As a child, I went on many family caravan and camping adventures. One regular haunt was the site at Faskally, just outside the Perthshire tourist town of Pitlochry. I therefore got to know the place very well and have returned several times in my adult life. Not much more than an hour's drive up the M90 and A9 from Fife, Pitlochry makes for a good day trip and offers tourists a Highland experience. My mum has always loved the atmosphere of the town and local area. She suggested we head up for a look at the newly opened Dam Centre - where an interactive exhibition tells the story of hydroelectric power generation. Being an industrial heritage fanatic and lover of museums, I didn't take much persuading.
We set off early on a Sunday morning and cruised up the A9. Mum knows every bend on this road as my folks formerly had a static caravan up in Dornoch, Sutherland. We rolled into Pitlochry and located the centre adjacent to the dam itself. A new car park had handily been constructed a mere 50 yards away from the front door. The exhibition was free to enter and the building also contains a café and shop. Some information boards and video screens were on display near the entrance but the bulk of the material was arranged on the lower floor. The generating station at Pitlochry is part of the wider Tummel Valley hydroelectric scheme. Frequent rainfall running off the mountains makes Scotland an ideal place to utilise this technology. Engineers designed the process so that water cascades through a series of reservoirs and turbines. Therefore the same resource can generate power up to five times on its way to the lowest point. Following early attempts in the 1930s, the technology really got off the ground in the 50s and the North of Scotland Hydroelectric Board was established. These were the days when the country's energy needs were met by the public sector. Don't think for one moment that the "not in my back yard" argument is a new concept. The exhibition displayed various letters from disgruntled residents and some of the concerns were not without merit. How would the salmon population be affected by industrial scale damming? Would these huge civil engineering projects spoil the scenery and deter tourism? To allay these fears, architects designed the installations to look pleasing and would often clad them in local stone. The Pitlochry dam featured a public walkway and viewpoint. Provision for the fish came in the form of a salmon ladder with 34 pools, which incorporated observation windows so visitors could witness the part of the phenomenal journey to the spawning grounds first hand. The gallery had hand-crank generators to keep kids (and many adults) amused and we watched a film about the development of the power scheme. I learned electrical facts I had long since forgotten since studying Higher physics 30-odd years ago. Voltage measures the oomph behind the current, rather like water pressure. Therefore increasing this measure allows you to force more electricity down the same wire. This in turn means you can site the generating station further away from the end users and zap the current down to where it's needed.
Harnessing energy is always more complex than the theory. Existing global needs could be met 10,000 times over from the solar rays that hit the planet but the current technology (no pun intended) allows only a tiny fraction of this potential resource is harvested. Wind turbines have popped up all over the place and now supply 60% of our renewable energy production - but of course the wind doesn't blow equally hard all the time. It cannot therefore be guaranteed to satisfy peak-time demands and back up sources will be required for some time yet. Dare I say we'll never be free of fossil fuels and nuclear for the foreseeable future? Biomass takes an increasing share of the load and makes use of by-products that were lying around anyway, but the overall green credentials don't necessarily stack up. Hydro can be regulated in a steady flow and doesn't involve any burning. I'm also very interested in the social side of industrial history and the museum didn't disappoint in this respect. Plenty of tales of the "tunnel tigers" were supplied. They were the men who carried out the risky excavation of passageways to carry the torrents. Health & Safety was of course more lax back then and these workers - although rewarded with a handsome pay packet - faced many dangers. I purchased a book from the shop, written by a tunnel tiger and I'm looking forward to reading his first-hand account. After completing the exhibition, mum and I ordered lunch in the café and found a seat by the large windows overlooking the dam. My haggis ciabatta went down a treat and it was a nice way to round off an enjoyable morning. I suggested we take a run along to the Queen's View - just a few miles distant on Loch Tummel. With the famous mountain Schiehallion looming in the background, the vista is one of the most photographed scenes in Scotland. Queen Victoria visited the area in 1866 and one theory states the viewpoint was named after the long-serving monarch. Others insist Queen Isabella - wife of Robert the Bruce - was the inspiration behind the name. Either way, it's a lovely spot and the site features a visitors centre and restaurant, all closed today due to a lack of personnel. At least it meant there was no possibility of the parking charges being enforced!
On the way there and back, we passed Faskally Caravan Park where I had spent so many happy holidays. Many of my best childhood memories are from camping and caravanning trips. The site nowadays is dominated by static vans and mum said no tents were permitted these days. Having also spent countless nights at the family static in Embo (and later Monifieth), I appreciate the comforts of a fully plumbed-in van with all the electric mod-cons. No need to fetch fresh water and lug the waste container to the disposal point (let's not even mention the chemical loo!). That said, I'm grateful we experienced these breaks without being glued to a TV screen and instead enjoyed many board and card games. We always had the radio and newspapers to keep us informed about events in the wider world. Camping is even more of a back-to-basics way of living for a few days. At least that's the theory. I have seen families erecting portable satellite dishes and unpacking a microwave oven from the car boot. Me? I was always happier with my wind-up wireless while a tin of soup was cooking on the gas stove.
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