New tour takes no prisoners

A new audio tour devised by Peterhead Prison Museum is taking no prisoners – but is taking visitors on a journey into the town’s past.

‘Peterhead Prison’ has been created by the team behind the museum, in collaboration with Geotourist, which sponsored the Innovation in Tourism category at this year’s Scottish Thistle Awards National Final, Scottish tourism’s premier awards ceremony.

National tourism body, VisitScotland, hopes the tour will encourage visitors to get out and explore the historical town and understand the stories, businesses and people who work and live in the area.

Nominations and entries are currently being sought for the 2018/19 Scottish Thistle Awards.

Beginning at South Breakwater – looking across the bay to the Breakwater which was built to create the “Harbour of Refuge” – the GPS audio Geotourist trail, featured on the Geotourist app, takes in Peterhead Port and Meethill Tower, before arriving at Peterhead Prison. It is narrated by staff member, Lorraine Murdoch.

The former HM Convict Prison at Peterhead, which sits within the Admiralty Gateway complex, took home the Innovation in Tourism award at the Aberdeen City and Shire Tourism Awards last year and represented the region at the Scottish Thistle Awards National Final held in March.

The four-star attraction offers visitors the “inside story” of the brave personnel that staffed the only convict prison in Scotland from August 1888 to December 2013. People can visit and interact with volunteer guides in period costumes and see the cells and other key components of this renowned complex.

Peterhead Prison Museum may not have won the national prize – losing out to Loch Earn Tourism Information BLiSS Trail – but it is hoping to win over visitors with its historical tour of the town.

Geotourist is delighted to be working in partnership with the five national finalists in its sponsored category from the 2017/18 awards, with tours and trails currently in production in every region in Scotland.

The Peterhead Prison Museum trail features:

• South Breakwater
• Peterhead Port
• Lido Car Park
• Meethill Tower
• Peterhead Prison

Jo Robinson, Regional Director at VisitScotland, said: “Peterhead Prison Museum already offers a fascinating and unique look at the prison’s role in the history of the town. We hope this complementary audio trail will inspire visitors to explore the surrounding area and delve deeper into Peterhead’s past, outside of the prison walls.

“Scotland’s reputation as a quality destination relies on continued investment and innovation, which is celebrated by the Scottish Thistle Awards, and trails such as this will only strengthen our world-class visitor experience.”

Alex Geddes, Operations Manager at Peterhead Prison Museum said, "It has been a great experience working with the team from Geotourist and we’re delighted to be a part of the whole innovative concept. We do all we can to make our visitors experience a memorable one and known this latest addition to our offering will play a significant part in that experience. We are currently developing a far larger model with the Geotourist team, which I hope will support a greater interest in exploring the whole town itself when visitors arrive to see our museum.”

Shaon Talukder, CEO at Geotourist said: “We are really pleased to work with Peterhead Prison Museum and have really enjoyed learning about the story behind the prison. This is great example of a historic venue telling its story beyond the walls of the threshold and giving context within the wider community and region.

“The trail encourages people to see more than just the prison and can also bring people on the rest of the trail to the prison depending on where they start. It is a great visitor experience told by the fabulous team at Peterhead. The world is full of fabulous untold stories that are only known by a few but should be shared by the many and we’re thrilled to be able to work with the team.”

The Scottish Thistle Awards rewards hotels, restaurants, B&Bs, visitor attractions, business and consumer events, and individuals who go that extra mile to provide customers with exceptional service. Last year’s competition saw a record-breaking 750 entries to the competition.

The Scottish Thistle Awards is led by a panel of industry experts from several organisations including VisitScotland, Aberdeen City and Shire Tourism Awards, Highlands & Islands Tourism Awards, the Hospitality Industry Trust Scotland, Scotland Food and Drink, Scottish Tourism Alliance, the Scottish Licensed Trade Association, sportscotland and Wild Scotland.

For more information on the Scottish Thistle Awards or to enter, go to www.scottishthistleawards.co.uk

To view the Peterhead Prison trail go to the Geotourist website https://geotourist.com/tours/1927ordownload the Geotourist app :
App Store - https://itunes.apple.com/ua/app/geotourist/id948290494?mt=8Google Play - https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.mlsdev.geotourist

ENDS