Tarbat Discovery Centre

Top choice


This intriguing museum has some excellent carved Pictish stones. When ‘crop circles’ appeared in aerial photos some years ago, the foundations of an Iron Age settlement were discovered around the village church; ongoing investigation revealed a Pictish monastery and evidence of the production of illuminated manuscripts. The exhibition includes the church’s spooky crypt.


Lonely Planet's must-see attractions

Nearby attractions

1. Carnegie Courthouse

8.08 MILES

The impressive 19th-century former courthouse building in the centre of town now contains a spa, cafe, whisky cellar and visitor information. Winter…

2. Historylinks

8.08 MILES

Historylinks is a child-friendly museum focusing on local history. Displays cover geology, the Picts, the building of the cathedral and the development of…

3. Dornoch Cathedral

8.11 MILES

Consecrated in the 13th century, beautiful Dornoch Cathedral, one of the Highlands' loveliest churches, is an elegant Gothic edifice with an interior…

4. Tain Through Time

8.45 MILES

Set in the grounds of St Duthus Church is Tain Through Time, an entertaining heritage centre with a colourful and educational display on St Duthac, King…

5. Glenmorangie

9.2 MILES

Located on Tain’s northern outskirts, Glenmorangie (emphasis on the second syllable) produces a fine lightish malt, subjected to a number of different…

6. Dunrobin Castle

11.18 MILES

Magnificent Dunrobin Castle, a mile past Golspie, is the Highlands' largest house. Although it dates to 1275, most of what you see was built in French…

7. Cromarty Courthouse

12.92 MILES

This 18th-century courthouse is now a museum chronicling the town’s history using contemporary references. Kids will love the talking mannequins.

8. Hugh Miller’s Cottage & Museum

12.92 MILES

This thatch-roofed cottage is the birthplace of Hugh Miller (1802–56), a local stonemason and amateur geologist who pioneered the study of fossil fishes…