7 amazing reasons to visit Kilmartin Museum

This newly refurbished Scottish museum tells the stories of our ancient past through everything from stone circles to mysterious cave carvings

An exterior view of the new-look Kilmartin Museum 

Where can you find the museum?

This Scottish gem sits in a spectacular setting in the village of the same name, within the natural surrounds of Kilmartin Glen. The landscape is steeped in its prehistoric past, with over 800 monuments, including standing stones and beautiful rock carvings. The museum is four miles north of Lochgilphead and 30 miles south of Oban, with easiest access by car (although there are infrequent buses). For keen cyclists, the Sustrans Cycle Route 78 passes close by. 

4,500-year-old Beaker pottery found in Upper Largie. Image: Kilmartin Museum 

Why should you visit?

The museum has just undergone a dazzling £7m refurbishment, linking the two existing buildings and increasing the exhibition space. The collection focuses on the rich ancestral history of the immediate area and beyond, including some of Scotland’s earliest examples of Beaker pottery, quartz tools used to carve prehistoric rock art and Bronze Age metalwork. Special loans from institutions such as National Museums Scotland and the British Museum further enrich this 12,000-year survey to present one of the most comprehensive displays of ancient artefacts in the UK. 

A moment in artist Lizzie Rose’s project, Carbon Legacy

Which exhibits are a must-see?

Local artist Lizzie Rose was commissioned to create a new project that recalls the nearby Neolithic Cursus Monument, c.3,600 BC. Our ancestors created the monument 5,500 years ago by cutting down 375 oak trees, re-erecting and then ritualistically burning them. Rose’s exhibition, titled Carbon Legacy, considers the moment at which humans began to manipulate the landscape and the environmental impact of our species. As a key part of the exhibition, the museum has worked with Creative Scotland to grow 400 oak tree seedlings, which will now be planted as a living monument to the Cursus Monument site. Open until spring 2024.

The museum sits in a spectacular setting. Image: Kilmartin Museum 

What’s on this month?

Kilmartin offers an array of free online talks led by experts across the field of history and archaeology. You can watch previous editions via their YouTube channel, and keep an eye on their website for upcoming lectures.

Inspiration for today’s artists: prehistoric rock art at Ormaig. Image: Kilmartin Museum 

Any artistic connections? 

To commemorate its reopening, the museum has commissioned four local artists to produce new works for the collection. These include Margaret Ker, whose paintings are inspired by ancient rock carvings near Achnabreck; Louise Oppenheimer, whose textiles are inspired by the heritage of nearby Argyll; Jae Ferguson, who makes clay and charcoal pieces; and Alice Strange, who creates experimental pieces and whose practice spans printmaking, painting, mosaic and weaving. 

Follow the trail to the Temple Wood Stone Circle. Image: Kilmartin Museum 

Make a day of it!

Make use of the museum’s guidebook and set off on a trail of the incredible monuments found nearby. A self-guided map is also available online, laying out excursions to the Nether Largie Standing Stones, the Temple Wood Stone Circle and many more. The Moine Mhòr National Nature Reserve is particularly regarded as an excellent wildlife habitat, acting as a home to multiple species of dragonflies and butterflies, as well as hen harriers. 

Here’s a fun fact…

In 2021, a series of cave carvings were discovered hidden inside Dunchraigaig Cairn in Kilmartin Glen. The depictions of red deer, with impressive antlers, are the earliest known animal carvings in Scotland, and are thought to be between 4,000 and 5,000 years old. 

Find out more at kilmartin.org

Going local 

Do you live close by – then why not join the local Arts Society?

The Arts Society Lomond and Argyll – tasla.org.uk

The Arts Society Bearsden and Milngavie – tasbam.org.uk

Intriguing upcoming lectures include The Men who Made Menswear at The Arts Society Bearsden and Milngavie – the tale of men’s tailoring over the past 200 years, by Russell Nash on 11 December.