A lovely little pottery down on the bay in Cromarty. Lots of great pieces to take home and use…read more Lots of the pottery is made in glorious blues and greens that perfectly reflect the colours of the water in the bay. The pieces are made by a German lady, Bärbel Dister from Hamburg. We have a few mugs, a salt shaker and a lovely spoon rest from here and we always visit when we're in the area.

We found this place by accident last year, purchased a few quirky items (a mug, a spoon rest and an…read moreunusually shaped salt shaker, both in pretty greenish, blueish colour). I just fell in love with these luminous colours, that pick up the blues and greens in the Highlands that we admire so much every day. But of course there's plenty of colours to choose from. This pottery is the perfect thing for me to take home and to remind me of my beloved Scotland when I sit in my office in Hamburg, having a cuppa and wishing I were back in Scotland. Just HAD to come back this year for more! We bought some beautiful mugs, very reasonably priced, small mug £10, big ones £12, there were also huge ones for £17. There's a good choice of items, the owner often sells them in her shop herself. Had a look at the website before we went there this year and found out that Cromarty Pottery, originally opened in 1965, and probably is the oldest still operating in northern Scotland. It is now run by Bärbel Dister, who happens to be from Hamburg, like me lol. I am really suprised about the prices, I just love handmade pottery, and I have bought my fair share in both Scotland and Ireland, most were much pricier. If you consider it's all handmade, every piece is unique, and the colours are just so beautiful people don't mind spending 10-12 quid for a portion of fish'n'chips in a restaurant, but 12£ for a mug is too much? I really don't get it. We'll surely be back on our next holiday, we've agreed to phone in a few weeks before to get a few things in the colours we'd like, maybe even take a class if we can get together a group of 6-7 people.

Wonderful pottery store in Uig, I loved the work shown in front of the store, some of the glaze…read moretechniques I've never seen before. The colors are also amazing and I would call these the most minimal and universal of their work. Prices are reasonable for handmade goods like this, saw many people leaving with a range of souvenirs. In the back are more decorative pieces with landscapes and paintings on the ceramics but I loved the pieces done with only color and glaze experimentation. You can order online and I enjoyed some of the pink hue pieces as well as the "Uig Blue". The store also has some other local made gifts, many of which are unique to Uig. There are small ceramic sculptures and some knits to take home. If you go to the side of the store you can get to a small bay. We went at low-tide and there were all sorts of weird things washed up and decaying. Kids were having fun exploring and loved dragging me over to show me a dead bird.

Waiting for the ferry to Stornoway, I arrived early at the terminal and holding lanes on Wednesday…read more10 July 2019. Up for some exploring during the wait, I made my way on foot to the Ullapool Bookshop, which was a relatively short walk away. The interior was cozy with books well displayed. I went with a couple items including a picture and text heavy book on the castles of Scotland/United Kingdom. Prices were good.

This shop is so idillic for a harbour town book shop. Light and airy interior with a good side…read morestationary section, with some pretty hilarious cards I've not seen elsewhere. The book selection is quite extensive, ranging from history, natural world, satire, self help and fiction. Their fiction section was impressive, their display actually included two books I'm currently reading! Their titles felt new and fresh with a really eclectic range. I could have spent a lot more time and a lot more money there if i weren't trying to be good and we were on a tight schedule. The lady working at the shop was lovely, even making sure we were aware of the parody style of the little Ladybird Book The Hipster. Unfortunately it seems not every one had understood the nature of the books. The accept card payments and she was very accommodating to the four of us taking over shop and browsing. I strongly recommend a visit if you're in he area!

I think this shop is brilliant! I am passionate about the Fairtrade Movement, and so I think it's…read morereally good that Dornoch, having had Fairtrade status for a few years, now has a wonderful shop dedicated to selling fairly traded products and helping people work their way out of desperate situations and get themselves a decent standard of living. I can do almost all of my Christmas and general gift shopping there, because there's such a wide variety of stuff from all over the world. Of course, I can't resist all the yummy food, chocolate and sweeties either! :D The atmosphere is always friendly - indeed the door is often opened for you as you go in! They play a lot of world music which makes a great change from the mainstream stuff that one hears in many shops. You're sure to find something really different for presents or even just to treat yourself! Fantastic little shop and I hope to see more Simply The Best shops opening elsewhere in the future :D

From the owner: Proud supplier of the Good Feeling you get when you support Fair Trade…read more In 2005, Dornoch became the first Fairtrade Town in the Scottish Highlands. In 2009, Simply The Best opened their doors, becoming the first (and still the only) shop in Dornoch dedicated to Fair Trade. Show You Care - Buy Fair Trade...

What used to be a jail many years ago has been transformed to a suite of stores filled with small…read moregoods such as jewelry, kitchen goods, clothes, baby trinkets...etc. My favorite store was actually across from the main Jail Dornoch where I bought scottie dog doorstops. Of course I couldn't just buy one, it needed a buddy after all. I really just wanted to do a lift and drop of the store itself to the States since I wanted to buy everything.