Is that St Tropez? No, it's St Ives! How one in four Britons mistake beautiful UK landmarks for more exotic locations Brits were shown beauty spots, but many thought they were exotic locales Portsmouth's Spinnaker Towers mistaken for a building in Dubai Some of those surveyed thought Isles of Scilly were the Maldives By Luke Salkeld As you gaze at this azure sky and sandy shore, a multitude of exotic locations easily spring to mind. And when shown a picture of a perfect beach, more than half of adults surveyed were sure it was St Tropez. In fact, the photograph was taken much closer to home - on the Cornish shores of St Ives. The beauty spot is just one of a host of Britain's best locations which we actually think are abroad, according to a survey. Mediterranean paradise? Not quite, it's St Ives in Cornwall - but half of people in a survey thought it was St Tropez Picturesque, but not Cornwall: St Tropez, Cote d'Azur, South of France As well as thinking St Ives was on the French Riviera, respondents thought Portsmouth's Spinnaker Tower was a landmark in Dubai, and mistook parts of the Isles of Scilly for both the Cayman Islands and the Maldives. More than half of the 2,000 adults thought a stretch of water in the Lake District was actually Lake Geneva in Switzerland. Some of the 2,000 adults even mistook Bristol's Clifton Suspension Bridge was the Golden Gate Bridge in San Francisco. Those surveyed were shown an image of the Isles of Scilly... ... but many thought it was the Maldives in the Indian Ocean And while St Ives may not quite have the glitz and glamour of St Tropez, it is becoming a resort where visitors and residents are prepared to pay a premium. Last year five parking spaces in the small town sold for over £50,000 each. Appletree Bay, Isles of Scilly, Cornwall The Maldives - 30 per cent Christchurch College, Oxford France - 16 per cent Harbour Beach, St Ives, Cornwall St Tropez, France - 25 per cent Minack Theatre, Porthcurn, Cornwall Athens - 32 per cent Radcliffe Camera statue, Oxford University, Oxford Italy - 18 per cent Spinnaker Tower, Portsmouth Dubai - 48 per cent The Lake District, Wastwater Lake Geneva, Switzerland - 55 per cent Tresco, Isles of Scilly, Cornwall The Cayman Islands - 46 per cent And earlier this year the Mail reported on a three-bedroom rental property which tripled in price in the Easter break from £889 a week to £2,899, and then up to a staggering £4,499 in the peak weeks of July and August. But St Ives also has its unappealing aspects. This summer the RSPB received three times as many calls complaining about seagulls which are known for dive bombing locals and visitors. A spokesman for First Great Western, which carried out the survey, said yesterday: "We live in a fantastic country, but this research shows that many of us simply aren't aware of the amazing places on our doorstep just waiting to be discovered." Their research marked the train company's launch of a Facebook app, Inside Track, which it is claimed offers "real insight to the must-do experiences and must-see places of the UK." The spokesman continued: "We're passionate about all the UK has to offer, so wanted to help Brits share in it too by giving them the Inside Track." The app is meant to provide local information that normally only residents would be privy to, and includes a woodland walk in The Cotswolds recommended by musician Alex James, to a tucked away Somerset boutique frequented by the model Daisy Lowe.