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It’s never too late to switch career paths. Plenty of people become lawyers in later life, or give up their desk job to pick up a pair of scrubs.
So, how about running a tourist attraction in Scotland made famous by Outlander?
Because if that sounds like your dream life, you might just want to check out this listing on Christie & Co.
Finnich Glen, dubbed Scotland’s “Grand Canyon”, has just gone up for sale. The 23-acre site centres on a sandstone gorge that reaches 80 feet deep in some spots.
Long a popular filming location, having appeared in King Arthur, Sherlock Holmes and Taggart, the glen shot to new-found levels of fame after The Devil’s Pulpit was used as the fictional St Ninian’s Spring in Outlander’s first season.
Located just 15 minutes south of Loch Lomond and 30 minutes north of Glasgow by car, around 70,000 people visit the glen each year. An added bonus for prospective buyers, the site has approved plans for a visitor centre with a café/restaurant, plus a dedicated car park and an event space, which would take the projected annual visitor number to more than 300,000.
Current owners David and Carole Young are selling up because they want to “pass the project onto somebody with the vision and enthusiasm to take it forward”.
“This opportunity will appeal to buyers who want to create a commercial business and unique visitor experience with national importance, against a stunning backdrop,” Mark Lavery, director of retail and leisure at Christie & Co, who is managing the sale process, said.
“Historically important, and already a tourist attraction with approved planning permission, the development opportunities are exciting, and we encourage interested parties to get in touch.”
Outlander’s impact on Scottish tourism
The Outlander book series follows Claire Randall, a British nurse who travels back in time to 18th-century Scotland after touching a stone circle while on her honeymoon in Inverness.
There, she meets Jamie Fraser, the dashing Highland warrior she initially clashes with before falling for.
Diana Gabaldon’s book series, having first been published in 1991, was already popular, but the TV adaptation, which ran from 2014 until earlier this year, took it to the next level.
The impact on Scottish tourism has been massive. While we can’t know the exact number of people heading to the country in the hopes of joining Clan Mackenzie, visitor numbers at attractions that feature in the show jumped by an average of 19%, according to Visit Scotland.
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