The Hidden Scotland Shop

The first thing you see when you walk into the Hidden Scotland Shop is the bespoke till area, made of old scaffold boards and corrugated metal. It’s the work of local craftsman, Craig Monteith, aka The Crooked Shed, and behind it you might find Eryn Inglis, Assistant Manager, usually armed with “a few bad jokes and a strong black coffee”, today saying: “It’s hard to call it work, being here. There’s the inherited rose bush in full bloom around the door, and in winter, it’s a place of comfort and calm with soft lighting and candles burning.”

Probably a Cairn Candles variety, says Eryn, in Orange Spice or Caledonian Forest, both available in the shop. Dried flowers styled by sustainable florist Hollie Berries Flower Studio in Aberdeenshire, also available in-store, tumble from a suspended antique ladder. Arranged along crisp white walls on shelving sourced from the wine cellar in The Fife Arms, “complete with wine stains”, is a curated collection of products from makers around Scotland. Stunning photography and artworks pepper the room. It may sound cliched, but it’s like walking into a copy of the magazine.

The idea for the shop came with issue 02 of Hidden Scotland Magazine, explains Hidden Scotland co-founder Karla Hall. “The retail side felt like a natural progression for us as it meant that as well as a place to sell our own magazine, we could also sell a collection of products and gifts from the makers and designers across Scotland we had come across while creating Hidden Scotland,” she says. The shop, initially at the Old Saw Mill, relocated to The Farmhouse in Milton of Crathes, Aberdeenshire, following a 2022 flood. Karla reflects, “Since opening at The Farmhouse in Summer 2023, it feels very much like home”

The shop is split into sections “like rooms of a house” and aims to “showcase the rich diversity that encapsulates the essence of Scotland”. As well as the candles and dried floristry, there is a pantry section with Scottish produce and a beautifully styled bookcase with titles such as Heal Scotland’s Wild Medicine (a “year-round companion” in Eryn’s garden) or tomes to inspire outdoor exploration, and of course Hidden Scotland magazine, all best enjoyed under a sustainable tartan blanket by TBCo. There’s also a kids’ corner under the stairs and a planning station with a tablet to help visitors shape their onward journey, take inspiration for a future day trip, or get ideas on where to go for coffee or lunch. “We also have a selection of walks written in detail by local explorers,” adds Karla.

Most of the items in the shop are produced in small batches and hand-made, with the close-knit Hidden Scotland team usually in direct contact with the makers. “I really enjoy discovering new makers and products alongside Karla, and I’m sure she’ll agree that some of our favourite days are receiving new stock and styling them in the shop,” says Eryn. 

This is why it’s hard to name any bestsellers. “We like to keep it fresh and are always on the lookout for new makers to join our collection,” says Karla. But there are some staples, restocked time and again when they sell out. “The wonderful seaglass jewellery by Rois, for example, or the 50 Shades of Scotland print by Emily MacKenzie. The candles by Cairn Candles are always popular, too.” The shop is also now online, “and it gives us great pleasure knowing that we can help spread the word of these makers and have their items shipped all over the world.”

True to the Hidden Scotland brand, the shop is off the trodden track, sandwiched between Banchory and Drumoak, on the Deeside Way, a 41-mile trail along the former Deeside Railway between Duthie Park in Aberdeen City and Ballater. “We stock a great book by local author Kelly Morrison who goes into great detail about what to see and do along this route,” says Karla. Because of this location, where “there is not much hustle and only a bit of bustle,” continues Eryn, “you never can tell who is going to come in on any given day.

Customers range from magazine readers to locals outwalking the Deeside Way (“We’re dog friendly!”), andeveryone in between – young and old, families and cyclists.“We are also very lucky to say that we have customers whocome especially to see us,” she says. For anyone who doesjourney to see the shop, there is plenty more to incorporateinto the trip. Within Milton of Crathes, there is a café, artgallery, handcrafted barrel furniture studio, a prelovedfashion shop and a fly-fishing school.

“Together we share the idyllic setting on the DeesideWay, neighbours with the enchanting Crathes Castle, a16th-century castle with a beautiful walled garden andexpansive grounds,” says Karla. She also recommendsthe Old Deeside Railway, which takes you on a mile-longjourney by steam from Milton of Crathes station. “Being onthe route out to Royal Deeside, you can extend your tripand head to Kincardine O Neil, Ballater and Braemar – allreally amazing places to explore,” she suggests. With a bookfrom the shop or a copy of Hidden Scotland magazine inhand, you’ll be well set