{"id":842333,"date":"2026-03-22T07:23:22","date_gmt":"2026-03-22T07:23:22","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/842333\/"},"modified":"2026-03-22T07:23:22","modified_gmt":"2026-03-22T07:23:22","slug":"i-went-to-scotlands-quirkiest-book-shop-and-ill-never-get-over-it","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/842333\/","title":{"rendered":"‘I went to Scotland’s quirkiest book shop and I’ll never get over it’"},"content":{"rendered":"

Leakey’s in Inverness really is a book shop with a difference – from its building to its volumes, there’s something for everyone\"Leakey's<\/p>\n

Leakey’s bookshop in Inverness(Image: Jane Lavender\/ReachPLC)<\/p>\n

If you\u2019re a book lover and are looking for your next fix of quirky shops to visit then you need look no further.<\/p>\n

Hiding in the Highlands of Scotland in a converted church in Inverness is one of the quirkiest book shops I\u2019ve ever visited – Leakey\u2019s.<\/p>\n

More than 45 years old, this is less a place to come and buy books and more an experience in itself where time completely stops and before you know it, a quick pop in for a browse turns into 90 minutes.<\/p>\n

The church itself dates back to 1649 and became home to Leakey\u2019s back in 1993, 14 years after Leakey\u2019s the book shop came into existence.<\/p>\n

\"Leakey's\"<\/p>\n

It has to be seen to be believed(Image: Jane Lavender\/ReachPLC)<\/p>\n

For more than 200 years, the church served as a place of worship for Gaelic speakers and history is in every corner of this magical place.<\/p>\n

Shelves line almost every visible part of the building and each one is lined with thousands upon thousands of antique and secondhand books.<\/p>\n

From real collectors items to affordable books for someone simply looking for their next good read, there is something for everyone.<\/p>\n

On a grey and rainy winter\u2019s day in the Highlands of Scotland this book shop is corner of warmth.<\/p>\n

\"The<\/p>\n

The book shop is in a former church(Image: Jane Lavender\/ReachPLC)<\/p>\n

The light streaming in through the lovingly restored stained glass windows to the wooden shelves groaning under their treasures.<\/p>\n

The whole place is warmed by a gigantic log burner, which makes what clearly is a cavernous building feel unbelievably cosy.<\/p>\n

The smell of books is comforting and it feels like you\u2019ve stepped from a grey day into the pages of a fairytale.<\/p>\n

Running up to the upper level of Leakey\u2019s is an impressive spiral staircase, which as well as enabling you to reach thousands more books gives an excellent bird\u2019s eye view of this spectacular shop.<\/p>\n

Here you can truly see the scale of just how many books – and antique prints – are for sale – as they line the towering bookcases below.<\/p>\n

I have to confess, while being an avid reader, I mainly popped in to get out of the rain and an hour and a half later emerged back into the Inverness afternoon, holding my newly bought books and feeling like I stepped through the wardrobe out of Narnia.<\/p>\n

Leakey\u2019s alone is well worth the visit to Inverness – and you definitely won\u2019t leave empty handed.<\/p>\n

History of Leakey’s<\/p>\n