View Full Version : How to confuse tourists!
Murdina Bug
09-Oct-08, 10:26
I was googling for something completely different but came across this description of Caithness on the Tourist Information Centre website http://www.touristinformationcentres.com/county.php?county=14
Do you recognise the place? I think the author has not been here....
'Caithness can be found in extreme North/East of Scotland - Scotland's Northern Wilderness. As part of the Highlands of Scotland, this county naturally comes equipped with breathtaking beauty, spectacular mountains, majestic glens and mirror-like lochs that form the perfect backdrop to picturesque towns, isolated crofts, towering castles and pagoda-topped distilleries. A stunning variety of wildlife also makes its home in the sea-lochs and glens. Caithness is a bird watching paradise with birds of many species on the cliffs and inland on the bog or farming countryside. This is a unique county, framed by the sea on two sides and the mountains of Sutherland on the third. Even today it has a strong identity, which looks northward to Orkney and Shetland as much as South to the Highlands. Caithness has over 4000 monuments dating from Prehistoric right up the more recent Highland Clearances era. Most are virtually unvisited due to the remoteness of the region, the joy of this being that most of Caithness is unspoilt. The castles and monument sites are all free and are usually found on spectacular coastal sites or near waterways and in the low hills.'
I was googling for something completely different but came across this description of Caithness on the Tourist Information Centre website http://www.touristinformationcentres.com/county.php?county=14
Do you recognise the place? I think the author has not been here....
'Caithness can be found in extreme North/East of Scotland - Scotland's Northern Wilderness. As part of the Highlands of Scotland, this county naturally comes equipped with breathtaking beauty, spectacular mountains, majestic glens and mirror-like lochs that form the perfect backdrop to picturesque towns, isolated crofts, towering castles and pagoda-topped distilleries. A stunning variety of wildlife also makes its home in the sea-lochs and glens. Caithness is a bird watching paradise with birds of many species on the cliffs and inland on the bog or farming countryside. This is a unique county, framed by the sea on two sides and the mountains of Sutherland on the third. Even today it has a strong identity, which looks northward to Orkney and Shetland as much as South to the Highlands. Caithness has over 4000 monuments dating from Prehistoric right up the more recent Highland Clearances era. Most are virtually unvisited due to the remoteness of the region, the joy of this being that most of Caithness is unspoilt. The castles and monument sites are all free and are usually found on spectacular coastal sites or near waterways and in the low hills.'
Tourists / Visitors look at sights with less cynical views than locals, they always look for the best in a location, so personally I think to a Visitor this may be a fairly accurate description, the Tourist Information is in the business of selling locations, not running them down.
They missed a bit out....
Caithness has over 4000 monuments dating from Prehistoric right up the more recent Highland Clearances era. Most are virtually unvisited due to the remoteness of the region, the joy of this being that most of Caithness is unspoilt. The castles and monument sites are all free and are usually found on spectacular coastal sites or near waterways and in the low hills. In this pristine vista can also be found the magnificent sight of huge groups of majestic wind turbines scattered across the landscape. Providing the energy needs of the far south these icons of green energy provide employment for 5 local people and millions of pounds of income for the landowners.
[...] and mirror-like lochs [...]
Ummm.... perhaps he came equipped with his own little wind-break???
They missed a bit out....
Hehehehe! :lol:
They missed a bit out.
Caithness is one of the most polluted areas in the UK with radiation, and the clean up is providing employment for thousands of locals to the tune of £billions of taxpayer's money.
Murdina Bug
09-Oct-08, 11:16
Without wishing to take my own thread off topic:eek: I have to say Rheghead that your comment is rather vague. Dounreay is having the money for clean up and it provides the employment and is therefore getting the 'billions'. Caithness is not polluted by radioactivity - Sandside beach is contamined by radioactive particles. Not actually a helpful addition to the point I was making that the TIC don't actually appear to know what Caithness looks like ('spectacular mountains, majestic glens and mirror-like lochs that form the perfect backdrop to picturesque towns, isolated crofts, towering castles and pagoda-topped distilleries').
Having actually fished many of the lochs in the county they can be very calm and mirror like on the right day. So it's not a bit of fanciful writing. I don't think "lochs topped by foaming white horses as the bitter winds from the north howl down the glens" is quite the same...
True, the county is a bit devoid of mountains, majestic glens and pagodas....
Bad Manners
09-Oct-08, 11:27
I think it is a bit of poetic license when advertising an areabe it town city or county If you look hard enough you will indeed find all of the things mentioned but not all at once. nobody portrays the negitive side of their area London is the biggest tourist destination in the uk by no one portrays the Drugs,Gun crime prostitution and all the other seedier side of life.
A lot of people depend on tourism to make a living and would certainly not wish to give a bad image. Maybe there are negatives to being hear but we choose to live hear they only come for a visit why not make them happy
I think it is a bit of poetic license when advertising an areabe it town city or county If you look hard enough you will indeed find all of the things mentioned but not all at once. nobody portrays the negitive side of their area London is the biggest tourist destination in the uk by no one portrays the Drugs,Gun crime prostitution and all the other seedier side of life.
A lot of people depend on tourism to make a living and would certainly not wish to give a bad image. Maybe there are negatives to being hear but we choose to live hear they only come for a visit why not make them happy
Exactly my point
I have to say Rheghead that your comment is rather vague....Caithness is not polluted by radioactivity - Sandside beach is contamined by radioactive particles.[/I]
There's nothing vague about this lovely vista of the Caithnessian coast.
http://i48.photobucket.com/albums/f244/Rheghead/Caithness/Sandsidesigns.jpg
Murdina Bug
09-Oct-08, 11:42
'spectacular mountains, majestic glens and mirror-like lochs that form the perfect backdrop to picturesque towns, isolated crofts, towering castles and pagoda-topped distilleries'
Sorry, but in my opinion that part goes beyond poetic licence into the land of misrepresentation! It's so obvious that they have cut and pasted from somewhere else. Surely a description of Caithness should include reference to the Flow Country, big skies and wonderful coastline instead of the above? I'm not saying that they shouldn't use flowery language but some FACTS might be good!!
Bad Manners
09-Oct-08, 11:44
There's nothing vague about this lovely vista of the Caithnessian coast.
http://i48.photobucket.com/albums/f244/Rheghead/Caithness/Sandsidesigns.jpg
This is an advisment notice it does not stop people from going on the beach it mearly requests that you dont remove anything from the beach. If the area was so bad the would close the beach to the public.
This is only one very small area in a large county. There are plenty other beaches around the area without this notification and plenty other views and activities for tourists to do and see.
If you are truely concerned about the planet you wouldn't remove anything from the beach anyway (well apart from your rubbish).
Wonder how many pretty stones or shells Rheghead has removed from various beaches?......
Having moved to Caithness recently from the South Coast I think it is absolutely wonderful, I have views of the sea, countryside, Scaraben and Morven, old ruined crofts, saw a hen harrier yesterday, regular visits from buzzards, saw seals at John o'Groats, never seen a seal in the wild before, wonderful, empty, sandy beaches, very little traffic and exceptionally friendly and helpful people, I just love living here.
Muffin, well said and thank you for your opinion! You are now head of tourism in Caithness.....:lol:
The bit they missed out was...................
"Caithness is a lovely place populated by lovely people. But please do not disagree with anyone on "the org" especially about wind farms etc as then you will be chased with blazing forks and sacrificed with the Wicker man" ;)
(Thats tongue in cheek by the way-Dont argue or.......... see above ;))
In this pristine vista can also be found the magnificent sight of huge groups of majestic wind turbines scattered across the landscape. Providing the energy needs of the far south these icons of green energy provide employment for 5 local people and millions of pounds of income for the landowners.
Stop hijacking threads for your own agenda.;) As an ex Mod you should know better!:p
But please do not disagree with anyone on "the org" especially about wind farms etc as then you will be chased with blazing forks and sacrificed with the Wicker man" ;)
It's funny that they just can't resist coming back for more and seem to be running a shift rota going to do it..:lol:
Stop hijacking threads for your own agenda.;) As a Mod you should know better!:p
Didnt think you could say that on here anymore as anonymity was granted to God's disciples!!!!! :p
How to confuse a tourist...............
Stick them in a barrel and tell them to pee in the corner??? ;)
Alice in Blunderland
09-Oct-08, 18:07
How to confuse a tourist...............
Stick them in a barrel and tell them to pee in the corner??? ;)
Nah its easy stick all the sign posts and directions up in Gaelic with no English translaions ....:p:p .... mmm that would even confuse the locals when I think of it.
OOps or is that also hijacking the thread ??
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