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Balnakeil Craft Village

Balnakeil Craft Village

Balnakeil Craft Village
3.5
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  • MamaHevs
    142 contributions
    4.0 of 5 bubbles
    An interesting Hotch Potch of crafts
    This appears to be on an old army base. Varied craft huts - many artists live on site. My husband got a haircut there. Interesting geology display. Cocoa Mountain there too. Passed a couple of hours
    Visited September 2023
    Written 3 October 2023
  • Atlantic I
    1 contribution
    4.0 of 5 bubbles
    Stick to the chocolates and skip the hairdresser with the fascist diatribes
    Great chocolates, surprising arts colony at the very edge of everything. Please be forewarned, though; the art gallery/hairsalon/massage parlor is operated by a very strident right-to-life, AfD, Nigel Farage, Trump supporter with serious issues and a compulsion to lecture you about them. Stick to the chocolates.
    Visited July 2024
    Travelled with family
    Written 2 July 2024
  • Ann H
    York, United Kingdom2,573 contributions
    3.0 of 5 bubbles
    Worth a short visit if you have time to kill
    We decided to stop and explore this craft place as we had some time to kill before checking into our accommodation for the night. It is a strange place, a lot of empty property along with some occupied units being used as shops, living accommodation and other uses too. The couple of places we went into had some lovely products and the Cocoa Mountain outlet provided us with some delicious drinks too!!
    Visited July 2024
    Travelled as a couple
    Written 9 July 2024
  • AL_reviewer_2014
    Weymouth, United Kingdom189 contributions
    4.0 of 5 bubbles
    An interesting place
    A fascinating place with some history. There are quite a few small art galleries, so there's a decent variety of styles. I bought a lot of cards. Had I had a lot of money, I would possibly have bought a couple of paintings. A few of the galleries weren't even manned, so you could walk around quite freely. I bought a hot chocolate, which really wasn't worth the money, and three bars of chocolate, which are delicious. Apparently, according to someone I met, Google shows photos of sandwiches. There are no sandwiches. The cafe/restaurant no longer exists. You can buy hot drinks and pastries in the chocolate shop.
    Visited September 2024
    Travelled as a couple
    Written 6 September 2024
These reviews are the subjective opinion of Tripadvisor members and not of TripAdvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.

Most Recent: Reviews ordered by most recent publish date in descending order.

Detailed Reviews: Reviews ordered by recency and descriptiveness of user-identified themes such as waiting time, length of visit, general tips, and location information.

Popular mentions

3.5
3.5 of 5 bubbles247 reviews
Excellent
64
Very good
83
Average
57
Poor
31
Terrible
12

Currir
Aberdeen, UK53 contributions
2.0 of 5 bubbles
Aug 2020 • Family
Visited after a recommendation from a friend to go to Cocoa Mountain. Coffee, hot chocolate and chocolates were fab and would thoroughly recommend however no savoury food to be had anywhere so would recommend a stop for morning or afternoon. Unfortunately no toilets were open either which was disappointing after a three hour journey to get there. Some of the other artists were less than friendly and we felt we were a bit of an inconvenience so worth a quick stop if you’re in need of a refreshment or a lovely chocolate pressie to take home.
Written 10 August 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

SFReviewer2015
San Francisco, CA44 contributions
1.0 of 5 bubbles
Sept 2021 • Solo
Not worth the detour. Seems to be a rundown area with locals that have sour attitude for visitors. There’s this old lady who just ruined the experience for us. As soon as we stopped our car looking for the place we are greeting by a woman frantically tapping our car. She seems upset the car is parked near her shop. There’s also a art gallery that do not allow masks to be worn inside even though Scotland required everyone to wear them while inside establishment. I would recommend putting your hard earned tourist money somewhere else as this place doesn’t seem to like tourists staying here.
Written 23 September 2021
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

AngelaCB935
Elgin, UK57 contributions
2.0 of 5 bubbles
Jun 2021
A group of unkempt buildings selling art, pottery, recycled plastic etc. etc. At 10.30am on June 21st there were about a dozen people wandering around the village looking for a cup of coffee and possibly a cake. Everywhere was shut.
After months of being closed for Covid is there no one needing to make some money?There are 3 months left in this season.
Written 21 June 2021
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Snickets
154 contributions
4.0 of 5 bubbles
Jul 2021
This is an unlikely looking place. It's seems to be the industrial estate that time forgot, but if you can get over the outside appearances, inside there are craftspeople with little studios selling some lovely things - quite different from the usual tourist shop wares. Ceramics, glass, artists and most of them were there to chat to while you browse. Very nice use of an hour.
Written 24 July 2021
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Andydjp
Stotfold, UK638 contributions
4.0 of 5 bubbles
Jul 2021
Free parking throughout the small village.
This is an eclectic mix of craft and arts, in small single story shops / cabins. Some were open but not all. There is a chocolate shop at the entrance that sells drinks.
Worth a wander round if you like something a little different.
Written 3 July 2021
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

will t
Southampton, UK112 contributions
2.0 of 5 bubbles
Jun 2021
This places needs a total rethink. I have been here three times over the course of forty years and it just gets worse every time. I don't think that the owners realise the potential that this place could have.
Stop over pricing your crafts. There's not even a little gift shop where kids could spend a few pounds.
Written 9 July 2021
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

marinejewel
Fife, UK22 contributions
2.0 of 5 bubbles
Jun 2022 • Couples
The guy in the gallery who said he doesn’t allow people wearing a mask in his poky wee gallery/shop. Seriously?! We turned around and left immediately. Listen mate. No point in arguing with someone with that that level of rudeness and lack of understanding of peoples rights never mind any compassion/understanding. I would not buy from you anyway.
Written 28 June 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

glosbloke
Lydbrook, UK25 contributions
1.0 of 5 bubbles
Jul 2021 • Family
Visited here on trip around Scotland. My advice would be don’t bother. General sense of take the money and that’ll do.
1. The site is a mess
2. The chocolate shop was really expensive and the product not very good. No where to sit and have a drink etc - not even outside. I guess to save bothering with cleaning. Toilets were closed with sign advising you to go to the Spar in the village,
3. Art gallery promoting freedom from face masks. Pretty unfair on locals to encourage tourists from around the country and then not encourage responsible behaviour regarding masks
Written 16 August 2021
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Work2TravelUk
UK114 contributions
3.0 of 5 bubbles
Sept 2021
I would compare the craft village to Marmite - you will either love it or wonder why you bothered. Very hippy feel, not all the shacks open at the same time or used. Some beautiful art and some tat. At the time of our visit Scottish cv19 rules were for masks to be worn in all settings. The owner of the stunning looking art gallery would not admit anyone wearing a mask as he wanted to see smiles - I walked straight back out - removing choice and flouting rules is not cool. The glass art shack near the cocoa mountain was a heavenly find.
Written 2 October 2021
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

MamaHevs
Wigan, England142 contributions
4.0 of 5 bubbles
Sept 2023
This appears to be on an old army base. Varied craft huts - many artists live on site. My husband got a haircut there. Interesting geology display. Cocoa Mountain there too. Passed a couple of hours
Written 3 October 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

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BALNAKEIL CRAFT VILLAGE (2024) All You Need to Know BEFORE You Go (with Photos) - Tripadvisor

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