In the afternoon of Monday 15 July 2019, I ventured to the Treasures Of The Earth museum. I had…read moregone to visit Glenfinnan Viaduct and found parking to be backed up about a mile, I even measured with my rental car's odometer, and decided I wanted to do something else while I waited for it to quiet down. I was staying in Fort William, so I made my way back towards my lodging and saw signs along the road for Treasures Of The Earth, so I decided to follow them and see if it was still open. The parking lot and building were easy to find. Parking spots were available, so I parked, and made my way to the entrance. It turned out the museum was open, so I paid the fee and explored the museum. As a geologist with a specialization in mineralogy, petrology, and volcanology, I found this museum to be super neat. Different exhibits showcased different physical properties of minerals as well as the environments in which they are found. In one area, there is a fountain that had coins on the bottom when I visited. My plush, Hedgy the Hedgehog, and I made a wish to travel to Ireland at the fountain and threw our coin in. Has not happened yet, but we still have hope. At the end of my museum journey I perused the gift shop. I found a number of items to purchase both for myself and for family members back in the United States of America. Prices for some of the mineral specimens on sale were amazing. All of the workers I interacted with were well-tempered and the workers as well as other patrons while I was there were well-mannered.

Great local history museum. It's housed in an old 16th century building. There's collections from…read morevarious stages of the area's history. It has several small buildings with pieces in them. Watch for the low, very low doors into some buildings.

We stayed in the Forester's Cottage and had a lovely time. We arrived to flowers and cookies,…read morecoffee, wine and milk in the fridge. Pleased to have a washer and dryer at this point in our trip. The beds are small but comfy. The grounds are gorgeous and we loved walking the trails and the wee lambs. Everyone we came across was friendly and helpful. Highly recommend for a visit to the castle, gardens, museum or a stay.

From the owner: Five star visitor attraction on the southern tip of the Isle of Skye. Magnificent gardens,…read morefascinating Museum, romantic castle ruin, cafe and shop. Discover the history of the Highlands and Islands through the eyes of Clan Donald, Scotland's largest and most powerful clan.

So - in my opinion, plan your visit here solely for the 1700 Scottish village experience and DO NOT…read moreplan this as a place to eat lunch!! The tearoom is super basic, just 6 diff types of indifferent sandwiches like tuna, BLT, egg, prawn etc and a soup (which was tomato basil on the day we were there and was hearty and quite delicious). There are also a good variety of drinks but that is it! Apart from the soup, everything else is cold and the dessert quality was quite indifferent too (specifically the lemon curd cake - would not get this from here). That being said, the actual experience of walking thru the village and seeing first hand how people lived in the Scottish highlands from 1700s onwards was quite revealing. We were lucky to visit on a day the re- thatching of the grass roof on one of the huts was happening and the peat fire was on, so could ask a lot of questions from the re-enactors. Breathing in the peat fire was an especially eye opening experience as I realized first hand how breathing in that heavy carbon filled air in that enclosed space would have contributed to an average life expectancy of around 35 years (never mind if you were asthmatic!). I also loved the gypsy encampment and the tradesmen shops from the 1930s thru to the 50s. Apparently the shops were moved here and so they are not just recreations. There's also video and or audio-visual presentation that create an interactive visit, and for the latter, just look for big buttons to press on the wall while the videos run in a continuous loop. Oh also because it's a fairly big outdoor museum, there is a £1 donation which gets you in a truck which drives you around, so check timings for that if you have a limited time. I def enjoyed my visit, but will eat in town or elsewhere before coming here again.

Wonderful place to visit. The displays are interesting. The docents are friendly and informative. A…read moregreat place to spend 3 or 4 hours. The cafe on site has a selection of sandwiches and a soup of the day; I had a bowl of tomato basil soup with a hummus/ tomato sandwich; delicious. My friend had one of the dessert selections; carrot cake, bar cookie, lemon muffin.

We didn't go in or get up close to this majestic structure, but that didn't mean we didn't admire…read moreit any less. The view of this castle from across the loch is breathtaking. It sums up the beauty and majesty of Scotland in one spectacular vista.

It was quite a cold, rainy day when we arrived. We almost missed the unpaved road leading to the…read moresmall parking lot. The short road and the lot were pretty soaked and had lots of potholes filled with water, sharps stones too. Go slow if you have a low car. We found a parking lot quickly, since there werent' many visitors that day (we wondered if it's got always so few tourists) . A small sign leads you to the castle. You can see it from far away. It's an amazing sight and the weather on that day made it look very mystical and atmospheric. The location at / on the Loch Awe adds to the perfect Castle experience (be sure not to miss out on Loch Awe itself). It's still quite untouched and almost fully accessable. It's interesting that this castle hasn't been made yet into a tourist-filled money machine. But that's a good thing! The only thing I'm a bit worried about is the castles condition. Since it's quite fully accessable it might get some serious damage sooner or later, which would be a shame. Be a bit careful, so it can be enjoyed for many many more years and generations. On the way back the sun broke out a bit and that made some more amazing pics. It might look good on a fully sunny day. But for us it did look perfect on that cold and misty afternoon.

Good wee place to kill some time, loads of information about the history of Oban. There's some…read moregreat postcards consisting of vintage adverts for brands such as Camp Coffee which would look lovely in a trendy Ikea picture frame.

A landmark building for the Clan, and unfortunately no intact structures are still standing. We…read morewere glad to be able to visit, and peruse the grounds.

Did you know, supermodel, Elle McPherson and Newt Gingrich are part of the McPherson clan? Well now…read moreyou do! Adorable place with a ton of history about the McPherson Clan. The mini self guided tour starts with a 10 minute video. The staff were friendly and happy to answer our questions, talk about the culture, details about clothing, famous people, etc. Also, they have relics from the 1400's. Best of all it's free!!

Oh my goodness, Neil and his dogs are going to be one of those unforgettable memories of our trip…read moreto Scotland. Neil is a magician with his dogs and sheep. Oh how I wish I could have spent the day shadowing him. Amazed that 6 wk old pups are already following Neil's commands. Watching his dogs herd the sheep is amazing, I even got to help shear a very calm sheep. If you get the chance to see Neil and his working sheep dogs don't miss it. So work the cost. Thank you Neil.

Amazing demonstration. A must do in Scotland. Neal is a true professional and it is incredible to…read morewatch.