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Castletown map not causing ripples although it is all at sea


By Gordon Calder

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A MAP in the centre of Castletown is all at sea but is not making any waves in the village, according to the local community council.

The map – produced by Venture North which provides tourist information for the Caithness and Sutherland areas – shows the North Sea where Dunnet Bay should be. However, the error is not causing even a ripple in Castletown says community council chairman, Billy Dunbar.

He said the map in the Main Street car park is intended to give a snapshot of the facilities in the village and is not a tourist information sign. It highlights some of the facilities, including health centre, shop/post office, garage, filling station, beach, public toilets, recycling centre and parking area.

The map shows the North Sea where Dunnet Bay should be
The map shows the North Sea where Dunnet Bay should be

"I don't see it as an issue and it has not been raised with me as an issue. I have not heard anyone mention it. The map shows some of the amenities in the village and I don't have a problem with it. It is wrong and should not be the North Sea but that has not been brought to our attention. The best solution would be to cover over the mistake as it does not need to be there," he said.

A spokeswoman for Venture North said: "The map was one of a series of 13 unique maps produced as a project around Caithness and Sutherland and linking in with similar projects in Easter Ross and Wester Ross. The purpose of the maps was to highlight infrastructure for visitors to the areas, such as waste disposal and appropriate safe parking, promoting responsible tourism in the area rather than tourism sites. Our intention was to focus on these areas and make the signs as clear as possible to point to the facilities."

She added: "There was a huge amount of work in collating the overall project and we worked closely with community councils and other community organisations in gathering the information. The maps were then sent for final approval to these community representatives. We will take the feedback into account should we run a project like this in the future."


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