Highland tourist sign lists toilets as attractions

The bizarre sign was spotted in Dornoch, north of Inverness. Picture: Twitter

The bizarre sign in Dornoch, north of Inverness, has caused an online stir after it was posted on Twitter and retweeted by Ian Rankin.

The town boasts among its real attractions a cathedral and the Royal Dornoch championship golf course.

Despite that, the brown tourist sign points visitors towards the toilets, doctor, museum and an abattoir.

Even if tourists wanted to visit the abattoir, they would discover that it is in the process of being demolished.

A photo was posted by Jon Palmer from The Cheese House Cromarty who tweeted: “Market day tomorrow in the town that has all bases covered when it comes to tourist attractions.”

The tweet quickly drew online comments and was even retweeted by Scots crime writer Ian Rankin.

Stephen Foster asked: “Sweeney Todd lives anywhere nearby?”

Malcolm Ramsay said:“A trip to Dornoch? It’s kill or cure...”

While Page van der Linden insisted: “There should be a sign for ‘pub’ too.”

Gavin Sutherland of Gavin’s Traditional Butchers based in the nearby retail park said yesterday of the abbatoir: “It’s been knocked to the ground. They are demolishing it as we speak.

“It’s been derelict for four or five years.”

He continued: “There was asbestos in it. They started at the end of January and are taking it apart bit by bit with a digger. “

Brown tourist signpost are scattered throughout the country pointing the way to things such as World Heritage Sites, battlefields and whisky trails.

The VisitScotland guidelines for what can be listed on an official brown signpost states: “It is not possible or desirable for every tourist facility to obtain signs, as it is in no-one’s interest to have a large number of irrelevant signs across Scotland.”