Scotland souvenirs?

Where all will you be?
In Edinburg, I love the gift shop in the National Museum of Scotland, where I have found unique, small, packable gifts made in the country.
In St Andrew's, if a golfer, I have enjoyed the gift shop at the Golf Museum.
Cashmere scarfs made in country are easy to find.
Good luck shopping!

The only souvenir I bought was a pair of tartan gym socks that I picked up at the gift shop at the airport.

Real Scottish knitwear…..read the labels very closely…
Tablet….like a hard grainy fudge-type sweet. Addicting……
Shortbread….read labels closely.
Whisky.
Harris tweed products…labels again….
Books.
Calendars.
Music…do people still use CD’s?

Most of the bigger galleries and museums have wonderful gift shops. (And very good cafes!)

I second the recommendation for tablet.

I don't buy a lot of souvenirs, but in Scotland I purchased some lovely pressed heather earrings. The colors are amazing. I also bought a small linen table cover with embroidered wild flowers which I have on my bedside table. I love waking up to all those beautiful flowers which remind me of my wonderful trip.

Sheila Fleet earrings (her Orkney gallery/studio is amazing)
Eribe merino wool sweater
Harley of Scotland lambswool sweater
Tunnocks chocolate caramel wafers
Orkney Tablet
Heather Gems letter openers, gifted to several people
CDs: Runrig, Skipinnish, The Proclaimers, gifted to rock music fans

I third the rec for Tablet - so good! I brought it back for my son-in-law. Also millionaire's shortbread is addicting.

I always check the National Trust and Scottish (or English) Heritage gift shops. You can usually find a lot of very cool items in there.

Two things I’ve seen in Scotland that you definitely won’t find at home and that your giftees won’t forget …
Haggis flavored potato crisps
Scotch whisky flavored condoms
Seriously, while I didn’t make this up, those things exist, I would add to the excellent other suggestions a jar or two of good Scottish marmalade.

A silver groatie buckie bracelet from Fluke Jewelry on Orkney. Groatie buckie is the Orcadian name for cowrie shells which are thought to bring good luck! I have only had my bracelet off once to clean it since August 2023.

Years ago I got a ceramic coaster from the National Museum in Edinburgh which is so evocative of the Scottish seascape.

Wool beanie from a local craft guild on Shetland.

Whatever you do, don’t be tempted to bring home a kilo of oats! They taste just like the steel cut oats from Bob’s Red Mill AND they look funny on the security scanners and you will have to open your suitcase at every security stop, lol. What was I thinking!

Yum…I love tablet!

Hey, Diane,

You didn't keep the Runrig and Skippinish CDs for yourself?? What were you thinking? Two of my personal favorites. Also Tide Lines, for anyone who is a fan of Scottish folk rock!

I have brought back so many things from Scotland that it would be difficult to pick out just one. A DVD of Sunshine on Leith has to be near the top. And many of the items that I have found in charity shops - books, CDs, DVDs, records (remember them?), etc.

As far as tablet goes, nothing beats the homemade kind. The kind you buy in supermarkets and gift/souvenir shops doesn't hold a candle to the homemade kind. Best tablet ever was from the Jac-o-bites Cafe in Mallaig.

Happy shopping!

Mike (Auchterless)

The best souvenirs are the ones that capture your attention and demand you take them home. In Scotland, that was a Harris Tweed blazer and purse, a couple of blankets, and a stuffed corgi from the Royal Yacht. I also got some heathergem jewelry when I spied the factory store not far from our tour hotel. And a golf ball from St Andrews. (I don’t golf but definitely recommend playing the mini course!)
I second the advice to look carefully at the labels on any woolens. Make sure they say “Made in Scotland with Scottish Wool” or similar. You’ll pay more for them, but they’ll be much higher quality than what you’re going to see in most touristy stores. Happy shopping and happy travels!

Would anyone like the recipe for tablet?!………
Let me know. :)

re Mike
Thanks so much for the recommendation for Tide Lines! We're back in Scotland this fall so I'll have a look for a couple CDs to pass along. I'm not a fan of rock music so I passed along all the rock various CDs purchased. Runrig was the most favorite by far although Capercaille, folk rock?, did receive honorable mention from a couple recipients.

Pluscarden Abbey has a lovely CD of bird song, our favorite way to start the day, and several CDs of prayer chants in Latin.

Highland Stoneware creates beautiful hand painted items. Coasters pack easily and a mug ensconced in a sock can be padded enough for a trip home.

The sweaters I found were made from Shetland wool, knitted in Scotland. I did read many labels before finding them. Lovely sweaters, soft, no itches and very warm.

I will be bringing home crisps this time going to the UK. I never realized how much better they are there. I’m not usually a big potato chip eater, but mu goodness I can down a bag of those there in no time! Why are they so superior? Is it the potato? The water? Just curious.

Why are they so superior?

For me, it’s the unique flavors. From the UK, my favorite is Walkers Max punchy paprika.

I usually try to buy a Christmas tree ornament, and if I can find one that is made by a local craftsperson then all the better. For example in Unst (Shetland) I bought a glass star from Glansin Glass and also did a glass making workshop there, which resulted in me leaving with a fused glass coaster of a puffin that I made in the workshop.

I like reminders of the place I've visited too, so something small like a fridge magnet - I have one from every US national park that I've visited on my travels.

I also like to collect sea glass and keep it in jam jars labelled with the place where I found it. One day I will do something useful with it...

Here's a tablet receipe for anyone who'd like to have a go at making it.

Some of my favourite Scottish products- Highland Soap Co, Scottish Fine Soap Co, and Arran soaps for soap/lotion/etc, Skye candle company, and Ness for tartan handbags/accessories. If you want something consumable then my favourite is MacSween's veg haggis which you can get at the supermarket tho obviously needs to be refrigerated- and of course whatever the local single malt is.

One of my favourite things I've brought home, which I use every day, is a tartan glasses case from Islay Woollen Mill.

I agree with Auchterless that fresh homemade tablet is far better than the commercial kind. I have yet to attempt to make it myself, but I've bought a couple of batches from a local-ish Etsy seller who uses her Scottish mother-in-law's recipe, and they were a vast improvement over the packaged stuff I bought in a gift shop in Anstruther.

My favorite souvenir that I actually bought in Scotland is the Mackintosh rose motif earrings I bought in the gift shop at Kelvingrove in Glasgow last year. I wear them at every opportunity! Museum gift shops often yield the nicest souvenirs.

I also love some Scottish goods that I ordered online after getting home from my first trip: beach-glass earrings from Tilia by the Sea, and a metal necklace and porcelain ornaments from landscape painter Cath Waters.

I rarely buy souvenirs as such, preferring to buy items that "speak to me", and that I would want to have regardless of where I bought them. But I confess to have gotten a wooden and tartan "hairy coo" Christmas ornament just because it was so darn cute. And a lovely cashmere scarf in the family tartan that's soooooo soft, and I wear it around my neck whenever I go outside. But yes, always check the labels. Almost succumbed to a couple of lambs wool sweaters,but alas, my sweater drawer was already full.

Scotland made woolen objects. My wife bought a couple items at Lochcarron of Scotland in Selkirk. Good quality products can get pricey. If you’re buying for someone that does a lot of sewing, one can buy wool remnants at the factory, but you need to ask.

Thanks to all of you for some great ideas!! Cannot wait to visit, and SHOP!! And, sample tablet.... Thank you! Karen

When in Scotland, we stopped in the town of Pitlochry. There is a jewelry shop there, (I think the name is Heathergems). They make jewelry using heather stems as a foundation material. Unique and quite striking. Many designs and forms. They have a website. I think they might ship it for you, if it strikes you fancy.

When looking for souvenirs, over the years we noticed more and more products that say, “Designed in Scotland, Made in XX.”

-Harris tweed of all shapes and prices. I got a couple of small pieces for myself and also for family. Yes, watch for the authentic label. You can find it nearly everywhere, but for our trip the best value ended up being at the Castle Stalker View Cafe and Gift Shop north of Oban. (It was Castle Arrrghhh in Monty Python and the Holy Grail=).)
-Unexpected items. One shop in Edinburgh that we wandered into was in Grassmarket, just a stone's throw below the castle and the Royal Mile. I wish I could remember the name of the shop (help, anyone?), but it was a nonprofit that gave adults training and a fresh start in life. These adults crafted a variety of things, and I found a beautiful little hand-carved wooden condiment spoon. The supervisor was lovely to talk to, and a couple of the artists were in house that day working on projects. It's one of my most-treasured souvenirs from that trip. That was two years ago; I hope the shop is still there.
Enjoy!

https://grassmarket.org/

Looks like this is the place in Edinburgh's Grassmarket area.

Yes, that’s it! Thanks so much.