Abstract
Cateran Ecomuseum covers an area of approximately 1000 km² which forms a board transect
from lowland rural Tayside (Strathmore), across the glens and upland of north-eastern
Perthshire and western Angus, north to the southern Cairngorms (Figure 1). Established in
2018 as a social enterprise, it is Scotland’s second Ecomuseum (alongside Skye Ecomuseum)
and the only one on the mainland. This ‘museum without walls’ includes several thousand
known archaeological sites from all periods, set within some of the most spectacular
landscapes in Scotland. The Ecomuseum’s key objective is to “engage in activities to develop
public understanding and engagement with the arts, culture, history, natural and cultural
heritage” (see https://cateranecomuseum.co.uk/).
From the outset the Ecomuseum aims to engage both the people who live and work in the
area and visitors. Amongst the activities and outputs since its launch in 2019, are community
consultations on which sites should be promoted, a set of self-guided itineraries co-designed
with local people, a programme of live events and activities, the website portal and most
recently the launch of the ecomuseum hub in Alyth Museum (May 2022). It has chosen to
frame its visitor offer around an innovative regenerative / circular tourism approach, where
the visitor is encouraged to help ‘leave things better’ by engaging in activities that are
restorative, regenerative and re-use resources and which bring tangible and equitable benefit
to communities that live in and around the Ecomuseum.
This report summarises the results of the assessment which aims to support a programme of
archaeology and heritage activities. The project was funded by an award from the UHI
Knowledge Exchange and Innovation grant scheme in May 2021 and completed in June 2022.
A knowledge exchange weekend for the Board and UHI team, with site visits and a workshop,
was held on the 10-12 December 2021
from lowland rural Tayside (Strathmore), across the glens and upland of north-eastern
Perthshire and western Angus, north to the southern Cairngorms (Figure 1). Established in
2018 as a social enterprise, it is Scotland’s second Ecomuseum (alongside Skye Ecomuseum)
and the only one on the mainland. This ‘museum without walls’ includes several thousand
known archaeological sites from all periods, set within some of the most spectacular
landscapes in Scotland. The Ecomuseum’s key objective is to “engage in activities to develop
public understanding and engagement with the arts, culture, history, natural and cultural
heritage” (see https://cateranecomuseum.co.uk/).
From the outset the Ecomuseum aims to engage both the people who live and work in the
area and visitors. Amongst the activities and outputs since its launch in 2019, are community
consultations on which sites should be promoted, a set of self-guided itineraries co-designed
with local people, a programme of live events and activities, the website portal and most
recently the launch of the ecomuseum hub in Alyth Museum (May 2022). It has chosen to
frame its visitor offer around an innovative regenerative / circular tourism approach, where
the visitor is encouraged to help ‘leave things better’ by engaging in activities that are
restorative, regenerative and re-use resources and which bring tangible and equitable benefit
to communities that live in and around the Ecomuseum.
This report summarises the results of the assessment which aims to support a programme of
archaeology and heritage activities. The project was funded by an award from the UHI
Knowledge Exchange and Innovation grant scheme in May 2021 and completed in June 2022.
A knowledge exchange weekend for the Board and UHI team, with site visits and a workshop,
was held on the 10-12 December 2021
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Number of pages | 67 |
| Publication status | Published - 30 Sept 2022 |
