This was our first stop when we explored Kirkwall. Such friendly, helpful staff, and a great…read moreselection of varied supplies. I bought gorgeous local yarn, both cashmere and merino. Such a great find!

This is a really nice shop - packed with a huge amount of stuff. There's gifts galore - jewellery,…read moreceramics, CDs, books,, ornaments . In fact the biggest drawback is that there is so much stuff - and all packed into a relatively small space - that it's quite hard to take in. Also, because of this I would say it's not a great shop to visit with small children - and probably not wheelchair friendly either. Through the back of the shop if the gallery - which again is very small, but always has some lovely work on display. The gallery hosts different exhibitions throughout the year - which range from woodwork to ceramics, glass, photography and paintings. There's definitely something for everyone here - if you can find it

There aren't a great deal of retail services on the island of Rousay - it seemed to be mainly this…read moreplace and the Pier Inn in the harbour area, so it was a pleasant surprise to find this enterprising community-run business selling locally-made craft goods. They have a great selection of cards, prints, knitwear, funky hats, pottery, hand-carved wooden things including buttons, animal toys and spirtles (I just wanted to use that word - look it up!). And they will provide coffee and biscuits to weary travellers for a quid! OK, it's not brilliant coffee, but on a windy Orcadian day anything that's hot and wet is welcome. It's a really nice airy, light-filled space that shows off the wares to best advantage, and during the summer they run regular workshops and demonstrations for the community and visitors, allowing them to learn about the traditional skills of the islands. My favourite quirky purchase was a 'midge magnet', which is just that - a drop of resin with a magnetic back, containing a couple of examples of the dreaded Highland midge. The Crafthub is tucked down a lane just as you are leaving the harbour and could possibly do with a bit more of a street presence as it's easy to miss their sign if you're driving; but if you leave your vehicle at the pier-head, it's only a very short walk up the hill to find it. That is actually a better option anyway than trying to park outside the shop as space in the lane is a little limited. A great support facility for the islanders here, and I bet it gets very busy in the tourist season. Definitely worth checking out if you're making the trip to Rousay.