5 Stars Awarded to Crannog Centre

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5 Stars Awarded to Crannog Centre

Scotland’s unique cultural icon, the Scottish Crannog Centre by Kenmore, Loch Tay has just been awarded the prestigious 5 Star grading from VisitScotland. The Centre is the 55th visitor attraction in Scotland to receive the 5 star award out of more than 350 registered attractions, and it is only the fifth in Perthshire, joining ranks with Blair Castle, Dewar's World of Whisky, the Famous Grouse Experience, and the House of Bruar.

The country’s only authentic re-creation of an Iron Age loch-dwelling was built by The Scottish Trust for Underwater Archaeology based directly on its excavations in Loch Tay and on more than 20 years of research. The development began as an archaeological experiment, but the team always intended to use the crannog as a living educational resource as well as the focal point of a unique visitor centre.

The authenticity of the site is underpinned by the continuing direction and research by the same archaeologists who built it, which together with a ‘hands-on’ approach for the public has proved to be a winning combination.

Frequently filmed for television documentaries and both educational and holiday programmes, the Crannog enjoys an international reputation, attracting specialists and visitors alike from all over the world, and a number of dignitaries have visited including His Royal Highness, the Prince of Wales.

The Centre's creators, underwater archaeologists Dr Nicholas Dixon, Research Fellow at Edinburgh University and Ms Barrie Andrian, Managing Director at the Scottish Crannog Centre, are delighted with the award. "Since beginning with the Crannog as a stand-alone exhibit, we have grown year on year, always trying to improve our facilities and interpretation", said Dr Dixon."We are grateful to all of our supporters over the years who must join us in taking pride in this achievement. "

Ms Andrian added, "This is a wonderful tribute to all our team who were particularly commended for their welcoming approach and their well-informed and enthusiastic presentations. We hope that this award will have a positive knock-on effect for the whole community, helping to make the wider Loch Tay and Aberfeldy area a 5 star destination."

Team Success

The top award from Scotland's national tourism agency is a quality award, recognizing excellent standards, facilities, services to visitors, and best practice. Robert Cullen of VisitScotland's Quality Assurance unit said, "The team at the Crannog Centre work tirelessly to ensure that visitors get the most from their experience, and also offer a full programme of special events throughout the year. This is a very special Scottish attraction and is well-deserving of this 5 star award."

His views were echoed by Vicki Miller, Area Director of VisitScotland Perthshire (formerly Perthshire Tourist Board), who said " The team at the Scottish Crannog Centre work very hard to offer visitors a unique quality experience and I am delighted that their passion, creativity, and enthusiasm has been recognized with this 5 star award. It is also great news for Perthshire. As a destination we want to increase our share of visitors to Scotland, and improving the quality of visitor experience we offer will ensure that we realize this ambition.

Meanwhile, the underwater research on which the Crannog Centre is based continues apace. Following this summer's activities in Loch Tay and further afield, the team is looking forward to significantly enhancing the exhibition with several new discoveries and an expanded events programme for next year.

Now the Crannog Crew is gearing up for celebrating Scottish Archaeology Month throughout September, including an event on September 11th offering would-be underwater archaeologists the chance to learn the basics in the Aberfeldy Recreation Centre's swimming pool.