Croft Kitchen & Bedrooms
The peat fire burned year-round on the open hearth, with cast-iron pots, simple furniture, and handmade textiles. Box beds and practical wooden storage reflect everyday family life.
A living picture of crofting life
Visitors move through preserved croft buildings and artefacts that reveal how families worked, cooked, farmed, and gathered in the Hebrides before modern comforts changed daily life.
The croft house, built with local stone, timber, turf, and reed thatch, was warm, durable, and built to withstand Atlantic weather.
Museum History
The Skye Museum of Island Life at Kilmuir, Isle of Skye, opened in 1965 with a clear purpose: to preserve a group of old thatched cottages and the stories held within them.
A century ago, such cottages were common across the Highlands and Islands. Today they are rare. This museum protects that heritage and offers a close view of domestic and working life in an island township at the end of the 1800s.
The Township & Cottages
Old Barn & Weaver's Cottage
Displays include traditional hand tools, farm equipment, looms, spinning wheels, and dyeing implements that supported crofting and cloth production.
Old Smithy & Ceilidh House
The smithy served as both workshop and social hub. The ceilidh house recalls winter evenings of songs, stories, music, and shared community life.
Construction & Layout
Highland croft houses were shaped by available local materials and practical needs. Thick stone walls, turf bedding, and thatch with overhanging eaves created shelter against severe weather.
On a largely treeless island, building demanded ingenuity: driftwood, hand-cut stone, and shared labour were all part of construction.
Plan Your Visit
Opening Times
Monday to Saturday
10:00am to 5:00pm
Last entry: 4:30pm
Season: Easter to late September
Admission
Adults: £8.00
Children under 15: free
(must be accompanied by an adult)
How To Find Us
Kilmuir, By Portree, Isle of Skye, IV51 9UE. Reach us via the A855 (east coast route via Staffin) or via Uig and north on the A855.