Glenfarg Station

Explorer Tom The Museum of Abernethy occupies an old farm building in School Wynd, and it still shows enough stone and cobble to remind you that museums have past lives too. Its village has a famous round tower nearby, but the displays ask you to look beyond one landmark. I would let the tower have its moment, then duck inside to find the people who lived around it. The museum opened in 2000 after a former byre, stable and cattle area were renovated. Parts of the original walls and floor remain visible. Its collection explores Abernethy and the surrounding area in Perthshire, bringing local objects and stories into rooms that already tell a building story of their own. A small place can hold many centuries without needing a giant hall or a trumpeting guide. Abernethy’s round tower is close by, and Historic Scotland says a key for its interior can be collected from the museum during the summer opening season. That does not make this museum merely a ticket desk: the building and its displays deserve time of their own. I imagine the tower peering through a window, jealous that everybody has gone indoors to learn about its neighbours. The tower, naturally, has declined to comment. The museum’s published season runs from early May to the last Sunday of September, with afternoon openings from Wednesday to Sunday. Check the current hours before travelling, and ask about special group visits if your date falls outside them. Find it in School Wynd, then decide whether you have the legs for the tower stairs. Either way, the old village has more than one story to tell.