ARDROSSAN Castle needs your votes to be in with a chance of being named Scotland’s bestkept heritage secret.

The iconic ruin has reached the final six in Dig It 2017 Hidden Gems, a competition celebrating Scottish archaeology and sponsored by the Society of Antiquaries of Scotland and Archaeology Scotland.

The idea of the Hidden Gems is that the nominees are ‘off the beaten track’ and, unlike the World Heritage Sites, you won’t find them featured in regular travel guides, postcards or Instagram feeds. They might be a little bit quieter, harder to find and ‘rougher around the edges’.

To celebrate the success of being shortlisted, Ardrossan Castle Heritage Society organised a Treasure Hunt on the Castle Hill on Sunday, July 23.

A spokesman for Ardrossan Castle Heritage Society said: “Many children and adults – including ‘William Wallace’ – took part in the event and had a great time. The youngsters who completed the task were delighted with their prizes.

“The Heritage Society would love to win the Hidden Gems competition to raise the profile of the town. The competition closes on Monday, July 31 and, although the castle is currently in the lead, the support of Herald readers is vital in securing first place.

“If you think Ardrossan Castle is a prize asset, please vote for it online at facebook.com/digit2017.”

At the time of going to print, Ardrossan Castle was in the lead but the historic landmark still needs your votes to give it that final push.

To vote for our local historic landmark, go to the Dig It Facebook page and hit the ‘like’ icon under the picture of the castle. Voting runs until midnight on Monday, July 31.