Museum nan Eilean

📌 Stornoway, Isle of Lewis
★★★

The Museum nan Eilean (island museum) opened in 2016 and gives a superb introduction to the unique culture, history and scenery of the Western Isles. Rich in both artefacts and information, displays are split across just a couple of large rooms and cover everything from individual island lives to the large-scale drowned landscapes of the Uists (which have a much smaller outpost of the museum on Benbecula). Highlights include the fascinating Lewis Chessman (on long-term loan here), and the rocket fired to Scarp in an experimental attempt to deliver mail. There was also a fairly interesting temporary exhibition about silver on our visit. The high-tech displays contrast with the Victorian grandeur of Lews Castle – the impressive building to which the museum is attached. The castle itself is now mostly given over to luxury accommodation, but you can still wander the ground floor corridors, peer into a few public rooms and visit the cafe. The whole place is very smart indeed: this is possibly the best place on Lewis to be if it’s raining, though the grounds are well worth exploring if it’s not.