SCOTLAND'S top attractions have been snubbed in a poll to find Britain's greatest national treasure.
Edinburgh Castle, the most popular paid-for attraction in Scotland, was the only place north of the Border to make it into the top 50 table of the UK's "favourite things".
And the only other major Scottish entry in the rankings was best-selling
author JK Rowling, who has a house in Edinburgh and famously wrote the first Harry Potter novel in the city. She languished at 48th in the list, behind the Queen, who was the highest-polling living person, coming in at No9.
William Shakespeare came out on top in the survey, with Buckingham Palace the runner-up. Stonehenge, Big Ben, London Bridge and Westminster Abbey were among the treasures rated higher than Edinburgh Castle.
Celebrities to rate a mention included Ant and Dec, David Attenborough, Anthony Hopkins and Stephen Fry.
There was no mention of other Scottish favourites, such as Stirling Castle, Ben Nevis or Loch Ness, or famous events such as the Edinburgh Military Tattoo, Edinburgh's Hogmanay celebrations or T in the Park.
The poll of 1,000 adults was carried out across Britain in recent weeks on behalf of the ice-cream manufacturer Mivvi.
Food and drink choices dominated in the poll, including fish and chips, which came in at three, a cup of tea and strawberries and cream.
Perhaps unsurprisingly given Andy Murray's heroics at Wimbledon, the tennis tournament was named Britain's greatest event, ahead of the Glastonbury rock festival.
A spokeswoman for Mivvi said: "Wimbledon has been going for over a century, yet is as popular as ever and the highlight of Britain's sporting calendar.
"So it's not surprising that the competition's signature dish of strawberries and cream also features in the poll – Wimbledon simply wouldn't be British without the summer food.
"British fare is more popular than ever at the moment, with the nation tucking into strawberries and cream whilst we remain gripped with Wimbledon."
Last year Ben Nevis was rated alongside the Angel of the North, Hadrian's Wall, and Trafalgar Square as one of Britain's top ten most recognisable landmarks. A separate poll a few months earlier ranked Edinburgh Castle fourth in a search for the top five "wonders" of the British Isles, behind Big Ben, Stonehenge and the Giant's Causeway in Northern Ireland.
A spokeswoman for VisitScotland, the national tourism agency, said
: "With a different poll, you could find Edinburgh Castle is at the top of the list and many other Scottish treasures featuring as well.
"It very much depends on who is online, responding to the poll at the time."
