Pattersons Gift shop is situated on the Main Street in Kyle of Lochalsh, directly opposite the…read moreScottish Hydro Board shop. Jean and John Patterson have run Pattersons for over 25 years, having first started out in smaller premises situated at the top car park in Kyle. The gift shop is a veritable grotto for young and old shoppers alike with a huge selection of toys for both girls and boys - with well-known brands such as Barbie and Bob the Builder to smaller, inexpensive pocket gifts (which I used to find a God send on dark rain days to keep my two happy when they were wee!) They also sell a vast selection of board games and educational toys. If they don't have something you are particularly looking for, they will make every effort to order it in specially. Pattersons also sells mid-range jewellery and ornaments. In these days of gameboys and computer games, it's nice to see a successful and friendly family-orientated gift shop. Open all-year round from 9-5 Monday to Saturday.

A gorgeous little gift shop! I was pleased to see it here because I already went into the one in…read moreLargs and bought a lovely necklace some time ago. I don't think this one had quite as much stock but there's still plenty to choose from. Everything is laid out in a very eye-catching and tempting way - beautiful jewellery, scented Yankee Candles, glass - you're sure to find a nice gift in here! The young woman who served me recently was very nice and helpful too. Found in the main shopping street in the town just down from the post office. Open Mon-Sat 9.30am till 6pm, Sun 12 till 5pm

What a myriad of crafty stuff this wee shop has carefully displayed round it's walls and hanging…read morefrom its ceiling, there's something for everyone from glass and ceramic art, lovely picture frames and mirrors to cards and wrapping paper. Well worth a look if you are in need of a classy gift.

While on a tour of Glencoe, our tour guide took us to Crafts & Things for lunch. What an adorable…read moreplace! Its a craft store, a gift shop, and a wonderful cafe. They have a really good selection of art and prints. I found a Bee & Thistle print I had to have, and they even put it in a mailing tube so that I can send it home and not have to carry it around with me. Their gift shop has a great selection of jewelry, souvenirs, and gifts for loved ones back home. Many things you cannot find in the bigger cities here, as they are local made. The cafe in the back has wonderful homemade food. We had soup and toasties (grilled cheese sealed in a pie iron), and the quiche of the day, which were all really good. The desserts will tempt you to take them home with you. Its definitely a nice place to stop while touring the Glencoe valley.

It gets the job done and for what/where it is it gets the job done for a solid breakfast and…read moremorning caffeine. Artwork decorates the walls and books for sale in the seating area. We've definitely been to nicer cafes while in Scotland but in this remote area beggars cannot be choosy lol!

My first meal in Scotland and Glencoe Cafe came thru. Situated in a small town off of A82, this…read morecafe, pub, pizzeria, and restaurant has lots of vegetarian options on the menu. While they were out of many of them during our trip, we still thoroughly enjoyed the ones we had. The vegetarian haggis was surprisingly delicious. Having never tasted traditional haggis, this is not a comparison. We enjoyed the flavor and the consistency was a bit crumbly without being too mushy. The vegetarian pizza was solid, although a few too many vegetables included for my personal taste (I prefer pizza with two to three items). And the standard margherita pizza was a winner. The staff was friendly and the view from the deck was nice. If you're looking for a cute lunch stop tucked into the southern edge of the Highlands, Glencoe Cafe is a nice option as you travel through the rolling hills of Scotland.

This charming and cozy little spot seems to be a bit of a social hive in tiny Glencoe. Some would…read morecall it "cramped" rather than "cozy"--the quarters are pretty tight. Given its diminutive size, the cafe has a relatively long menu of panini and other sandwiches, soups, salads, and desserts, with a sharp focus on tea service. Went with a chicken tikka panini, little salad, and darjeeling. It made for a nice lunch stop. Friendly service, as was the case virtually without exception the whole time were in Scotland. In the Glencoe Cafe's mashed-together seating, we U.S. residents of Ohio ended up being surrounded by Michigan folks who were talking about Big 10 football, including a young couple who, as is apparently contractually or maybe even genetically required of almost all U.S. millennials, order all restaurant food by stating which items they want to "do." "Home sweet home," Jeebus. Finally, here's a piece of advice: If you're driving from Edinburgh to the Glen Coe area like we were, and you're thinking about stopping for lunch on the way, consider that once you pass Stirling and a couple of smaller towns just beyond there, dining options are few and far between in this magical area. Although already hungry, we passed up a couple of sketchy-looking (and thronged) tourist cafes on the A82 about an hour before we got to Glencoe, but were glad we did.

OK I must confess that I haven't actually done the whole tour thing here, but having worked inside…read morethe mountain for a few days I can appreciate how awesome a thing it is. Firstly, let's talk about the visitor centre and cafe. A great place (in fact the only place for miles) to grab a snack or a light lunch. Try to get in when there isn't a tour about to happen as they get very busy and the service gets pretty slow. The staff are all very friendly and cheery though, and you usually get a good bit of banter with them. There is free Wi-Fi too, although it can be somewhat variable at times! Not for vegans - there is nothing on the menu suitable for the vegan appetite, the closest veggie option is a cheese toastie. If you're lucky they might have a veggie soup on offer, but make sure you check as even the lentil soup had meat stock in it when I was there. That's the only reason I'm giving the place 4 stars, it should otherwise be 5. There are a number of exhibits and photographs telling the story of the construction of the dam and power station, plus the inevitable gift shop to browse while you are waiting for the next tour bus to depart. If you're the hillwalking sort, they can also advise you on the route to take to walk up to the dam above - but it is pretty steep, be warned! The mountain - Visitors are driven into the heart of Ben Cruachan in wee minibuses. There's a sliding security gate at the mouth of the tunnel, and then a tunnel that's nearly a mile in length descending into the heart of the mountain. You feel like you are entering a super-villain's lair in a Bond movie, a feeling that is reinforced once you get up to the viewing gallery and see the whole expanse of the massive turbine hall. I'm really surprised that it hasn't already featured in a movie as it would be a perfect location for any spy film! There are four massive turbines that can generate 440MW of power on demand. The bits you can see is only the very top of these enormous machines; like icebergs there is much more below the surface (another 3 or 4 levels in fact). Cruachan is a 'black star' station, which means it can be used to re-start the entire national grid if everything else went off for whatever reason. It was the first such hydro scheme to be constructed, and because the turbines can generate electricity almost instantly by simply opening the valves that let the water in from the dam above, it's ideal to provide increased capacity at peak times. During the night, the turbines can be reversed, to pump the water from Loch Awe back up into the reservoir. Check out the wooden mural by Elizabeth Faulkner on the wall - this tells the legend of the sacred well on the mountain that was guarded by the Cailleach, the crone goddess of the mountains. She controlled the flow from the well by rolling a boulder over it, but one night she fell asleep and the well overflowed, causing Loch Awe to fill up and burst its way through the hills, creating the Pass of Brander. The rest of the mural commemorates the 4 engineers who were in charge of the project, the 15 tunnellers who died during the construction of the turbine hall when the roof collapsed (a total of 36 workers died overall), and the switching on of the power by the Queen in 1965. Awesome, amazing, atmospheric, inspiring. Well worth stopping off for.

Ben Cruachan on the shores of Loch Awe awesome, beautiful, stunning but journey deep into the…read moresecret heart of this majestic mountain and you'll discover one of the hidden wonders of the Scottish Highlands Cruachan Power Station. An underground world on a spectacular scale a hollow mountain and a place like no other. Buried almost 1km below the ground a massive cavern, as high as the Tower of London, houses enormous turbines converting the power of water into electricity sent straight to your home with the flick of a switch. A coach will transport you deep into the heart of the mountain, along a massive tunnel cut through solid rock. Experienced guides will lead you through a different world, so warm that sub-tropical plants grow due to the humid conditions inside the mountain and then on to the visitors' viewing gallery. Once there, you'll find the nerve centre of the station the massive turbines so powerful that they can create 100,000 kilowatts of energy in only two minutes. Learn how these massive generators harness the power of the water from Loch Awe to provide a rapid response to the sharp rises in demand from ScottishPower customers for electricity at meal times.

During a recent trip to Scotland, I fell in love with the Isle of Skye. I wanted something to…read moreremember my time there and was lucky enough to discover this beautiful shop that features locally made jewelry. There is a lot to choose from at all different price points. Well worth it to stop by and take a look.

What a lovely wee shop - without Jennie & Taco's reviews, I never would have found this place. It'd…read morebeen sitting in my bookmarks for a while and yesterday made for the perfect opportunity to finally visit. As the others have said, it's off the main road in Shawlands but it would take less than 2 minutes to walk there, so it's worth a diversion. It's a sweet gift shop with a focus on sewing stuff too - you can learn how to make your own cushion covers, for example. I was in looking for a little housewarming gift and card for a friend and loved having a nosey around while the woman working offered me helpful suggestions and showed me some of the new stuff they had in. They have a big range of stuff; from jams and fudge, to candles, prints, kids clothes/toys, lovely fabrics and cushions, bunting and some jewellery bits and bobs. I liked how it's all presented and easy to find something nice without too much bother - I ended up just grabbing a card (The Grey Earl batboy card) and a wee tote bag as a present which was under a tenner. Definitely pay this shop a visit next time you're in the area!

This place is worth finding - it's tucked away off Shawlands main street but once you know it's…read morethere I'm sure you'll go back. It's a nice wee shop which sells locally-made crafts and things. Everything from bags and ornaments to candles and jam (including some red pepper and chilli jam which I had to buy). Great place to look for nice crafty gifts for people.

I was in Oban for my wedding, it was a really low key affair and at the last minute I decided I…read morewanted a bouquet. I popped into this shop on the day before the wedding and advised I wanted a really small posy of flowers, just 4 gerbra daisies would be lovely. The lady was lovely and accommodating and it wasn't a bother, she advised me I could have them by 10 the next morning. My now sister in law picked them up and dropped them at my mums hotel for me and when I saw them they were better than I could have imagined, I had my 4 daisies but I also had pink roses, greenery and wee white flowers, they were absolutely beautiful and just right :-) I totally recommend this shop, if not for your last minute wedding bouquets then definitely for a lovely bunch of flowers :-)