There are plenty of tourist attractions which claim to offer hands-on history, but walk among the stone ruins, thatched cottages and steel-roofed barns of Auchindrain township, and you feel that the past really is just footsteps away.

The living museum, on the A83, a few miles from Inveraray, consists of the homes and farmland of a community who lived and farmed here for centuries – until the last resident left in the 1960s. It is Scotland’s last surviving example of a joint tenancy township.

 

The majority of buildings at Auchindrain were built in the 18^th and 19^th centuries, and they vary from crumbling ruins, to long-houses (split into a section for people and one for livestock) and cottages that have been perfectly preserved. The landscape tells its own story, from a stone fank on the hillside used for sheep gathering, to the plots where potatoes, oats and barley were grown.

What’s entrancing about this venue is how literally it takes the definition of ‘living history’. The wandering sheep and chickens are the same types of livestock that would have been a fixture in the 1800s, and while the houses are furnished (beds are made up and there are plenty of household artefacts on show) the absence of labels and display boards creates the sense that you are just stepping into a lived-in home. (Information is available in the visitor centre, and on tablets and a site guidebook which are provided on entry.)

Considering how complex farming history can be, this is also a really family-friendly attraction. Children will love exploring the rooms and out-buildings, and running about over bridges and ditches outdoors. Ours were particularly fascinated by the sleeping arrangements (“How many children slept in that bed?” “Did they really share their house with a cow?” and everyday items like the three-legged stool, hot water bottle and potato masher.

In addition to the permanent fixtures, there is always something going on at Auchindrain – from the farm and maintenance work (often undertaken by students and volunteers) to demonstrations of local skills and traditions.

It is worth checking ahead if you’re planning a visit. On some Saturdays Auchindrain hosts demonstrations of traditional spinning, waulking and singing, from the costumed Inverclyde Waulking Group – they are a treat to watch, and if you’re lucky, you might get to join in. It doesn’t get more hands on than that.

– Auchindrain Township, near Furnace, www.auchindrain.org.uk.