A HIGHLAND visitor centre at the heart of Scotland’s Jacobite history is to get a £6 million overhaul as it struggles to cope with huge crowds drawn by Harry Potter tourism and the famous Glenfinnan Viaduct.
Glenfinnan Monument, built as a tribute to the 1745 Jacobite uprising and the clans who rallied to support Bonnie Prince Charlie, now attracts around 660,000 visitors a year.
The National Trust for Scotland (NTS), which runs the site, has appointed Edinburgh and Inverness-based LDN Architects to lead plans to “transform” the facilities.
The current visitor centre was designed in the 1960s to accommodate about 100,000 people a year, but numbers have soared with visitors to the nearby viaduct since the Harry Potter books and films were released.
The Glenfinnan Viaduct, used on screen as the route of the Hogwarts Express, and the Jacobite Steam Train from Fort William to Mallaig now draw “hordes of tourists” hoping to see trains cross the bridge.
Clea Warner, NTS regional director for the Highlands and Islands, said: “After many years working with the Glenfinnan community on visitor management, and after undertaking a consultation exercise with the people who live here and the tourists who come here, we are now moving forward with a project to redevelop our charity’s Glenfinnan visitor facilities.
“This isn’t about attracting more visitors, but better serving the visitors we already welcome. Our often-crowded facilities can result in challenging conditions for our visitors, our staff and our community. We want to change that and become a place that thrives rather than copes and inspires rather than processes its visitors.
“Our charity’s core purpose has always been to care for Scotland’s incredible landscapes and share the stories that make them so special. Glenfinnan Monument was one of the first places we acquired in the 1930s.
“While it remains the same wee historic gem, tourism has evolved a lot here in the last 90 years and we’ve adapted along the way. As the trust moves toward our centenary in 2031, this major project will ensure we can welcome and connect with future visitors in a more sustainable way.”
Local residents and NTS have repeatedly warned about hazardous conditions caused by dangerous roadside parking, traffic jams and the sheer volume of vehicles heading into the glen.
Hege Hernes, curator of the Glenfinnan Station Museum, said last year: “Lots of people want to come to Glenfinnan, but they are all coming at the same time. There is not enough space.”
As part of the redevelopment, NTS and community partners are looking at an off-site mobility or park-and-ride hub “to encourage sustainable travel”, providing more visitor parking and easing pressure on the village.
Ingrid Henderson, chairwoman of the Glenfinnan Community Facilities SCIO, said: “This is an important step forward in cohesive efforts to improve the visitor and resident experience in Glenfinnan.
“We will continue to work closely with the trust to ensure that their visitor centre redevelopment, and our project to create a park-and-ride and active travel facility, deliver a great step forward for tourists while also reducing the impact popularity has on the daily lives of local people.”
LDN partner Stuart MacKellar said the commission was a “complex design challenge”, adding: “We see it as both a privilege and a responsibility to develop proposals that deliver real change for the community and the visitor in a way that responds sensitively to Glenfinnan’s remarkable landscape and heritage.”
The 18-metre (60ft) monument, designed by James Gillespie Graham and topped by a lone kilted Highlander, looks out over Loch Shiel in memory of the clansmen who died in the Jacobite uprisings.
