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Daily Record
Daily Record
National
Gary Armstrong & Sean Murphy

Edinburgh Castle staff hit back after tourist complains visit was a 'waste of money'

It's one of Scotland's most famous visitor attractions with millions of tourists flocking to the capital every year to see it.

Edinburgh Castle is beaten out only by the National Museum of Scotland in terms of popularity and if you ask anyone to name a famous landmark in Scotland, the chances are the iconic stronghold will be the first name on their lips.

In fact, on the review site TripAdvisor, over 50,000 reviews have given it an average rating of 4.5 out of 5.

But it appears one visitor just wasn't such a big fan – if their review is anything to go by.

Giving Edinburgh Castle just 1 out of 5 stars after their trip, they rated it as 'terrible', adding that they felt they had been at a different castle to the one described in the majority of positive reviews.

They also described the experience as 'such a disappointment' and a 'waste of money'.

The visitor also recounted previous trips to other castles and said they expected more from Edinburgh. Furthermore, they claimed they still wouldn't have been happy even if they were paid the £15 entry fee to visit the landmark.

Historic Environment Scotland staff hit back to say: "We believe there are a wealth of things to see and do at the Castle."

The tourist's scathing review said: "Waste of money!

"After having read some of the other reviews, I feel like I have visited a different castle to all of these people because I was significantly disappointed, me and my friends organised a number of hours in our itinerary for the castle because of all the reviews speaking so highly however, we spent 30 minutes maximum in the castle.

"From castles I had previously visited I was expecting to see bedrooms, kitchens and libraries set up in their original form but I was significantly disappointed to be met by a number of small rooms where you were forced through without the chance to read any of the information given as you felt you were holding up the queue.

"If I had been paid £15 to visit, I still would have felt it was a waste of time, the only highlight was the views you were met by from the Castle!"

A response from Historic Scotland defended the Castle and what's on offer to see there, and said: "Thank you for your feedback regarding your recent visit to Edinburgh Castle. We are disappointed to hear you did not enjoy your visit.

"We believe there are a wealth of things to see and do at the castle. From the Crown Jewels, The One o'clock gun and the Prisons of War to the National War Museum of Scotland, unrivalled views of the city, the Royal Palace and St Margaret’s Chapel.

"We have also introduced scannable interpretation for areas of the castle we haven't been able to re-open yet.

"Thank you again for your review."

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