of Oban (click the link to read more from this series). After a well-deserved rest for a few days in Oban, the lads carried on with the kayak leg of their journey, reaching Islay a number of days later. We are sharing their story and other local adventurers’ tales on Facebook and Instagram, so make sure you’re following us!
Coming Up:
Oban Sportive | 5th September
The Oban Sportive returns this month! This year, Adventure Oban are helping steward the event with a share of the funds being raised to support our future activities that help increase community access to the outdoors. The Sportive is a brilliant event that really puts Oban on the map and provides great entertainment for participants, visitors and locals alike (entrants miles are even going towards the #OneMillionMiles totaliser!).
Come on out on Sunday the 5th September and help cheer on the riders - check out the Sportive route here and other North Argyll Cycle Club activities happening on their website.
Autumn Water Safety | 30th September
Since we kicked off at the beginning of the year, we’ve been asking and listening to what is needed locally. One of the recurring requests has been for advice and training on how to interact with our waters and coastlines safely - whether as a beginner or as someone getting back in the water. So, in the first of our Water Safety meets, we’ve partnered with RNLI Oban, Oban Sailing Club and Scottish Sea Farms with an event focused on open-water swimming and paddle boarding.
The event is part of a series of quarterly socials, designed to offer sport-specific advice whilst also providing somewhere for like-minded people to meet each other. Safety in numbers is key to being sensible on and in the water, so why not come along, learn something new and meet someone new.
This meet will involve talks and Q&A from Oban lifeboat’s coxswain Ally Cerexhe, crew member Leonie Mead and Cara Redpath from their Water Safety team, as well as swimmers Max & Stacey Holloway and paddle boarders Andy & Laura Corbe - followed by a short guided swim/paddle suitable for all levels. Over the next few weeks leading up to the event, we’ll be sharing a little bit of background on each of our speakers, so keep an eye on our socials to find out more.
The event is taking place at 6pm on Thursday the 30th of September, at Oban Sailing Club. Places are free but limited so will need to be booked in advance via the following Eventbrite link:
http://autumnwatersafety.eventbrite.co.uk
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Million Miles Litter Pick | Tak it Hame!
The next time you’re out and about clocking up those miles for #OneMillionMiles, why not do your bit to keep our hills litter free? Wee Walk Oban are taking part in Mountaineering Scotland’s #TakItHame - a campaign to tackle littering in the hills.
If you would like to get hold of some of these reusable bags or any other litter pick kit (we can provide gloves, litter pickers etc) then just drop us a line at hello@adventureoban.org.
One Million Miles | Top Tips
Here’s a few handy hints to help you when heading out to log activity for One Million Miles:
1. Log your Strava miles. We’ve realised not everyone knew that the Strava group doesn’t automatically update your miles! You need to log them separately at adventureoban.org/onemillionmiles.
2. Add One Million Miles to your phone’s home screen. Click the 3 dots on your phone browser of choice and choose ‘add to home screen’ to create a shortcut that makes it even easier to log your miles!
3. Take Miltean on an adventure. If you’d like to take Miltean on an adventure send an email to hello@adventureoban.org or DM us on Facebook or Instagram.
As ever, we’ve got lots going on each week, so keep in touch via this website and all the Adventure Oban social media channels.
Happy Adventuring!