Top 10 Museums in South Lanarkshire, Scotland

Historic live steam miniature railway set in the grounds of Strathaven Public Park. We have just celebrated 71 years of operating the railway in 2020. We have still in use the original locomotive which ran in the park for the first time on the 14th of May 1949. 'Margaret' is the locomotive in question and can be seen either on display or in use on special occasions. Weather permitting trains will be in operation from Easter to the end of September each weekend.

This working studio in the village of Douglas is Scottish artist Carol Taylor's gallery, a graduate & former lecturer of Edinburgh College of Art. Carol also has a Master's Degree in painting from the Royal College of Art in London. She is a full time painter, studio open Monday to Friday 10 am until 4 pm. Everyone is welcome to visit Carol's studio, browse or chat about the inspiration in her work, see her paintings in progress, view &/or purchase finished original oil, acrylic & watercolour paintings, limited edition giclee prints, mixed media assemblages, artist's greetings cards & wood engraving prints. She also stocks superb, quality, local, unique crafts from Moira Pedreschi's beautiful, handmade, Edinburgh hallmarked, silver jewellery with semi precious stones to Skaramanda's colourful brooches; Stunning colourful, woven, celtic, woolen scarves from local weavers at Calzeat; Wild & Wooly's felted characters & carved wooden birds! The Scribtree Coffee Shop is next door!

Spend a day in the countryside, uncover Scotland's unique rural history and meet the animals on the farm. Advance booking is required for all visitors - please book a timed entry ticket online at nms.ac.uk/rural before your visit. Follow the route around the museum to find out how rural life, farming and the landscape have changed in 300 years. Discover stories of life on the land and see Scotland's largest collection of tractors, combine harvesters and other farming machinery. Just a short walk from the museum is the working farm, home to Ayrshire, Aberdeen Angus and Highland cattle, Tamworth pigs, sheep, hens and Clydesdale horses. Visit the onsite cafe, or bring your own picnic to eat in our outdoor picnic area. We’re Good to Go: A range of safety measures have been put in place.

Little Sparta is closed to the public until further notice owing to the coronavirus restrictions. Our own website is the definitive source of information, or phone us. Updated 30 May 2020.

This site is closed for now. We’re working hard to gradually reopen the places you love while making sure the experience is safe for everyone. Typical of a small town coal-gas works, Biggar is the only one surviving in Scotland. The oldest part of the works dates from 1839. Please call for up-to-date opening times and prices.

Please note at the moment the museum & shop are closed due to Covid 19 (of course!). We hope to welcome you in the not too distant future. The Biggar and Upper Clydesdale Museum explores 14,000 years of rural and small town life in Upper Clydesdale.

The David Livingstone Centre is currently closed for refurbishment The David Livingstone Trust is under-going an exciting re-development. The £6.1 million Birthplace Project is funded by the Heritage Lottery Fund, Historic Environment Scotland and the Scottish Government. It will see the refurbishment of the exterior of the building, returning it to its original appearance; a new exhibition inside the museum, displaying the many items relating to the iconic Scottish explorer David Livingstone, telling the many perspectives and stories from his travels; and a programme of exciting activities and events. Due to the works being carried out, there will be no access to the museum and facilities until 2019, with some areas of the park still accessible. For more information on accessibility during the works please visit our website. Look out for our pop-up exhibition throughout Scotland over during 2018/2019.