Dundee & Angus
Bon Scott (1946–80), the former lead singer of rock band AC/DC, grew up in Kirriemuir. His local origins are celebrated in the annual Bonfest rock…
Must-see attractions in Scotland
Pitlochry
This combined art gallery, interpretation centre and bookshop is run by environmental charity the John Muir Trust. It stages exhibitions of contemporary…
Orkney
This is one of Orkney's largest private houses, undergoing some much-needed repair at the time of research. The grounds, with their thicket of native…
Stirling
Cowane’s Hospital was built as an almshouse in 1637 by the merchant John Cowane. It has been closed since 2015, but there are plans to restore the…
Ullapool to Kyle of Lochalsh
The Beinn Eighe Visitor Centre, a mile northwest of Kinlochewe, has interactive displays (good for kids) on local geography, ecology, flora and fauna. It…
Loch Lomond
The vintage paddle steamer Maid of the Loch, built in 1953, is moored at Loch Lomond Shores while awaiting full restoration – you can nip aboard for a…
Borders Region
This museum has an interesting collection of mostly 19th-century manufacturing and domestic memorabilia as well as details on a tragic pair of local…
Ullapool to Kyle of Lochalsh
By a church, this interesting museum has resources for discovering your Applecross roots as well as displays on spinning wool – you may see a craftsperson…
Shetland
This small producer distils the Shetland Reel gin that you see around the place. Its version infused with local seaweed is well worth a try. Their plan is…
Shetland
Unst has the highest concentration of Viking longhouse sites in the country. The Viking Unst project manages three excavation sites, and has as its…
Glasgow
This noble Merchant City edifice was built in 1805 as a hospital and a school for the poor with a bequest from the brothers whose statues stand in the…
Borders Region
This museum tells the story of the author of The Thirty-Nine Steps and numerous other writings. A well-rounded figure, Buchan also became Governor-General…
Dumfries & Galloway
Around Burrow Head, to the southwest but accessed off the A747 before you enter the Isle of Whithorn, is St Ninian's Cave, where the saint apparently went…
East Coast
The impressive 19th-century former courthouse building in the centre of town now contains a spa, cafe, whisky cellar and visitor information. Winter…
Caithness
This heritage centre has a stone carved with runic graffiti, and a display on the work of Neil Gunn, whose wonderful novels evoke the Caithness of his…
Pitlochry
Located near the site of the Battle of Killiecrankie, this visitor centre has great interactive displays on the Jacobite rebellion and local flora and…
Aberdeen
Halfway between the beach and the city centre is this hands-on, interactive science centre. Until 2020 they're temporarily based at the even more central…
Ullapool
This community-run gallery stages changing exhibitions of works by Highland artists, from paintings and photography to ceramics and textiles. Opening…
Glasgow
In pretty Victoria Park, these dozen or so fossilised leptodendron stumps date from the Carboniferous period, some 320 million years ago, and are an…
Loch Lomond
Loch Lomond Shores, a major tourism development situated a half-mile north of Balloch, sports various visitor attractions, outdoor activities and boat…
Outer Hebrides
The tiny, turf-roofed Doune Broch Centre has interpretative displays and exhibitions about the history of the Dun Carloway broch and the life of the…
Shetland
A mile east of Eshaness, a side road leads south to the Tangwick Haa Museum, housed in a restored 17th-century house. The wonderful collection of old B&W…
Stirling
Mar's Wark (wark is an old Scots word for 'building') is the ornate facade of a Renaissance town house commissioned in 1569 by the wealthy earl of Mar,…
East Coast
The displays at Dingwall Museum include reconstructions of a local blacksmith's workshop and an Edwardian kitchen. There's also an exhibit celebrating the…
Dumfries & Galloway
When visiting Robert Burns' mausoleum in the cemetery, it's worth ducking into the squarish 18th-century church, where he used to worship, to admire the…
Church of St Andrew & St George
New Town
The Church of St Andrew & St George, built in 1784 with an unusual oval nave, was the scene of the Disruption of 1843, when 451 dissenting ministers left…
West Highlands
The village’s rainy-day attractions are limited to this heritage centre, which covers the archaeology and history of the region, including the heart…
Southern Scotland
Several of Burns' poems are set here in Ayr; in Twa Brigs, Ayr's old and new bridges argue with one another. The Auld Brig was built in 1491 and spans the…
Orkney
If it’s sunny and you’re thinking about a picnic, head to Waulkmill Bay, between Kirkwall and Orphir. The huge sandy beach is perfect for strolling and…
Arran
It's a 10-minute walk from Lagg or Kilmory to Torrylinn Cairn, a chambered tomb over 4000 years old. Its stones, protruding at various points across a…
West Highlands
The Clan Cameron Museum records the history of the clan and its involvement with the Jacobite rebellions, with exhibits that include items of clothing…
Shetland
Set in outbuildings of the local laird's house, now a school, this centre has an exhibition on the island's history, covering its fishing industry and…
Ross of Mull Historical Centre
Mull
The little village of Bunessan is home to the Ross of Mull Historical Centre, a cottage museum by a ruined mill that houses displays on local history,…
Islay
Under the Islay SYHA in Port Charlotte, this centre has displays explaining the island’s natural history, with advice on where to see wildlife and lots of…
Shetland
The Bressay Heritage Centre is by the ferry dock and has an exhibition on Bressay life and history, as well as information about the mysterious Bronze Age…
St Andrews
Dating from 1854, the clubhouse of the Royal & Ancient Golf Club, the governing authority of the game of golf, stands beside the first tee of the Old…
Borders Region
By Melrose Abbey, this pretty walled garden has a venerable apple orchard with over 90 varieties as well as a garden dedicated to flowers for drying.
Dundee
Pedestrianised High St leads west into Nethergate, flanked to the north by St Mary's Church. Most of the church dates from the 19th century, but the Old…
Edinburgh
The visitor centre in Hermitage of Braid nature reserve explains the history and wildlife of the glen, and has details of nearby nature trails.
St Andrews
St Andrews Museum has interesting displays that chart the history of the town from its founding by St Regulus to its growth as an ecclesiastical, academic…
