With an abundance of fairytale castles, sandy beaches and magical islands all within such a short distance of each other, Oban Airport has to be one of the best locations in the world to host scenic tours from the sky.
Add mountains into the mix plus an Oban pilot with vast local knowledge and you really do have a recipe for success.
My mother and I were lucky enough to take a tour above beautiful Oban Bay and surrounding area on a gorgeous sunny day.
We were enjoying one of the first flights of the season by Fly Scenic Scotland, which operates a variety of airborne tours of this stunning part of Argyll.
The tours are proving so popular that the company says it will soon have to purchase another aircraft to cope with demand.
The four-seater Cessna 172 which we were aboard is ideal for sight-seeing.
American tourists, keen to squeeze seeing as much of the area as possible into their holiday, have been snapping up the trips.
And while there is a list of 10 specific tours to choose from, these can be tailored to each customer. Holidaymakers here to research their family history have been bringing along map co-ordinates and taking the chance to fly over the very crofts they originated from.
Obliging pilot Donald Cameron, who is also a local firefighter, was happy to fly over and point out my own wee flat in the town to us.
In a 30-minute flight which included the famous Bonnie Oban Bay, we were able to enjoy a bird’s-eye view of the islands of Kerrera, Eriska, Lismore and Mull.
Castle Stalker at Appin, Duart Castle on Mull, Dunstaffnage Castle and Gylen Castle on Kerrera were all familiar sights of which we enjoyed a new perspective as the sun sparkled against the sea which surrounded them. As we soared across Oban Bay with McCaig Tower and the pretty coastal town as a backdrop, we really did feel as if we were being treated to a taste of the high life.
Donald was able to talk extensively and answer our questions about all the different sights, buildings and glens we flew above.
The ideal location means that people can also visit Ben Nevis, the famous Bridge Over the Atlantic at the isle of Seil and the Gulf of Corryvreckan, home of the third-largest whirlpool in the world.
Beautiful Loch Awe, the third-largest freshwater loch in Scotland, and Tobermory, otherwise known as Balamory, are also popular options.
Prices start at £95 per person depending on the distance of the tour. I think they are a great idea for a special day out and the gift vouchers are being snapped up by locals and visitors.