Tourists flocking to a new Perthshire visitor attraction have helped it smash its target for its opening year.
The visitor centre at Pitlochry dam expected to welcome 88,000 in 2017, but has already seem 75,000 people pass through the doors in the first six months.
It showcases the great engineering feats of the early hydro projects, the benefits to society of bringing power to the glens and the story of how salmon navigate their way through SSE’s dams and fish ladders.
Local councillor Mike Williamson, who recently got married at the visitor centre, said: “It’s brilliant that so many people are coming to visit — I think it’s tremendous for Pitlochry and for Perthshire.
“I would imagine that it’s encouraging people to spend more time in the town, which is no bad thing in itself.
“It’s a fantastic centre and has a lot of flexibility — I was sceptical about it as a wedding venue at first, but it was brilliant. The views over the dam are fantastic. It’s a good asset for the community.”
To help celebrate the early visitor numbers, UK Government Minister for Scotland, Lord Ian Duncan, joined SSE’s Head of Heritage Gillian O’Reilly for a tour of the centre.
Lord Duncan said: “I first visited Pitlochry dam and power station on a school trip back in 1983. The sheer beauty of the scenery and the power of the dam stuck with me all those years. Scotland was a pioneer in hydro energy then, and it is heartening to see SSE continue to invest strongly in Pitlochry.
“The new visitor centre — only seven months old — is already proving to be a serious attraction in its own right, drawing visitors from all over Scotland, the UK and beyond. As the UK continues to confront the challenges of climate change, it is good to know that innovations are taking place right in the heart of Perthshire.”
SSE head of heritage, Gillian O’Reilly, is delighted with the centre’s first six months.
She said: “The visitor numbers are beating all expectations and we’re on course to surpass our full year target in the first seven months.
“On top of the great visitor numbers we’ve received a lot of positive feedback from the local community and guests alike.”
