Pitlochry Dam and Fish Ladder
About
The hydro dam that holds back Loch Faskally, about 350 metres from the station as the crow flies, and the way most visitors cross the river to the theatre side. SSE runs a visitor centre on the town side, with exhibitions on the Tummel Valley hydro scheme and on the salmon, plus a cafe and shop. SSE says the station started generating in 1950 and is one of nine in the Tummel Valley scheme. Beside it, the fish ladder is a staircase of pools that lets salmon climb past the dam; SSE describes 34 of them and says more than 250,000 salmon have used it since it was built in 1952. You can walk across the top of the dam to the theatre side. Inside the centre a live camera looks into one of the pools. The run is seasonal, so on a given day there may be nothing to see; ask at the desk.
Photos
Highlights
- ✓The 34-pool salmon ladder beside the dam
- ✓Walk across the dam to the theatre side
- ✓Exhibitions on hydro power and the salmon life cycle
- ✓Cafe and shop in the visitor centre
Tips
- →The visitor centre says it closes on Mondays from 14 September and opens Tuesday to Sunday, 10:00 to 16:30. It asks you to phone 01796 484111 before travelling a distance, because hours can change.
- →The centre car park has a two-hour limit; the centre points to a long-stay car park at Pitlochry Business Centre.
- →The access road on Armoury Road is not suitable for large buses because of the height limit at the bridge, per the centre.