Crafts & Things

The sign for Crafts & Things sits right on the main road through Ballachulish, impossible to miss as you're heading towards Glencoe. It's a proper working craft space rather than a tourist trap - the kind of place where you can actually watch people making things instead of just buying pre-made trinkets.

Inside, you'll find local artisans at their benches: potters at wheels, jewellers bent over their work, textile makers with looms going. The stock changes depending on who's in and what they're currently producing, so there's genuine unpredictability to a visit. Some days it's absolutely buzzing with activity; other times you might catch just one or two makers. It's free to browse, though prices for finished pieces sit firmly in the quality-not-cheap bracket.

Really best suited to adults who enjoy watching craft techniques up close or those hunting for something genuinely individual. Kids might manage 20 minutes max unless they're already into making things themselves. Allow 30 to 45 minutes if you're genuinely interested; 10 minutes if you're just after a quick look.

If you're camped at Invercoe - barely half a mile away - it's an easy potter between exploring Glencoe and sitting by the loch. Red Squirrel Campsite is only a mile and a half further, making this convenient for a rainy afternoon when the mountains are socked in. The real advantage here is it gives you a sense of what's being made locally, not what some mass-producer thinks Highland tourists want to buy.