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An Angus castle has been recognised as the best castle experience in the United Kingdom.

Glamis Castle was given the title of Best Overall Castle Experience by Irish coach tour operator CIE Tours at its UK Annual Awards of Excellence.

The awards recognise the quality of the UK’s hotels and visitor attractions by giving recognition to those who have received a greater than 90% customer satisfaction rating over the previous year.

The business also gives special recognition to the best performing tourism provider in nine categories.

These are judged by around 12,000 visitors who CIE Tours brought to the UK in 2023, receiving the gold award as category winner.

The awards were held at the Ardoe House Hotel in Aberdeenshire.

Managing director of CIE Tours, Stephen Cotter, said: “UK tourism has shown incredible resilience in recent years, and I am proud and impressed that we are able to celebrate the quality of the UK’s offer, despite the pandemic and recruitment issues post-Brexit.

“The level of demand from North America for UK tours enjoyed a terrific jump in 2023 due to pent-up demand.

“In 2024 it has stabilised but we have introduced innovative new or reimagined tours to generate interest.”

He added: “Demand for Scotland remains particularly high and one of our most popular tours is almost completely sold out for 2024.”