After discovering Pitlochry Dam wasn’t far from where I was recently holidaying in Scotland, I was keen to discard my professional hat and view the experience through the eyes of a member of the public.
And it didn’t disappoint.
When it first opened on 30 January 2017, the centre hoped to draw 88,000 visitors per year but welcomed 125,000 visitors in the first year alone. Since then, it has played host to an average of 110,000 guests annually, welcoming its millionth visitor on 16 October 2025.
Gillian O’Reilly, Head of Heritage for dam owner SSE, says the company is proud of such an achievement: “The irony is when plans for the hydro scheme at Pitlochry were first unveiled, some critics feared it could lead to the ‘ruination of tourism’,” she added. “In fact, the opposite has proven true. People the world over are fascinated by hydro heritage and all that comes with it.”
Vicki Miller, VisitScotland Chief Executive agrees that Pitlochry Dam Visitor Centre “has been an excellent addition to Perthshire’s tourism offering”. It has even won a Gold Standard Green Tourism Award.
“To have welcomed a million visitors in such a short time is a fantastic achievement. These visitors, whether here for a day or longer all help contribute to our valuable visitor economy, supporting jobs and communities right across Perthshire,” she says.
Recent revamp
The 145m long, 16m high dam and 15MW hydropower station at Pitlochry were completed in 1951. One of nine power plants, it forms part of the Tummel Valley Hydro Scheme which was started in the 1930s and collects water from the 1800km2 of the Grampian Mountains – one of the first areas in Scotland to be developed for hydropower.
Keen to highlight the achievements of its hydro predecessors, SSE’s visitor centre tells the story of how electricity was brought to the Highlands of Scotland in the 1940s. In just a few decades hydropower helped transform the way people lived in this remote region, and by 1950 half of highland homes used electricity for cooking.
In an effort to continue appealing to returning visitors, the centre underwent a recent revamp. SSE wanted to also showcase the work of today’s hydro heroes and demonstrated how modern day hydro takes a sustainable approach ad endeavours to work with surrounding nature. The company has invested in different media types to appeal to all ages. New exhibits include:
- Two new case studies demonstrating how SSE has created safe environments for neighbouring ospreys and bumble bees.
- Three new interactive games designed for all the family including Biodiversity Net Gain, Building a Transmission Line and Keeping the Lights On.
- Colourful wall mural with content for younger visitors around biodiversity and transmission landscapes.
- Map showing transmission network developments to 2030.
Salmon’s story
The clean, cold and fast-flowing shallow waters of Scottish rivers are ideal for salmon, and that’s why the 310m fish ladder at Pitlochry Dam which has 34 pools, is an integral part of the scheme.
A new salmon observation has also been built to increase public accessibility and improve educational and observational opportunities here. Construction group Story was appointed as the main contractor for this observation point which comprises four stainless-steel totems, and was designed by Edinburgh based company, Bright.
In addition to the stainless-steel totems which provide detailed information on the lifecycle of salmon and how the fish ladder works, a new circular concrete seating area at the centre of the viewing point provides visitors with spectacular views of Pitlochry Dam. Here visitors can also watch live footage from underwater cameras and view fish counter statistics.
As Ewan McCarthy, Creative Director for Bright explains, the observation point provides an important focal point combining 3D, graphic and audiovisual elements. The design team worked hard to develop something unique that would sit well in such a prominent outdoor location, but which also needed to be robust, eye-catching and engaging for a wide audience.
As a visitor to the facility I can vouch that it was indeed educational and intriguing. Groups of visitors, the majority of whom were from oversea countries such as the US, Japan and Europe, were huddled around to watch the live salmon feed. Little cheers went up whenever they appeared.
SSE says the first fish count took pace in 1952 and since then the number of fish has ranged from 2000 to 12,000 a year, with an average of about 4500 a year going upstream. As of the end of May 2026, 922 salmon had made their way to the top of the ladder so far that year – 22 of them while I was visiting.
Plenty of walking routes guide you around the picturesque area surrounding the dam, where you can also catch glimpses of fisherman and kayakers enjoying the recreational opportunities it offers. However, access to the actual facility does seem to be the biggest draw for visitors. Maintenance work had closed access to the top of the dam until 6pm on the day of my visit, and I was amazed to see groups of people queuing and waiting for it to reopen so they could walk across.
And yes, I was one of them.
