Salmon Fishing Scotland Stanley Mills, Perthshire, Scotland.

Salmon Fishing Scotland Stanley Mills, Perthshire, Scotland.
Mills a ‘world class’ attraction

Stanley Mills has been transformed from an 18th century industrial hub to a 21st century visitor centre—now awarded coveted five star status.
A PERTHSHIRE tourist attraction opened just five months ago has been described as “exceptional and world class.”
And inspectors from VisitScotland have confer-red five-star status on the Stanley Mills complex.
The spectacular 18th century water mill on the banks of the River Tay near Perth has also beaten its visitor number targets for the whole season.
Independent quality assurance inspectors from VisitScotland examined every aspect of the visitor centre, from presentation and retail quality to the cleanliness of the toilets.
They then declared it “world class” and awarded the coveted five stars, which show potential visitors they can expect a great day out.
Kay Finlay is monument manager with Stanley Mills’ owners Historic Scotland.
“We are delighted at the news, especially as we have only been open such a short time,” she said.
“What makes it even better is that our latest figures show we have already beaten our target for visitor numbers with two and a half months to go before the season ends.
“A lot of care has gone into making sure that Stanley Mills is a really enjoyable place to come and the staff take a great deal of pride in making sure that everyone has a warm welcome.”
Ms Finlay added that there is something for everyone at the fledgling attraction.
“The feedback we have had from the public has been great,” she said.
“Children particularly like the interactive displays and especially the water wheels, which give them the chance to see water power in action.
“A lot of the mums who come along have commented on how much they like the audio recordings in the spinning rooms where they can hear about the lives of workers from the past.
“And we also notice that dads often spend quite a bit of time looking at some of the amazing machinery we have on display.”
Despite a challenging season for much of the tourism industry in Scotland, Stanley Mills had attracted 18,101 visitors by August 17. Its target was 18,000 by October 31.
Stanley Mills harnessed the power of the River Tay for cotton spinning.
The first mill was built in 1786 and the last commercial operations ended in 1989.
In 1995 the complex was purchased by Historic Scotland and the buildings are category A listed.