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.

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.

Sweet and well selected The small friendly shop offers a…read moregreat selection of handmade modern jewellery and accessoirs. From necklaces to earrings in a young modern reduced style. They also offer different products (cups, tea towels, baby clothes) in simplistic Highland-associated designs. Furthermore you'll find interesting cards.

Italian Tourist: "S'cuse! Do you have, ah, looonch?" Granny:…read more"Sorry, we don't have lunch. We only have drinks, pastries, soups, and sandwiches..." My wife and a got good little laugh at that. For the rest of the world that is plenty to offer for lunch, but for the British, those are just light snacks. The Italians were plenty happy with the offerings. £1.60 for a basic small teapot. Scones come with a lovely ménage trois of tasty jams. My walnut coffee cake is the best coffee cake I'd have ever eaten. The charming grannies that run this place are a delight. Most importantly: your last chance to use the toilet before hiking Neist Point!

Lovely little cafe where I stopped and had grilled cheese with onion and tomato and lentil soup…read more It's a very small town and the other restaurants were closed but I was pleasantly surprised by the quality. The proprietor was lovely and the service exemplary.

In June of 2014 my wife and I stopped in here while touring Skye. Not only did we see and smell…read moresome delightful candles, but the shopkeeper was fantastic. He showed us postcards from all over the world. Essentially, all you need to do is send a card from somewhere to the shop's address and they'll send you a free air freshener. He let us simply have one - as we promised to send a card once we returned to the US. We ended up buying two large tumblers and a pin (it's not candle-esque... it just has a Highland Cow on it). We had a lovely time in this shop - and should we ever return to Skye, we'll be sure to stop in again. This is definitely worth a trip.

Nice place to stop when in the area. Great place to buy gifts. The candles smell amazing and the…read morestaff is very helpful.

I came here during a day tour to Isle of Skye. It was a lovely spot to go and tour. We had an hour…read moreto go around the castle and inside. I'd say if you want to read everything inside the castle, I would allow for around 2 hours here. It's a beautiful location with a lot of history. There is a cafe here if you need a quick pick me up as well. We came here in the morning before noon and it was not too busy, but when we left it started to get a lot busier. It may be best to go right when they open to beat the crowds.

When I was in the planning stages of my trip to the UK back in 2018, Scotland wasn't even on my…read moreradar. Consulting my bucket list, I noticed the entry for Loch Ness, and figured if I was going to visit Scotland, I should probably do so for a couple days, and see what else the country had to offer. It takes precisely .0006 seconds searching Google for "Scotland" before you find a picture of Eilean Donan castle, and it took another .0001 seconds before I had decided that I *needed* to see it in person. It couldn't be that stunningly beautiful, could it? Well, my friends, I can attest to you that it is, and it is well worth the visit, even if it is a bit of an odyssey. I flew from London to Inverness, a surprisingly short (and cheap!) flight, and rented a car from one of companies onsite. I had hoped for an automatic, but I was informed that *the* automatic I'd reserved (yes, they only had one!) hadn't been returned on time, so I was stuck with a manual. Now, I can drive a stick, but the prospect of my dumb American ass driving a *left-handed stick*, sitting on the "wrong" side of the car, and driving on the "wrong" side of the road, was a little daunting. Nevertheless, I made it work, once I remembered how to put the thing in reverse. After checking into my hotel in Inverness, I drove straight to Eilean Donan, about two hours away. It's a captivating sight from the road, and continues to improve as you draw closer. I parked, purchased my ticket, and crossed the bridge to the castle grounds. Pictures within are prohibited, so I respected their wishes, but I can attest that the interior contains a fascinating museum of Scottish and Jacobite history, a window into Highlander clan life, with a simultaneously military and warm and cozy aesthetic. You'll be transported to another time, filled with strife and struggle, flanked on all sides by pictures of long-dead soldiers, weapons and artifacts, and yet at the same time, be overcome with a strong desire to curl up next to the fireplace and absorb the history that surrounds you. It's a truly magnificent place, and the experience is not to be missed! Once you've explored the interior, the outer grounds are available for further exploration. Clambering stony stairwells, or walking the ramparts, gazing out of Loch Duich, it's easy to see why this castle was as prized for its beauty as it was for its strategic, defensible location. It may have been nearly razed to the grounds a few centuries ago, but the rebuilding and restoration of this monument was money well spent! I stopped in the cafe for a quick bite, purchased a couple souvenirs, then headed back to the car to continue on to my next tourist stop. However, on my return drive to Inverness, I passed by Eilean Donan again at sunset, and was once again compelled to stop and take dozens of pictures. The walls are illuminated at night, and are particularly photogenic in the twilight hours, with the setting sun behind it. Any photographer worth his salt will not want to miss such a picturesque opportunity. There's a good reason Eilian Donan is the most photographed castle in Scotland (maybe the UK?), but the castle is more than just a pretty face. It is rich in history, steeped in tradition, and cared for by loving hands with a strong desire to preserve the heritage of Highland culture, and this castle is one of their crowning jewels. Along with Glencoe, this is one of the absolute must-see places in all of Scotland!

This business should be avoided at all cost! The owner is rude and has no customer service skills…read more I was ready to purchase before I was told you cannot touch anything. How can I spend 300-400 GBP without touching the blanket? Are her products that undesirable that you cannot touch because she fears you will not buy? Should I also mention, she is not local??? The artisans she claims to represent should demand their products back!

Dear Leslie Eileen Foale (owner and proprietor),…read more My wife and I visited your shop today while we were shopping in Portree. We were in the market for some Scottish attire made by Scottish artisans out of Scottish wool. When we began traveling years ago, we decided that it would be meaningful to us to have something made by the people in that country from materials in that country. We thought we might find something to meet this criteria when we saw some clothing in your window display. The only thing that made us doubt whether we should come in the shop was the sign out front that read, "Textile Gallery." Upon entering you greeted us curtly as if we were interrupting you (although there was nobody else in the shop) and told us that if we wanted to see the gallery, my wife would have to leave her cup of coffee on your desk. I asked, "We aren't here to see a gallery, we're here to purchase some Scottish attire for my wife." Despite having a professional practice in art for 25 years, a Masters of Fine Arts (MFA) and teaching art as a professor at a university in California, I clearly didn't understand that you considered your shop the art gallery. You then began to give my wife and I a lecture even though I begged your pardon and communicated to you that there had been a misunderstanding on my part regarding the term "gallery." You told us both, that, "if we just wanted to look at 'pictures' there was a gallery down the street." In my experience with art and artists, a true patron dedicated to the arts would never call an other artists' work "pictures." Calling an art gallery a place to view pictures is not only demeaning to artists but to your neighbors down the street who own the gallery. However, I understand the lack of knowledge as you've recently left a career in finance and banking and anointed yourself an artist in 2017. Your comments about art sound like something a banker would have said but would have never been uttered by a true artist. In a banker's mind, becoming an artist is something procedural that can be achieved by learning the formula. As a working artist myself, our humility comes from our fallibility. And our imperfection is the art. I held my wife's coffee and stood by the door while she perused the clothing. After a couple of minutes you turned to me and told me I should set the coffee on your desk if I'd like to look. My response to you was that I preferred to stand by the door at this point. I felt unwelcome in your shop and no longer felt the desire to engage any more than I had to. As my wife continued to look, you directed her toward your own cashmere designs. This was after we'd repeatedly stated that we were looking for Scottish craftmanship, Scottish artisans and Scottish wool. You Leslie, are not Scottish. You are an American who has devoted her life to banking and finance (per LinkedIn). In an interview published online on the site Textile Scotland, you were asked your favorite thing about your job. You responded, "A favourite aspect of my new career is creating happy moments for others. You see that sparkle in the customer's eye or hear that wee giggle they can't manage to contain because the textile they just saw makes them feel so happy." Out of the 4 reviews on TripAdvisor, 2 of them (or 50%) used terms like "berated," "bizarre," "rude," "hostile," and "admonishing." Out of the 5 reviews on Google, 2 of them (or 40%) used terms like "lecture," didn't feel welcome," "assistance in excess." Out of the 3 reviews on Yelp, 2 of them (or 66%) used terms like "pretentious," "obnoxious," "non-welcoming," "no customer service," "our only negative shopping experience in Scotland," "put out by customers," and "abrasive." With your education in finance and business, you are aware these numbers are not ideal and possibly speak to a problem in your public-facing interactions. In addition, your responses to these critiques was as robotic as an out-of-office email. They lack authenticity and humility. "Thank you for your feedback. We will keep that in mind going forward." Leslie, based on our interaction today, it doesn't seem like you kept in mind any of what previous reviewers shared with you. If your goal is to create "happy moments for others," listening to feedback from your clients is crucial. After I finish my review, you will have created awful moments for a majority of reviewers. The sparkle with which we enter your lovely shop is extinguished by your antagonistic attitude. You are standing in your own way. Your merchandise would literally sell itself but clients will often reject this when they are offended, demeaned and lectured. Nobody is giggling, Leslie. In our first trip to Scotland we found the Scotts to be warm, welcoming, humble, and kind people. I don't know how you could live among such lovely humans and not have some of their characteristics wear off on you. Hopefully, there is still time.

This has always been a great little shop near the ferry pier which is worth a browse even if it is…read moreto say hello to the parrots that are usually in. The current owners now also sell their own unique photos under the brand of Grumpy George. These are mostly local landscapes, but they also do commissions.

Like 99.9% of the visitors, I arrived here because of the Jacobite. I didn't actually take the…read moreJacobite itself but just the regular Scotrail, which runs the same route without the fancy decor and at a fraction of the cost. The Scotrail's schedule allowed us to photo the Jacobite going over the aquaduct, which we chose over sitting inside the train. I don't usually write reviews of souvenir shops, but make an exception for this one because the lady there was so nice. She was almost like a welcome center agent, answering our questions and trying her best to help us. Which made our short stay a lot more pleasant. Her place also has a lot of cute stuff for sale, including some stuffed toys of the highland cow, plus other delicious snacks and your usual souvenir gifts. Do stop by and check this place out!