A little bit about us and where to find us.
ASGARD CRAFTS, Jim and how it all began ...
Jim started making reproduction artefacts in 1999. Whilst working at the world-renowned Jorvik Viking centre he got to spend a long time looking at the original finds and wanted copies of these for his re-enactment hobby. Alas, many of these wonderful items were difficult to obtain, so he made it his own personal mission to learn how to make them for himself. He found his background in archaeology immensely helpful in undertaking his first project: a set of folding trader’s scales. Soon a toilet set and a ring pin followed and his new project was a Viking comb.
Through trial and error and a lot of hard work, Jim managed to make his first comb and in the process brought to life the ancient art of comb making. He has lost count in recent years of how many he has made, we estimate in excess of 100.
Soon, fellow re-enactors and colleagues from the Viking centre had seen his work and he was getting bombarded with orders to make more for them. And so, in 2002 we founded Asgard Crafts. Very quickly, it went from a part time hobby to a full time business. We realised very quickly that to do justice to our work, we had to be 100% behind the business and thus it took over as the “day job.”
So, here we are in 2007 with a great range of reproduction items and a shiny new website. We have been very busy over the last few years and Jim has spent a lot of time learning new skills. Those of you who have been with us from the start will see that we now produce a range of Viking silver and that our range of pewter is growing rapidly. Who’d have thought that a teenage passion for re-modelling war-gaming miniatures would come in handy in later years when carving intricate masters for all our cast items?
An exciting area of the business is museum work. It is such a wonderful experience to create a replica that will be seen by thousands of people. Our latest project involved a horse bridle, which is now on display in the Manx museum in the Isle of Man.
The Viking, Saxons and Picts are our passion, so if you want something that we don’t do, please contact us. It’s always nice challenge to make something new, and bring some more of our past to life in this new millennium.
So, just how do you find us and where on earth is Asgard Crafts...
Asgard Crafts is situated near the village of Lochcarron in Wester Ross, on the west coast of Scotland.
From Fort William and the south, follow the A82 north and then take the A87, following signs for the Isle of Skye. About 5 miles before the Skye bridge, take the right turning at Auchtertyre - the A890, and follow that for about 20 miles. Cross the railway at Strathcarron, and at the next junction, turn left. We are about 1/2 a mile from the junction on the right hand side of the road.
From the west - follow signs for Lochcarron and we are about 1 mile out of the village once you have passed through, on the left.
From the Isle of Skye, follow the main road out of Kyle for around 5 miles and then take the A890 left turn just after Auchtertyre. Follow for 20 miles, cross the railway at Strathcarron and go left at the next junction. We're about 1/2 a mile on the right.
From Inverness head north up the A9 and at the Tore roundabout, take the A835 and follow the signs for Ullapool. Keep following signs for Ullapool and just after the village of Garve there is a left turning - the A832. Take this road and follow it for around 20 miles to the village of Achnasheen. Here take the left turning at the roundabout and follow the A890 for around 20 miles. You will find us on the right hand side of the road about 1 mile after the Welcome to Loch Carron signs. If you reach the village, you've missed us.
Travel times - (approx)
Fort William - 2 hours
Inverness - 1 hour 15 mins
Dingwall - 1 hour
Kyle of Lochalsh and the Skye Bridge - 30 mins
Portree -1 hour 30 mins
Applecross - 30 mins
What else is there to do in the area?
Visit Alex Ingram's website for fantastic Locharron pics of the day!
http://www.lochcarron.tv/default.asp
The Lochcarron Hotel for good food and accommodation
http://www.lochcarronhotel.com
The Rockvilla Hotel for good food and accommodation
http://www.rockvilla-hotel.co.uk
Both hotels have live music on a regular basis and Jim can be found playing in the session at the 'Rock' on the 1st and 3rd Fridays in the month and the 'Loch' on the 2nd and 4th Thursdays.
You can see him and the rest of the musicians in action on YouTube
Come along and enjoy!
Lochcarron also boasts a first rate shinty team. Shinty is a fun sport to watch and you can usually see a match on a Saturday afternoon down at Battery Park in Lochcarron Village. Visit the team's website for more information.
http://www.lochcarronshinty.org.uk/index.htm