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Monday 10am - 5pm Tuesday 10am - 5pm Wednesday 10am - 5pm Thursday 10am - 5pm Friday 10am - 5pm Saturday 10am - 5pm

Strathnaver Museum

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Come and discover the vibrant culture and heritage of north Sutherland. What3Words: ///importers.creamed.sitting

Strathnaver Museum is the Museum of the Clearances and tells this fascinating and at times brutal story within the wider perspective of our cultural and social history. The Museum holds a diverse range of objects depicting life in the north Highlands from prehistoric to more modern times. Within the Museum you can discover the Bronze Age burial beaker unearthed by a Highland Council roadcrew in 1981 and marvel at the tools our ancestors used to work their land in order to feed their families. Just outside the Museum you can also see the impressive and elaborately designed Pictish Farr Stone dated from around 800 to 850AD. On the second floor of the Museum you will find the Clan Mackay Room which is full of fascinating artefacts including a very special chanter. The Museum is housed within the former Parish Church of St Columba at Clachan in Bettyhill which is notable in its own right and is listed by Historic Scotland for its regional architectural importance. The museum also holds an interesting and varied archive of books, manuscripts and recorded oral histories which is valuable for genealogical and academic researchers. We also regularly stage special events and exhibitions to keep up to date why not sign up to our newsletter or keep an eye out for our event listings.

15/10/2026

For this we've a personal story from a man called Bruce Thomas from New Zealand, who recently got in touch with us to share some photos, memories and information about his father Ray Thomas. 🇳🇿

Bruce was born in 1949 and always asked his father as he got older, what he did in the war… Ray Thomas was in the Royal New Zealand Air Force and was a Radar Technician stationed at Sango during World War Two. He did his training in Canada first and then was sent to the UK and spent the whole period between 1939 to 1945 in the UK. Ray then returned to NZ when the war ended.

Bruce’s sister sent him some photos taken by his father when he was at Sango. The landscape photo shows all the Radar towers and buildings. Bruce was surprised that some of the buildings are still there… The other photo includes Ray himself when he was on leave in London. He is on the right.

Bruce knew his father travelled around many of the Radar Stations and remembers him talking a lot about being at Sango, that he was stationed there for a reasonable amount of time and his main memory being he got to see 'The Glen Miller Band'.
Bruce’s father and mother have passed away now so these photos are very precious and an important connection to this part of their past.

Was Ray the only Kiwi at Sango during the war? 🤔

14/10/2026

We're thrilled to share that we'll be hosting the Species on the Edge art exhibition at the end of November 2026 here at Strathnaver Museum! 🏛️🎨🐝

Put the dates and times in your diary and make a plan to come visit us to see it. 📅

Keep an eye on our socials for more information in the coming weeks. 👀 Species on the Edge

12/10/2026

Can you help us with a recent genealogical request? 👪🌳

We are trying to find any living descendants of Alexander and Johan Mackay who lived at Sangobeg in Durness in the early 1900s.
Alexander Mackay (born c1850- died 1913) Johan (nee Mackay) (born c1856 -died 1919).
Issue:
John Pope Mackay, born 1880.
Jessie Mackay, born 1884.
Redpathina Mackay, born 1889.
George Mackay, born 1899.
Johan Mackay, born 1899.
In the 1901 census a nephew, James Mennie born in 1890, was living with the family.

If you are related to any of these people and wish to make contact with Susan from New Zealand or know of them please contact us here at Strathnaver Museum via [email protected] or [email protected] 📧

Thank you in advance and feel free to share far and wide!

11/10/2026

Have you explored the Highland Pictish Trail yet? Other than The Farr Stone located on our site, there are others nearby that you could seek out whilst on a visit to us... like The Red Priest’s Stone or Clach an t-Sagairt Ruaidh. 🟥✝️🪨

This is a stone with a cross deeply incised on its northern face. Perhaps not that much to look at but it is associated with Maol Ruadh – the Red Priest (St Maelrubha), an early Christian missionary from Ireland – who died in 722AD and who is said to have established a chapel at Skail. It is linked with various stories giving fascinating glimpses into the history of Strathnaver and the wider area.

For instance, one story says that the Church of St Columba at Bettyhill (now our main museum building) was built with stones from a ruined chapel at Skail. It would have required huge effort to carry the stones on foot for more than twelve miles, and, if the tale is true, it suggests that the chapel of the Red Priest at Skail was a place of great veneration.

Highland Pictish Trail website is a wonderful resource where you can see Pictish stones located on a map and any accompanying museums/heritage organisations that share the history of the Picts. Read more about The Red Priest's Stone as well as it's location and accessibility information on the Highland Pictish Trail website.

📷 Image credit: Highland Pictish Trail

08/10/2026

Our team were delighted reading this wonderful, recent review on Google about our museum. ☺️⭐
Do you have a minute to spare? If you've visited us this season then please do take the time to review us on Google or Tripadvisor and share your experiences. 💭
It really helps us attract new audiences and as an independent charity, every little helps! 🏛️

05/10/2026

Taken last Thursday 1st October, Farr Bay looked utterly spectacular! 😍 We love crisp, fresh and bright autumn days. ⛅ Remember we've got this right on our doorstep and we're open 10am-5pm Mon-Sat. 🌊🏛️

03/10/2026

Today is 🏛️🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿and the Scottish Museums Federation have organised a campaign to show off how interesting, important and unique Scotland's collections are. 🔤

We chose 'W'... not for wh**ky, witch or watch, but for... WHIP!

Sometimes called a fly whisk, this horsehair whip would have been used to swat flies. The term horsehair refers to the manes of the animal, as well as the tails which can grow very long. Horsehair has been used throughout history for a range of purposes, with some unusual uses including in bows for violins, to make jewellery, and in fishing. In the early 1900s, it was even used for suturing during surgery. Horsehair is a versatile and valuable natural material because as well as being fine and supple, it is also strong. This fly whip or whisk may have been very useful in a Highland home, especially in midge season! 🐎🦟

02/10/2026

🎊 Some exciting news to share for the weekend!! 🎊

🎙️ Our podcast ‘Highlands Reimagined’ is a finalist in two categories at the Independent Podcast Awards! The ceremony will be on Wednesday 4th November, at Kings Place in Kings Cross, London. The podcast was commissioned by us, is produced by Anya Media and published in partnership with the Wild for Scotland podcast.

The ‘Highlands Reimagined’ podcast explores why young people leave northwest Sutherland and what will encourage them to build their futures in the region. It features interviews with students from Farr High School, local entrepreneurs and remote workers across three thirty-minute episodes.

🏛️ Using objects in the museum collection the young people explore the age-old problem of Highland depopulation and outward economic migration. Through interviews with national and regional representatives from government, agencies and community organisations the young people discuss their hopes and fears for their future as part of their Highland community.

The podcast emerged from Will Sadler’s successful 2024 Artist in Residence project where he used objects in the museum collection to explore issues relevant to Highland communities today. The Artist Residency Programme has been part funded by Museums Galleries Scotland, The William Syson Foundation, the Children’s and Young People’s Mental Health and Wellbeing Fund, and has received £5,755 from the UK Government through the UK Shared Prosperity Fund.

🎧 You can listen to ‘Highlands Reimagined’ on your favourite podcast streaming service by searching for ‘Highlands Reimagined’. So if you haven't done so already, take this as your reminder to listen to it soon!

Visitors to our Museum can browse the ‘Highlands Reimagined’ digital kiosk at the onsite. The kiosk features questions for visitors to explore which link to objects in the museum collection and listen to extracts from the ‘Highlands Reimagined’ podcast.

28/09/2026

Scottish Archaeology Month is still ongoing and for our post we thought we'd tie into it with our Chealamy Beaker. 🏺⛏️🔍

This decorated beaker, dating from the period 2,900 to 1,600 BCE, is a fine example of a late Neolithic or early Bronze Age ceramic pot. This style originated in Iberia, modern day Spain and Portugal, and was brough to Britain in the late Neolithic period about 4,400 years ago.

It was excavated in 1983 from a burial cist, a small stone-built coffin-like structure at Chealamy in Strathnaver. The beaker was found alongside the remains of a human skeleton, suggesting it may be ‘grave goods’. Grave goods were objects of significance to the departed. This practice of burying them was present in many cultures and provides archaeologists vital clues to help us understand past peoples.

27/09/2026

It's today. 🏖️⛰️🚐
What do you think brings tourists to Bettyhill? Views like this probably! 🌅😍

Address

Clachan
Bettyhill
KW147SS

Opening Hours

Monday	10am - 5pm
Tuesday	10am - 5pm
Wednesday	10am - 5pm
Thursday	10am - 5pm
Friday	10am - 5pm
Saturday	10am - 5pm

Telephone

+441641521418

Website

http://www.strathnavermuseum.org.uk/

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