Arts, culture and heritage

A two day Festival over the weekend of the 16th to 17th April 2016.

Venues include the local village halls, Nevis Range ski centre, local restaurants and the village primary school.

The Festival is hugely popular and sells out very quickly so make sure you book your tickets as soon as possible for storytelling around the fire in the Crannog, fire-juggling, sacrificial wicker ram burn, apple-ducking, soup and many surprises, all lit by flaming torches.

Come in ‘guise and bring a jack-o-lantern to light your way into the spirit world. Samhain at the Crannog is a unique experience and sees visitors travelling from far and wide to attend; many of them year after year so don’t miss out!

Nowadays, with a wide variety of food available all year round, we have no problem sourcing our winter provisions but our ancient ancestors did not have that luxury. They had to devise ways of storing their food for the long winter ahead of them.

Join us for a celebration of seasonal fare including tasters of fungi, hazelnuts, soups and stews representing the kind of foods the loch-dwellers would have eaten at this time of year.

Booking essential for large groups only.

Call 01887 830853 or email info@crannog.co.uk.

Another of the four traditional Celtic Festivals, ‘Lughnasa’ has many possible origins but is most often associated with the sun god Lugh. The date of 1st August is linked to the ancient Celtic calendar tablet found at Coligny in France.

There was no kitchen in the Crannog, or at least not one that we would recognise today, but the Loch-dwellers managed with what they had producing fabulous down-to-earth nutritional food.

Our Iron age Gourmet day is one of our most popular events so don’t miss out on cookery demonstrations like you've never seen before: fish baked in clay stuffed with foraged herbs; fish smoked over an open fire; stews and soups using fresh local produce; breads, spreads and jams; locally-sourced spit-roast lamb, wild boar sausages to toast over an open fire and more.

Think we’re clever? We have electricity, wifi, air travel and supermarkets just to name a few - how do you think you would get on without them? 2,500 years ago the world was a very different place and we might think it was backward and dull but that is far from the truth! Join us and discover just how ingenious the ancient loch-dwellers were.

Part of Visit Scotland's Year of Architecture, Innovation and Design.

Booking essential for large groups otherwise just come along and be amazed at what you learn!

Watch our experts create nettle fibres to be spun into yarn then turned into soft and durable fabrics. Learn how our ancestors dyed wool for clothing and split plant stems to create ropes.

Try your hand at spinning and weaving to see how you would have fared.

Part of VisitScotland's year of Architecture, Innovation and Design.

Booking essential for large groups otherwise, just come along and enjoy the fun.

Telephone 01887 830583 or email info@crannog.co.uk.

Discover Iron Age cooking including spit-cooked meat, fish, Crannog stews, locally foraged greens, breads & spreads and themed beverages. Try our ancient craft activities while you’re waiting for a taste of what life was like 2,500 years ago.

All events include museum exhibits, talks around a log-fire in the Crannog roundhouse, demonstrations and hands-on experience of ancient crafts and technologies.

Beltane marks the beginning of summer when livestock were put out to pasture. Rituals were performed to protect cattle, crops and people from harm and to encourage growth during the summer months. Bonfires were lit, feasts prepared and offerings made. Flowers were used to decorate homes, cattle and byres.

Bring a blossom along with you to decorate the Crannog. Wild flowers and foliage will be on hand for garlands and crowns.

Booking essential for large groups, otherwise just come along and help us celebrate the start of summer!

Celebrate Easter Iron Age style with pancakes cooked over an open fire; make your own bread rolls baked in our clay ovens and churn your own butter to spread on them. Hands-on fun and learning all in one go!