Last dance beckons for Waltzing Waters

A POPULAR Highland tourist attraction is to close next week after more than 20 years.

The Waltzing Waters musical fountain and light show has been a feature in Newtonmore since 1989 and has attracted an estimated 1.6 million visitors.

Today, the Cairngorms National Park Authority is expected to back a move to turn the site in the village’s main street into a supermarket and housing.

The attraction, which has ten staff, will close on 26 August, with the equipment to be used in a new venture in County Kerry.

Owner Alex Donald opened Waltzing Waters ten years after deciding a new attraction was needed to draw visitors into Newtonmore after it was by-passed by the re-routed A9 trunk road in 1979.

He hit on the idea of a musical fountain and light show after seeing a similar attraction while on holiday in Florida.

Mr Donald, 63, is now retiring and part of the site will be taken over by the Co-op for a new store.

He said: “There is a purpose for the fountain and a purpose for the site, both of which will bring in rent.

“Newtonmore gets a new supermarket, Ireland gets a new attraction, and I get to retire.”

The Co-op will shut its existing store in Newtonmore when the new store opens, transferring all the staff and creating ten more jobs.