Castle is 'often mistaken for chateau'

Published on Tuesday 29 April 2008 10:13

EDINBURGH Castle was mistaken for a continental chateau in a survey of UK residents.

People were shown pictures of famous Scottish landmarks, including the Castle and Ben Nevis, and asked to say where they were.

But a surprising 56 per cent were unable to identify any of the country's best-known sights as being Scottish.

Nearly a quarter thought the Castle was a chateau somewhere in Europe.

A third of those questioned said a picture of Hadrian's Wall showed the Great Wall of China. And over half claimed Ben Nevis was Mount Everest, Mount Kilimanjaro or Table Mountain.

Even Scots found it difficult to identify some of the country's famous places, with 57 per cent failing to recognise Ben Nevis.

And the survey claims one in six Edinburgh residents did not recognise the Castle.

The survey, conducted for hotel chain Travelodge, claimed cheap foreign holidays were partly to blame for the widespread ignorance about the attractions of Scotland. But half those who took part said the reason they had not explored Scotland was the weather.

However, Travelodge forecast that things could improve.

A spokesman said: "With travellers tightening their purse strings due to the credit crunch, more of us will be staying within these shores to explore these locations."

The Castle along with the Palace of Holyroodhouse, the Forth bridges – and the Great Wall of China – feature in a new book, 1001 Historic Sites to See Before You Die.