Vote due on link between village of Dull and US town of Boring

Dull in Perthshire wants to form a partnership with Boring in Oregon

Residents of the Perthshire village of Dull are due to hear this week whether efforts to forge ties with the US town of Boring have been successful.

Officials in Oregon are set to vote on whether the two places should become "sister communities".

If the vote is passed, the community council in Dull insists it could have real benefits for the Scottish village.

They intend to mark the "exciting" new partnership with a road sign and a street party.

The potential link between the two locations was the brainchild of Perthshire resident Elizabeth Leighton, who passed through Boring while on a cycling holiday.

Street party

With a population of 12,000, Boring is too big to be officially twinned with the tiny village of Dull.

Marjorie Keddie, the chairwoman of Dull and Weem Community Council, said the result of the vote was likely to become known in the early hours of Wednesday morning.

If the vote is in favour, a street party will take place in Dull on 23 June.

Mrs Keddie said: "The party will show that we are neither dull or boring.

"We are also excited at the prospect of a new road sign, which will say something like: 'Dull, in association with Boring' or 'in sisterhood with Boring'.

"I'm sure it will stop a few people in their tracks for photos."

Mrs Keddie, 68, said it was hoped that the move would bring in more tourists.

"Already we've have four cyclists from overseas, who were travelling from John O'Groats to Lands End, stop here," she said.

"It wasn't on their original route, but they had heard about it because of what's been going on and decided to do a stop-off in Dull.

"Extra tourism is the main reason we're doing this, as most of the businesses here are holiday homes and lodges."

Boring was named after William H. Boring, an early resident of the area and former Union soldier in the American civil war.

Dull's name is thought to have come from the Gaelic word for meadow, but others have speculated it could be connected to the Gaelic word "dul" meaning snare.