This is a variation on an old theme, but it's a good one, plus we liked the photo of the castle! See if you can work it out and then try it on your friends and colleagues.

Imagine you're on a long journey to the mystical Castle of Truth, the location of which is only legend. After a trek lasting several days you stop at an Inn for refreshments and to ask directions. After settling yourself down in an armchair by the fire, with your chosen tipple, you ask the landlord if he has ever heard of the Castle of Truth, and, if so, could he give you directions?

Handing you the lunchtime menu he tells you that if you follow the road at the top of the lane it leads over a hill and then down into a thick forest. Eventually, at the end of the road there is a T-junction and two guard houses, one on each side of the road. In one guard house there is a guard from the Castle of Truth but in the other there is a guard from the Castle of Lies, and, because this is a puzzle there is no obvious way of telling which guard is which. All the landlord can tell you is that the guard from the Castle of Truth always tells the truth, but the guard from the Castle of Lies always lies.

You may knock on each door and ask each guard one question. Can you think of the question you should ask each guard so that you can be 100% certain which way it is to the Castle of Truth?

Scroll down for the answer.

+

+

+

+

+

+

+

+

+

You ask each guard to point in the direction of the Castle they are from.

They will both point in the direction of the Castle of Truth!

The guard from the Castle of Truth will truthfully point to it, and the guard from the Castle of Lies will lie and point in the direction of the Castle of Truth instead of pointing to the Castle of Lies, which is where he is really from!