Edinburgh Castle too old, guards too happy: TripAdvisor reviewers

EDINBURGH Castle has recently been hit with a spate of hilarious bad reviews - including that it is 'too old'.

'Not being funny but the castle is really old' File picture: Steven Scott Taylor

The fortress, which sits atop the Royal Mile and overlooks the capital, is a “must-see” destination for tourists.

It has an average TripAdvisor rating of 4.5/5 - a number that most institutions would be proud of - and recently won the title of fourth best rated landmark in the UK.

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But in recent months it has been left a slew of bad reviews by disgruntled tourists - including disappointment at the castle’s age and how it looks.

One visitor named ‘Conor K’ from Glasgow gave the castle, believed to have been built sometime in the early 11th century, just one star.

He wrote: “Not being funny but the castle is really old and in terrible condition.

“Restoration is essential or an alternative would be to demolish and put a better attraction for tourists as it’s taking up a lot of space in town.

“Would not recommend. Tourist trap.”

‘Kaz1521’ also left a damning review, writing: “Not really a lot to see… Spent ages going around and around and eventually got to see the Scottish Crown Jewels...the rest was all cardboard models and people painted on walls.

“There doesn’t seem to be much actual ‘real’ stuff there.”

Another disgruntled visitor gave the castle two stars after visiting two weeks ago.

Her TripAdvisor review reads: “For the price of tickets you can build your own castle.”

One person even complained that the castle guard was too friendly.

‘Riddhima3’, from Mumbai, India, said: “The castle guard outside smiled when my friend tried to take a picture (which is actually not allowed and would never have happened in London).”

Despite the recent comical ratings, the castle has a total of 21,000 reviews left on TripAdvisor - 15,000 of which are listed as ‘very good’ or excellent’.

It is not the first time an Edinburgh attraction has been left bizarre feedback.

Two years ago, someone complained that there was “no seat” at the top of Arthur’s Seat - a large hill overlooking the city.

Another person complained that the extinct volcano did not offer wifi and that there was no coffee shop at the top.