A museum without walls
Set in the beautiful and dramatic landscapes
of Cateran Country, all our sites are outside.
About the Cateran Ecomuseum
The Cateran Ecomuseum is an outstanding new cultural destination in Scotland’s Tay Country.
Designed to reveal the hidden heritage of this captivating part of Perthshire and Angus by the community who live there, the Cateran Ecomuseum tells the story of its people, places and landscapes.
It’s easy to visit the Cateran Ecomuseum
Getting here and travelling around
The Cateran Ecomuseum is close to both the cities of Perth and Dundee and on the way to the Cairngorms National Park. The SnowRoads Scenic Route runs through it. This centrality gives us great links to Scotland’s other three major cities – Aberdeen, Edinburgh and Glasgow.
You can take the train as far as Dundee and Perth and the No 57 Bus serves Alyth and Blairgowrie.
You can take Ember’s electric bus service between Edinburgh, Dundee and Perth and Kinross.
There is a well connected road network across the Ecomuseum area and walking and cycling routes abound, including the Cateran Trail, one of Scotland’s great long distance footpaths.
Walk
The Cateran Ecomuseum traverses Perthshire, Angus and the southern edge of the Cairngorms National Park, encompassing millions of years of geological history and thousands of years of human history. We’ve designed a series of walks in different locations, which you can find out about through this portal.
Cycle
Whether you are looking for something demanding or easygoing, cycling through the Cateran Ecomuseum's beautiful landscapes and hidden histories offers new ways of seeing both the past and the present. We've designed a series of cycle rides in different locations, which you can find out about through this portal.
Drive
Picturesque roads and historic routes criss cross the Cateran Ecomuseum region and include the Snow Roads Scenic Route through some of the most outstanding landscapes in the Eastern Cairngorms. We've designed a series of drives through different locations, which you can find out about through this portal.
The Cateran Ecomuseum’s vision
To enable holistic, democratic and sustainable involvement with culture, history and heritage
AND OUR MISSION IS TO:
- Engage in activities to develop public understanding and engagement with the arts, culture, history, natural and cultural heritage of the Community Council areas of Alyth, Blairgowrie & Rattray, Coupar Angus & Bendochy, Meigle, Mount Blair and Kirriemuir Landward West through the establishment, development and maintenance of The Cateran Ecomuseum.
- Support individuals and organisations involved in the establishment, development and maintenance of The Cateran Ecomuseum.
Originating in France in the 1970’s Ecomuseums focus on the identity of a place with the term “éco” being a shortened form for “écologie”. Still a relatively new concept, there are around 300 worldwide and only one other in Scotland, on Skye.
Set in specific landscapes, they offer:
- A unique mechanism for community engagement with heritage – empowering people to manage their own heritage by taking an active role in preserving the objects, sites and cultural practices they value.
- A frame for a much more holistic interpretation of cultural heritage, quite different to the focus on specific items and objects, performed by traditional museums whose collections are sited inside a building.
- An unusual focus for the development of sustainable cultural tourism.