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!

Blythswood book shop is a very small bookshop located just off the main street in Stornoway. It is…read moreat the top of a cobbled street (along from the great chip shop). It is small but full of books of all varieties. I really like coming to this shop. It is quite amazing what you can find in there! Sometimes relatively recent books to older book you have always wanted to read but struggled to find a copy of! Their books are affordable and it's not uncommon to leave with an arm full. There is usually only one member of staff on when you go in as it's a pretty quiet shop but he/she is friendly and often up for a yarn when you go in. If visiting it cold be worth a look to see what gem you may find!

Maclean, Mair Nicolson and Co, more commonly known as Nicolson's to locals is one of two newsagents…read morefound in the centre of town. They are the smaller of the two but stock much more magazines. They have an entire wall filled with magazines of all kinds music, fashion, cars, knitting, pregnancy etc. I've found I can usually find the magazine I'm looking for here when the other newsagents doesn't stock it. They also have the daily newspapers. They also have shelves full of puzzle books like sudoku and crosswords, local magazines from Comunn Eachdraidh's, fios etc. To the back of the shop is a section for stationary, cards, gift wrap and pens. An added bonus since Woolies closed down. They have a selection of confectionary, soft drinks and a fridge with sandwiches as well. So many times when you go in here for a paper you come out with much more!

Nicolsons is a great little local newsagents…read more They stock a wide variety of magazines and newspapers from national to local along with soft drinks, filled rolls and sandwiches, sweets and tobacco. You can order your newspapers and magazines here to make sure you get them everyday. They also have a great selection of stationary, party stuff like balloons and crepe paper, diaries and notebooks and a fab selection of greetings cards at very reasonable prices. Staff are always very helpful and friendly. The only downside to the shop is that it's quite small so can sometimes feel a tad claustrophobic

The Bethesda Charity shop is one of several charity shops in Stornoway. This is by far the biggest…read morewith 2 floors filled with items. When you walk in you are greeted to a whole wall of shelves filled with books, tables of trinkets and cheery staff. There is a second room which again is filled with more stuff and then up the stairs is where all the furniture is kept tables, sofas, chairs! For people who have larger items to donate they have a van which can pick up items in the Stornoway area. They are open Monday to Friday 10 4pm last time I checked. It's the place to go for people looking for bargains, you are bound to find some gem in this shop!

My favourite charity shop by far!…read more Due to it being completely overcrowded and some items being there for quite some time there's a rather random smell when you go it but you get used to it and it's well worth putting up with A paperback book is just 40p and you quite often pick up some random and obscure items for a great price. They sell everything apart from clothes - Small household and bedding items, to suitcases and breadmakers up to larger items of furniture and electrical equipment. Nearly all the staff are voluntary (apart from the shop manageress) and are really friendly and chatty. Open Monday to Saturday until 5 most days (not sure about Saturday) For larger items and Household clearances they provide a free collection service, days and times for areas depend on where the van is bound for at the time. Donations are always welcome. Proceeds from this charity shop stay locally and go towards the Bethesda Nursing Home and Hospice which is a great local cause and in constant need of funds as the Hospice is only 50% funded.

Campbell's filling station is hidden away from the other petrol stations in the town, just ask…read moresomeone local to point you the right way. Their fuel prices are always 1penny dearer per litre than engies so I don't get petrol here that often. They also have a wide range of sweets, crisps and lunch snacks like rolls and pies, fishing tackle, a small selection of household items and tinned goods and a rage of magazines and newspapers. They also have pay machines for washing your car and an air pump for tyre inflating. As the other fuel stations in the town have been refurbished more recently this one feels grubbier, the forecourt is rather bumpy! But staff are friendly and helpful.

We visited The Celtic Clothing shop in 2016. It was simply wonderful!!…read more The Hebrides Jewerly we bought was beautiful! We loved the Braveheart Bears we got for our friends little girls:) It is a wonderful shop that reflexs the kindness of the Scottish people. The owners even invited us to there home to see how the Harris Tweed was woven. How great was that!

Celtic Clothing in Stornoway is the place to go if you want to hire a Kilt for a function…read more Helpful, friendly staff who take time and great care to ensure you get what you're looking for. Wide range of tartans and sizes are available for hire along with a wide variety of accessories, all for a reasonable price (for kilt hire!) It's a must to book a fitting and kilt hire in plenty of time though to ensure you get what you're looking for as they can get really busy, especially when there are big Island weddings and special occasions like the school 6th year dinner dance. If you're looking to splash out then you can have a custom kilt handmade to your exact request by an experienced kiltmaker. They also have for sale a small selection of ladies jewellery and tweed accessories available, along with clan crest cufflinks and kilt pins, hip flasks, ties and so on.

Hebridean (not Heeridean) Jewellery is a lovely shop. It is located on the main street in the town…read morecentre. The windows have a beautiful display of their jewellery with much more inside. Some items are a bit expensive but the pieces are stunning. All are sterling silver with various stones or celtic designs on them. They are also a book shop and stock hundreds of books. A lot are local books, gaelic books but they also have lots of others crafting, fiction, autobiographies etc. The staff are friendly and the shop itself is always clean and fresh and well laid out so you don't tend to bump into other customers when in there. It is well worth going in here when in the town.

The Save the Children shop in stornoway is a great wee example of a charity shop…read more The volunteer staff are always friendly and helpful and though the shop is one of the smaller ones in the town there's always a great variety of stuff. They sell mainly clothes and soft furnishings but also have a selection of books and kids toys and other knick knacks. You can also buy a variety of brand new goods including a great rage of wrapping paper and greetings cards, small gifts and a great selection of small kids toys. The shop is bright, clean and airy, always a pleasure to visit.