The Mill on the Fleet.

The Mill on the Fleet is a visitor centre in a restored 18th-century cotton mill. It hosts an annual programme of temporary exhibitions on two floors as well as core displays on the history and heritage of Gatehouse of Fleet and the Fleet Valley. The Gatehouse tourist information centre is based in the Mill, and the Mill also has a large shop showcasing regional arts and crafts, a large second-hand bookshop, and a café with a riverside terrace. The Mill hosts live music events, talks and festivals throughout the season.

The Mill on the Fleet project will use a range of tools to engage visitors with the literary heritage of the area. Packages will be provided for a range of different needs from fairly simple self-guided tours supported by printed trail leaflets to more immersive experiences provided by guides/specialists through booked packages.

The authors initially selected are Dorothy L. Sayers, who wrote Five Red Herrings while staying at the Anwoth Hotel in Gatehouse of Fleet; John Buchan and The Thirty-Nine Steps; S.R. Crockett and his Galloway tales; and Sir Walter Scott. The project will work closely with local accommodation providers and other partners to both market and to involve them in the provision of some of the packages, which will use local specialists to provide, for example, guided walks, tours of locations, special interest areas such as painting, the artistic heritage, historical context, flora and fauna, or local geography as reflected in the stories and their inspiration. The project is very modular and lends itself to trialling initial packages and adding new ones as they are developed.