Tourist howlers revealed

Visitor centres reveal some of the questions they are asked

Tourist information centres have dealt with a flood of quirky - and sometimes strange - questions this year.

The English Tourism Council has released a list of inquiries asked in its centres around England.

They include gems such as: "Is Dorking something English people do?"

Other classics have been "Can I change my English currency into Scottish currency?" and "What time does the Lake District open?"

You just never know what you might get asked in a tourist information centre so you have to expect the unexpected

Jenny McGee

One visitor to the Carlisle visitor centre in Cumbria wanted staff to point out on the map "exactly where the Scottish accent stops and the English accent starts".

Another member of staff at a centre in Tamworth, Staffordshire, was asked: "Could you give me a list of garages selling petrol between Windsor (in Berkshire) and Stoke-on-Trent?"

Jenny McGee, a campaign manager for the organisation, said: "You just never know what you might get asked in a tourist information centre so you have to expect the unexpected."

Some of the other gems include:

• "What time do UFOs fly, where can we sit and watch them and would it be all right to take a picnic?"
• "I understand there is a gorilla breeding establishment somewhere in the south of England. Please could you tell me where it is because I want to take my wife as a surprise?"
• "How many fish are there in the sea?"
• " Where do I get the topless bus from? "
• "What day is the New Year's Day parade on?"