The visitor centre also contains displays about local wildlife and the formation of the landscape, the way of life of the islanders, peat, Harris Tweed, etc. There is a TV with headphones where you can sit and choose a video. Currently they have a special exhibition about the island of St Kilda.
The centre also sells a selection of local books, music, videos, postcards and photos, and there is a small corner with tea, coffee and biscuits. Disabled access and toilet facilities.
Entrance to the exhibition costs £2.50 for adults (£2 concessions).
Open all year Monday to Saturday from 9am to 6pm. Telephone / fax: 01859 520 258.
The village of Northton is basically a group of houses strung out along a single road. If you drive down, look for the sign advertising fresh eggs for sale.
At the far end of the village The MacGillivray Centre (opened in July 1998) is named after William MacGillivray, the famous Scottish naturalist who spent most of his early years on his uncle's farm here in Northton.
Together with a picnic area and toilets, this interpretive centre illustrates his work and provides an understanding of the island's natural habitat. Built with local stone to blend into the landscape, the centre has a roof made of timber from the grounds of Lews Castle in Stornoway.
The Centre is the starting point for guided walks on the machair led by Bill or Chris Lawson every
Monday at 2.30pm from mid-May to mid-September (cost: approx. 2 pounds).
You can park at the MacGillivray Centre and follow the track from the end of the road for a walk onto the
Toe Head peninsula. Neolithic pottery and bone tools were discovered here in the
1960s. In front of you, the hill called Chaipaval rises 1000 feet out of the sea.
If you follow one of the central or left-hand tracks over the grassy machair from Chapaival,
you will see a nice little beach. Continue northwards along the coast, past
another beach and you can visit the ruins of what is thought to be a 12th
century chapel (Rudh'an Teampull) which may have been constructed by the
builders of the church at Rodel. It is 6.4 metres long and 3.4 metres wide. Its
location is about 2.5 km north-west of Northton. When I was here I saw seals
just off the coast.
After you rejoin the main road, look for the hill called Maodal (250 metres
high) which was where an RAF Shackleton aircraft crashed in April 1990, killing
all 10 people onboard.
For more local info, see the Isle of Harris page
