The National Museum of Scotland maintained its place as the most popular attraction in Scotland, according to the latest figures from the Association of Leading Visitor Attractions (ALVA) released this week.
While 10 out of the top 11 attractions were in London, led by the British Museum with 5,820,860 visitors in 2023, Scotland performed well with six of the ten most popular places outwith the British capital - led by the National Museum of Scotland, Edinburgh Castle and the National Gallery of Scotland.
But the list also shows the many fascinating and amazing things that fewest people see - with Scotland having eight out of the 10 least visited attractions in the UK.
From remote islands to the birthplaces of some of Scotland's most famous names, here are the top (bottom?) ten.
1. Moirlanich Longhouse
Described as a "beautifully conserved cruck-framed byre dwelling nestled in Glen Lochay", Moirlanich Longhouse only had 1,052 visitors in 2023 - but that was still up six per cent from the year before. It's came bottom of the UK-wide list. | NTS
2. Souter Johnnie's Cottage
Souter Johnnie's Cottage was the home of the cobbler immortalised in the Robert Burns poem Tam o’ Shanter. Located in the Ayrshire village of Kirkoswald, entry is free and gives you the chance to see the workshop of an 18th-century shoemaker. It attracted a total of 1,061 visitors last year. | NTS
3. Robert Smail's Printing Works
Robert Smail's Printing Works, located in the Borders town of Innerleithen, is the oldest working commercial letterpress printers in the UK. The 'living museum of Victorian history' offers the chance to try your hand at being an apprentice compositor in the caseroom. A total of 1,453 people explored Robert Smail’s office in 2023 - up nine per cent from the year before. | NTS
4. Thomas Carlyle's Birthplace
Located in the village of Ecclefechan, near Lockerbie, Thomas Carlyle's Birthplace is the childhood home of one of Victorian Scotland's leading essayists, historians, and philosophers. You can see many artifacts relating to his life, including his cradle and writing desk, before visiting his grave in the nearby Ecclefechan churchyard. It had 1,458 visitors in 2024, up a remarkable 258 per cent. | NTS