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Undiscovered Scotland website

The Undiscovered Scotland website gets recommended here often, and it’s a great resource. However, it can be seriously out of date. I decided to look at the entries for my local area and found three local museums mentioned. All of which have been closed since before I moved to Skye in 2016. I have emailed the site to ask them to remove these listings. [Edited to add that the site have replied and said they have noted in red that the 3 sites are no longer operating, but they are leaving the pages up for information purposes. This seems a bit bizarre given that one of the museums is now a private house, the other is empty and the Colbost croft museum is derelict].

But I just wanted to remind anyone planning to visit an attraction mentioned on the site to check directly with the attraction that they are still in business and to check opening times. The listings near me are all ‘off the beaten track’, down a long single track road and would make for a very frustrating and fruitless journey.

The sites I’m talking about are the Colbost Croft museum, the Glendale Toy Museum and the Borreraig Park museum.

Posted by
9110 posts

I've noticed that as well, Jacqui. In fact, when I was planning my trip to Scotland, I got in the habit of sending him emails letting him know about places that were no longer in business (for me, it was mostly lodging). He was good about responding and thanked me for the information (this was back in 2023). Hopefully he still is.

I'm sure it's quite a job to keep up with it, but he might want to put some kind of disclaimer on the site like the Man in Seat 61 does (basically noting that there may be inaccuracies).

Posted by
1417 posts

Yes he was quick to respond and say he’d mark the entries to show they were closed, but really he should remove them altogether. For example the toy museum in Glendale is now a private house and the owners are not best pleased to have tourists knocking at their doors! I just wanted to make readers here aware of the need to double check information before setting out on a long journey 🙂

Posted by
9337 posts

I was looking at Carlisle and Gretna.

In Carlisle he has a similar red note about Cumbria's Museum of Military Life possibly renaming and relocating (both of which happened 20 years ago) and he is way out of date about the Cathedral - missing both the treasury and the Fratry redevelopment.

A lot else of visitor interest In Carlisle is just not mentioned.

In Gretna he briefly mentions both Devils Porridge and Quintinshill. Yet fails to mention either the old or new Devil's Porridge museum, or any of the Quintinshil memorials (all between 10 and 20 years old).

Both should surely be Undiscovered Scotland. Both are important places.

Given how much that site is lauded I am very disappointed.

Posted by
1417 posts

It must be a heck of a job keeping a site like that up to date, but in addition to the out of date information the places he lists for Skye are far from undiscovered. Many are ‘honey pot’ sights thronging with crowds. It’s tricky to strike a balance between recommending somewhere on a forum such as this or on a site like Undiscovered Scotland, and ensuring that it stays special and uncrowded.

Posted by
9110 posts

Jacqui, that was a good idea to post it here, so everyone knows. :-) And that is strange that he doesn't just eliminate them.

Stuart, I'm sorry but I love the site, as it's very comprehensive. I'm sure he can't get everyplace in there, and I'm not sure how much time he spends on it now, but I wouldn't denigrate just because it's missing a few places. If you think they should be in there, why not email him and ask? I'm sure he would appreciate the feedback.

Jacqui, I would imagine that he has to put some of the honey-pot sites in, or risk losing viewers that are interested in both popular and lesser-known sites. But that's just pure speculation so I could very well be wrong. :-)

Posted by
2579 posts

Its not just the Undiscovered Scotland website, the same applies to guide books too and some generic websites.... Always check that not only is a place still open but also the up to date opening times....