The ruins of Armadale Castle

Just north of the Armadale ferry terminal in Sleat is the Clan Donald Centre. Here can be found forty acres of gardens surrounding the ruins of Armadale Castle, a selection of waymarked walks and nature trails, and the excellent Museum of the Isles.

The museum is small, modern, simple and very effective. There is no sense of a building full of whatever old stuff is to hand. Instead, it is a well organised chronology of the islands of the west of Scotland, from Viking times to the present day. Unless you are a real expert on the history of this area, you can learn a lot - some of it surprising.

Ornamental pond in the Castle Gardens

The gardens are well looked after in an unfussy way, and take full advantage of the mild climate to grow a selection of trees and shrubs from around the world.

 There is a restaurant and a gift shop on site too, but you may find better down at the pier.