Calendar An icon of a desk calendar. Cancel An icon of a circle with a diagonal line across. Caret An icon of a block arrow pointing to the right. Email An icon of a paper envelope. Facebook An icon of the Facebook "f" mark. Google An icon of the Google "G" mark. Linked In An icon of the Linked In "in" mark. Logout An icon representing logout. Profile An icon that resembles human head and shoulders. Telephone An icon of a traditional telephone receiver. Tick An icon of a tick mark. Is Public An icon of a human eye and eyelashes. Is Not Public An icon of a human eye and eyelashes with a diagonal line through it. Pause Icon A two-lined pause icon for stopping interactions. Quote Mark A opening quote mark. Quote Mark A closing quote mark. Arrow An icon of an arrow. Folder An icon of a paper folder. Breaking An icon of an exclamation mark on a circular background. Camera An icon of a digital camera. Caret An icon of a caret arrow. Clock An icon of a clock face. Close An icon of the an X shape. Close Icon An icon used to represent where to interact to collapse or dismiss a component Comment An icon of a speech bubble. Comments An icon of a speech bubble, denoting user comments. Comments An icon of a speech bubble, denoting user comments. Ellipsis An icon of 3 horizontal dots. Envelope An icon of a paper envelope. Facebook An icon of a facebook f logo. Camera An icon of a digital camera. Home An icon of a house. Instagram An icon of the Instagram logo. LinkedIn An icon of the LinkedIn logo. Magnifying Glass An icon of a magnifying glass. Search Icon A magnifying glass icon that is used to represent the function of searching. Menu An icon of 3 horizontal lines. Hamburger Menu Icon An icon used to represent a collapsed menu. Next An icon of an arrow pointing to the right. Notice An explanation mark centred inside a circle. Previous An icon of an arrow pointing to the left. Rating An icon of a star. Tag An icon of a tag. Twitter An icon of the Twitter logo. Video Camera An icon of a video camera shape. Speech Bubble Icon A icon displaying a speech bubble WhatsApp An icon of the WhatsApp logo. Information An icon of an information logo. Plus A mathematical 'plus' symbol. Duration An icon indicating Time. Success Tick An icon of a green tick. Success Tick Timeout An icon of a greyed out success tick. Loading Spinner An icon of a loading spinner. Facebook Messenger An icon of the facebook messenger app logo. Facebook An icon of a facebook f logo. Facebook Messenger An icon of the Twitter app logo. LinkedIn An icon of the LinkedIn logo. WhatsApp Messenger An icon of the Whatsapp messenger app logo. Email An icon of an mail envelope. Copy link A decentered black square over a white square.

Move over, Brighton! Is Oban becoming the new centre of lesbian culture?

Since the first Oban Lesbian Weekend last year, organiser Maz Gordon says more and more gay women are moving to the town.

Oban Lesbian Weekend organiser Maz Gordon, left, and two Italian attendees (both named Nikki) at last year's event.
Oban Lesbian Weekend organiser Maz Gordon, left, and two Italian attendees (both named Nikki) at last year's event.

When she came back to Oban, Maz Gordon was happy to be home.

Sea views? Check. A change of pace after city crowds around the world? Check.

Just one thing was missing: she wasn’t getting what she was looking for from the gay scene.

But after organising the town’s first Oban Lesbian Weekend in August last year, she says the town is turning into a mini-Brighton.

Last year was the first Oban Lesbian Weekend.

Maz, 43, is the editor of OutNewsGlobal, an LGBTQ online magazine.

She moved back to Oban just before covid, and now enjoys working from home.

It seems the first Oban Lesbian Weekend put Oban on the map.

She said: “Brighton has always been known as the gay capital of the UK.

The new Hebden Bridge?

“Oban is becoming like a mini-Brighton.”

She has an even better example.

“Hebden Bridge is a small town like Oban, in the north of England. It is well-known as the lesbian capital of the UK. Oban is heading in the same direction.

“It just goes to show you don’t have to go to the big cities to find a gay community.”

Oban Lesbian Weekend is a cross between a package holiday and a mini festival.

Think cocktails, ceilidhs, cruises, castles, paddle boarding, hot tubs, DJs and dancing.

A visit to Gylen Castle on Kerrera.

This year’s event takes place from July 28-31. After 130 weekenders filled Markie Dan’s pub last year, they are having to move to a bigger venue at the Argyllshire Gathering Halls.

DJ Sandra D and her wife, the singer Alabaster Queen, are coming from Manchester to perform. They have been the highlight at pride events and queer clubs across the UK over the last 20 years.

Returning for the second year, DJ Trendy Wendy is an Edinburgh LGBTQ icon.

There will be hosted dinners and ice-breaking games at the start of the event, giving people a chance to get to know each other.

Showcasing the best of what Oban has to offer

Beach trips, paddle boards, swim sessions, hosted walks around the scenic town and brunch meet-ups are all part of the fun.

Maz said: “The paddle boarding, seafood, ceilidhs and boat trips are all really popular but everyone likes different things.”

Some of the less energetic pursuits include the Oban Distillery tour and a thermal spa hot tub experience.

There are several boat trips to choose from.

There will also be book and film workshops.

Maz said: “I never thought about moving back to Oban but due to circumstances I moved back nine months before covid.

“When I first moved back I found it difficult to find other lesbians, even at the Oban Pride event.”

Lots of local support

Maz added: “Local people are really supportive. A lot of B&Bs are getting return bookings from people who have attended Oban Lesbian Weekend.

“Every week I get a message from someone saying they are thinking about moving here or coming up for a visit.

“I think a lot of LGBT people are moving to Oban. A few have taken up jobs in the hospitality industry.”

Maz enjoying a hot tub with sister Eilidh Odgen at last year’s event.

Maz is the daughter of the late John Ogden, who died earlier this year. He made Oban famous with his Green Seafood Shack.

She quipped: “My dad made Oban the Seafood Capital of Scotland. Maybe I’ll make it the Lesbian Capital.”

People are coming from all over the UK, and from as far afield as Kuala Lumpur and San Fransisco.

Are you interested in more exclusive and breaking Highland and Islands news from The P&J? If so, why not join our dedicated Facebook page.

Conversation