Plans for a dozen new interpretation panels for one of Scotland’s most popular visitor hotspots have been submitted to Highland Council by Skye Ecomuseum.
Known as Druim Nan Linntean (Ridge of Ages), Skye Ecomuseum has ‘no walls and a roofless sky.’
The interpretation panels are part of Phase 2 of a £522,000 Heritage Lottery funded project which includes the construction of a viewing platform at Lealt Gorge, building new footpaths, informative way markers, and a central Staffin orientation point.
Plans are also in for large welcome panels at three entry points to the Ecomuseum.
The local community has had full involvement in the wording on the panels, with text designed to help visitors understand more about the crofting and culture of the area.
The panels will be forged in by Glasgow Sculpture Studio out of cor-ten steel, an alloy which weathers with a stable rust-like finish.
They will be designed by Lateral North, also of Glasgow.
The existing interpretation boards will be taken down and stored until a further use can be found for them.
Angus Murray is programme manager for the Ecomuseum.
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He said: “We’re trying to encourage visitors not to just see visits to Staffin as a fun opportunity to go to iconic locations like the Old Man of Storr and Quiraing but to be informed more about other things to see in the area, like the diatomite industry of the area for example, or where visitors find themselves on common grazings, to give them an insight into crofting.
“Volunteers in the community have carried out a lot of work to understand how visitors use these locations, which has informed our interpretation strategy.
“The language used will be family-friendly and also cater for and promote the Gaelic speaking side of the community, so that visitors have a bit more knowledge about the human history of this area.”
Mr Murray said a group of Instagram ‘influencers’ had been invited to Staffin with a view to finding creative ways to encourage visitors to the area.
He said: “When a photo by an excellent photographer is shared on social media, the content is something that visitors will see as one of the top images and it can be used to influence visitors in how they view the place, so we can encourage visitors to slow down by using hashtags like #roamresponsibly for example.”
The Ecomuseum will shortly be launching its own website, also part of the Phase 2 funding package.