📌 Bettyhill, Highland
★★
Strathnaver Museum tells the story of Highland Clearances – the eviction of tenants across the Highlands and Islands to make way for sheep farming in the 1700s and 1800s. The clearances in the Sutherland region were particularly ruthless, and Strathnaver was one of the most affected areas; this fertile valley used to be home to thousands of people spread across dozens of settlements; today, most of the strath is nearly uninhabited. The museum’s location – in Bettyhill’s former parish church – is poignant: eviction notices were read out from the pulpit of this very church. When we visited several years ago, the museum was a fascinating but rather messy place, but there has since been a major refurbishment for 2023. In the church graveyard stands the Farr Stone – a finely carved Pictish stone dating to the early 9th century – while Farr Bay is a short walk through the dunes to the north.
🌍 Location
📌 Just off the A836, Clachan, Bettyhill
🧭 O.S. Grid Reference: NC 714623
🛰️ GPS coordinates: 58.529356,-4.209378
🚌 Infrequent bus stops at Tourist Information Centre
🚗 Car parks on north & south sides
📝 Key info
⌚ Monday to Saturday, April to October; Wednesday to Friday in March & possibly also November to mid December
🎫 £5 adult / free for children
