Name: Kilmartin Museum
Rating: 5.0

Kilmartin Museum

Kilmartin Museum, Kilmartin, Lochgilphead, UK

1-90 Years

Paid

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Description

The Kilmartin Museum is a fascinating attraction that brings 12,000 years of history to life through engaging exhibits and artefacts. Located in Kilmartin, it sits at the heart of one of Scotland’s richest prehistoric landscapes. It offers a unique opportunity to explore ancient history in the very place it was discovered.

Visitors can explore galleries filled with prehistoric artefacts, including Beaker pottery, ancient tools, metalwork, and medieval sculptures. Activities include discovering over 800 nearby monuments in Kilmartin Glen, joining guided walks to sites like stone circles and cairns, and following self-guided trails through the landscape. The museum also features a shop, café, picnic area, and educational displays that connect visitors to Scotland’s ancient past.

Ticket prices are £16 for adults, £6 for children, £14 for concessions, and £34 for families.

The experience offers a rich journey through history, archaeology, and culture. With its combination of indoor exhibits and outdoor exploration, it provides both learning and adventure. It is a great place to discover ancient stories and explore one of Scotland’s most important historic landscapes.

Features

Paid
Host birthday parties: No

Features

Welcome to Kilmartin Museum, of one of the key attractions in Argyll and Bute on Scotland’s west coast. Kilmartin Glen is one of Scotland’s richest prehistoric landscapes with over 800 monuments within 6 miles of the museum!
We are the custodian of the artefacts that come from Kilmartin Glen and beyond, and our prehistoric collection has Nationally Significant status. We offer visitors of all ages a fascinating insight into the lives of our ancestors inhabiting the area across 12,000 years.
Come in and explore our galleries, browse our selection of locally sourced gifts, books and toys in our museum shop and then step outside to visit the landscape where the artefacts were used and found.
Walk through the prehistoric wonders of the Glen or book a guided walk as part of your visit to Kilmartin. Options for lunch include a covered picnic area outside, an onsite café and the Kilmartin Hotel opposite.
Located at the heart of an internationally important landscape on the west coast of Scotland, Kilmartin Museum cares for and displays fascinating ancient artefacts close to the sites where they were discovered.
Among our treasures are some of Scotland’s earliest examples of Beaker pottery, incredible quartz tools used to make mysterious prehistoric rock art, and stunningly crafted early metalwork.
In 2019, just over half of the 22,000 artefacts in our Collections were awarded Nationally Significant status by Museums Galleries Scotland and an independent panel of experts. A huge accolade of which we are very proud.
The exhibition features stunning objects loaned to us by National Museums Scotland, the British Museum, Historic Environment Scotland and Argyll and Bute Council.
They include beautiful Bronze Age jewellery, symbols of power from the age of the warrior kings of Dunadd, and intricately sculpted medieval crosses.
Together with the Museum's collections, these constitute one of the most comprehensive assemblages of ancient artefacts to be displayed in the landscape where they were found.

Facilities

Parking: Parking available.
Food & Drinks: The Glen Bistro Café is operated by an independent trader.
Toilets: There are accessible toilets and a baby change room.

What to see

Kilmartin Glen Guided Walks: The Kilmartin Glen Guided Walks are FREE and take place every Wednesday at 1:00pm, from 1st April to 21st October. On our volunteer-led Guided Glen Walks you will visit many of the amazing ancient sites in Kilmartin Glen, including the Linear Cairn Cemetery, Nether Largie South Chambered Cairn and Temple Wood Stone Circle. They are a fun and friendly way to discover what makes this landscape so special!
Self-Guided Trail: If you are planning to visit the Mid Argyll area and wondered what ‘treasures’ there are to see in this beautiful landscape, look no further as we have a self-guided trail which will take you on a journey of discovery and you will visit some of the most interesting locations in Mid Argyll.

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Price

Price: Paid

Price Details

Ticket

Child (ages 5 to 16): £6
Adult: £16
Concessions (students, over 65’s, travel by foot, bike or bus): £14
Family (2 adults + up to 4 children): £34

Pricing URL: https://www.kilmartin.org/

Birthday Parties

Offer Birthday Parties: No

We are open 7 days a week between 10.00am and 5.00pm.

Address: Kilmartin Museum, Kilmartin, Lochgilphead, UK

Post Code: PA31 8RQ

Council: Kilmartin

County: Argyll and Bute

By Car: We are delighted that our redeveloped Museum has extra parking capacity on site, with space for 39 cars in total, including 3 accessible parking spaces with improved access to the Museum building. However, with the evidence generated by the public consultation in 2017, we know that parking in the village is a key concern for its residents, and even with this increase in parking capacity we expect that during the busiest periods considerate parking will be needed to ensure safe travel around and through Kilmartin. As an alternative to parking at Kilmartin Museum it is possible to park at Carnasserie Castle and take a scenic walk from the Castle to Kilmartin. Or leave your vehicle at Lady Glassary car park and visit Temple Wood Stone Circle and the Linear Cemetery prior to arriving at the Museum. Both walks are approximately 1.5 miles each way and are mostly flat.
By Bus: There are public buses between Lochgilphead and Oban which pass through Kilmartin, but they are not frequent.