Delighted to stumble upon this while our coach stopped for a break up to Loch Ness. John Muir lived…read morein my hometown, Martinez, California, so I know quite a bit about him. This center is lovely, the man at the desk nice, too. Just a bit of information, nature, prints, some things to buy. I hope in years to come there are more exhibits and naturey things in there.

Stopped in to this interesting exhibit while passing through, it is part of the John Muir Trust,…read moremission is to protect the natural Environment. Nicely presented, a welcome change from all the tacky tourist shops. Definitely worth a visit. They have a small assortment of interesting items for sale.

One of my favourite places to eat in town. The staff is incredibly friendly and the food is…read morewonderful. There is a 15% student discount and a 15% take away discount (one or the other) and it is so nice. The only thing that I'm not a fan of is the salad and coleslaw that is given with every meal and it's not the best. Other than that though I love this place and would recommend it to everyone.

This cafe in a converted church on the corner of Roseangle and Perth Rd is just lovely. It's…read morestaffed by volunteers, which gives it a relaxed, friendly vibe. The food is delicious and a really great combination of soup, salads, sandwiches and whatever the specials are. The decor is adorable - local artwork, vintage pieces - it's just a beautiful space and a lovely place for lunch. It also does dinner, but only on Saturdays as far as I could tell.

I bought my elderly mother a bracelet for Christmas from this gallery, she lives in Fife so we were…read moreup visiting. She couldn't manage the clasp on her own so she went in to ask if anything could be done. The staff very lovely to her and changed the clasp to a bigger easier one without charge and posted it straight back to my mothers house. It's nice to know that good customer service still exists out there!

From the owner: Artery Gallery is a leading Scottish art gallery based in St Andrews, Fife. We are aiming to make…read moreart more affordable by offering you the best in contemporary local and international art. We have our complete collection of paintings, jewellery, glass, pottery, metalwork and mixed media for sale on our website. Everything is hand-made and shipping is available to the UK, Europe, USA, Canada, and Australia and beyond!

The Makers was such a pleasant surprise, and having visited twice now, I'm definitely a fan. You…read morecan have lunch, or just tea or coffee with cake. But what's really unique about Makers is the lovely art and designs which surround you, all handcrafted by locals. I also noticed that they had furniture up-cycling classes recently, so it's great that they're trying to establish a creative community in Alloa. The service is really quite relaxed, if a little slow. The Makers is definitely not a quick-stop; it's a sit and chill for a few hours spot, which is just perfect if you're looking for a space to work in or for a meeting. (They have wifi!) The food is made fresh to order and I definitely found it to be worth that little bit of extra wait time. I had the panini from the specials board which was an avocado, sundried tomato and chicken delight with lovely salad and coleslaw on the side. Delicious and filling! Everything that adorns the walls and tables is for sale and it's all lovely. I particularly lusted after the silver jewellery in one of the cabinets. I do hope I can come back soon for a little shopping local indulgence. Makers, keep on making!

Popped in here for a coffee as I was early to pick up a cake from next door. Was my first time in…read morethe bistro and it was a pleasant surprise, what a lovely find! We had the scone/coffee deal for £3.95 a head. Scone was lovely and fresh and you had the choice of jam and cream or lemon curd. Both very tasty indeed coffees were also lovely and nice and hot! Staff were friendly too and the local handmade crafts for sale is a lovely touch will definitely be back to try their lunch menu and I'm sure I will be upgrading my review to a 5* :-)

Great stop on our way to Anstruther! Beautiful ocean view from the terrace…read more Charming cafe with friendly and quick service. We had a coffee and panini. Best part is still the view. Worth the stop

Just stopped for a latte and a scone. Although double the price of the scone I had at St Andrews…read morethe day before, it was 10 times better! Absolutely perfect. The location, view and ambiance of the Gallery was superb.

I was very impressed by this little shop/art gallery which sells a beautiful range of photo frames…read moreand greetings cards. The gallery at the back of the store displays the artwork. Now my knowledge of art basically extends to I know what I like and I know what I don't like. Some of the paintings in Rowan I liked, some I thought were a bit cheesy. The prices were not on the cheap side but I suppose you pay for good quality.

The Rowan Gallery is definitely hitting the upper crust of Helensburgh's card shop offerings…read more This is partly to do with the fact that it's not technically a gift shop - there is a large room towards the back of the store selling expensive original prints by local artists! The gift shop part is extremely diverse and sells some exquisite ornaments and housey bits and bobs to please someone on their birthday. A lot of the jewellery, prints and housewares are all on a Scottish theme, but would be an altogether higher class of souvenir should your purpose in the Rowan Gallery be to seek out one of those. They sell some unusual designs, including a Warhol esque print of a Tunnocks tea cake on bags and aprons. They look amazing and is a nice touch for locals and visitors alike. A lot of their jewellery displays are dedicated shrines to the local creative contingency and there are some nice, cheap prints of Scotland on offer amongst the scented candles and fancy piggy banks. But the real treat of the gallery is being able to wander unwatched through to the back room to have a look at the local artists. There are a number of them on display here and the names change frequently. You may be able to stumble upon some high profile stuff if you come in at an opportunistic time; or find a new artist to adore and potentially adorn your house with. The majority of the paintings are unaffordable for the average consumer but failing finding an affordable masterpiece, it's still refreshing to peruse the fresh, white washed gallery and maybe pick up a gift on your way out.

"You would have to be half mad to dream me up." - Alice in…read moreWonderland. There's a very good reason I felt like a mischievous gal fallen down the rabbit hole - this place has a touch of wonderland about it. As you can tell from my photos, I was not at all intrigued and barely found a hint to take a picture of (they really should have a dedicated sarcasm font don't you think?). Just a few weeks after arriving in Scotland, I hopped on a train for an overnight adventure. I wouldn't attempt this in a day - it's well worth a night's stay and that gives you a bit of time to wander through Pitlochry afterwards/before unrushed. The Enchanted Forest is a beautiful exhibit of light and music. I would definitely suggest you take a week day jaunt through and try for the latest booking time possible - less kiddies colliding about. Not that they were a bother, the ones that were on my tour time, but it was nice to have a less hectic crowd to wander through the lights with. That being said, if you have wee ones - this is a perfect evening out, as they have story huts and lots to keep little minds entertained. Definitely grab yourself a mulled wine and though you'll want to snap every moment imaginable, do take some time to get out from behind the camera and just watch. I had hoped there would be more aerial artists. The two that were there, were wonderful and it only made me wish there were more artists roaming in, up and around the trees. It would add a completely new element to the experience that would be pretty darn special. But what they've done so far is top notch. The blend of music and lights is exceptionally done and the walk is both exciting and contemplative. Well done Enchanted Forest - it takes quite the force to make me wax poetic confusion. I would love to get a behind the scenes peek at this installation - because it has to take an army to get all those lights up (and some sneaky generator work?). But it's efficiency, right down to the well choreographed bus transfers just makes it easier to get yourself lost in pretty, pretty lights. Go be Alice for an evening. It's well worth the adventure.

A yearly outdoor art installation of light and sound. This is held in a forest near Pitlochry,…read morewhich is in the Lower Highlands. We went as group and got tickets about a month before. Which is recommended as the evening we went was sold out. The organisation was tight and very efficient, buses left from the Fisher's Hotel every 10-15 minutes. The installation / presentation is a 10 minutes drive away from Pitlochry. In the bus you get a 'safety instruction' which is easy to follow and funny for children. On arrival you are greeted by a dark forest with many coloured lights in the tree crowns. Many balloons with neon flashers stuck in trees.. poor kids. Let's get this clear beforehand, it was a very wet, damp evening. The Enchanted forest was drenched. Alright, for true West Coasters this was no more than a persistent heavy drizzle, but it was WET. The theme this year was called 'absORB' and the light themes where just like that. The pathways are lit by small coloured orbs. We also got ourselves a couple diode balloons, which added to the magic effects. The route took us past many sound and light shows that are difficult to describe. All equally mesmerising and pretty. The main focus was a massive moon-like orb at the entrance. This was visible from all over the site. My personal favourites was the 'evolution' 3D light show projected on a rock face. This was very fluid and pretty. The other was the lake orbs. With the music it was a special showpiece which is reflected into the water of the central loch (lake) creating a mirror effect doubling the experience.. that was truly magical. I could have watched just that all evening. Then there was the (as we dubbed it) 'Dr Who' bridge, that looked like an infinity light speed entrance to another time & dimension. And a great opportunity to take some pictures that don't require night vision camera features. There are several toilets, resting places dotted around. If you do get lost the many stewards are able to guide you on your way. After a few rounds we were a little too wet and the rain was getting heavier. We went back to the bus queue, again fast and efficient. It was a good show and a great experience.

A new Art and Craft shop open in Kincardine O'neil. A Friendly family run business that sell their…read moreown picture cards and photography from the surrounding area. It also sells some very interesting and unique crafts by various artists. An interesting little shop well worth checking out if you are in the area.