The most captivating Unesco World Heritage sites in the world has been named, with beauty spots like the Rocky Mountains, the Galápagos Islands, and the Taj Mahal on the list.
With such big landmarks on the list, you probably think the UK didn’t even get a look-in – but weirdly, we came out in the number one spot?
That’s right. One of the UK’s 33 UNESCO World Heritage Sites managed to nudge ahead of all the others to be named the ‘most captivating’ in the entire world.
The crown has gone to the Pontcysyllte Aqueduct and Canal in Wales, a former feat of Industrial Revolution engineering from which is now a tourist attraction where you can kayak across its top, 38 metres in the air.
The most captivating UNESCO World Heritage Site is also, handily, just an hour’s drive from Manchester.
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The Pontcysyllte Aqueduct placed first, ahead of the Canadian Rocky Mountain Parks in Canada, Rio de Janeiro in Brazil, and the Plitvice Lakes National Park in Croatia.
It was also the only UK site to make it in the top 20.
This list of winners has been drawn up by Explore Worldwide, who used eye-tracking technology to see which site held people’s attention for the longest.
And apparently we just couldn’t look away from the big aqueduct in Wales.
They said of the aqueduct, easily reachable in a day trip from Manchester: “Leading the pack of most eye-catching UNESCO sites, that promise to leave you spellbound, is the Pontcysyllte Aqueduct and Canal in the United Kingdom.
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“This extraordinary feat of civil engineering, which floats over the River Dee, claimed the top spot. The Welsh landmark is the highest and longest navigable aqueduct in the world, attracting visitors thanks to its stunning views and historical significance.”
The most captivating UNESCO World Heritage sites in the world
Pontcysyllte Aqueduct an hour from Manchester has been named the most captivating UNESCO World Heritage site in the world
1) Pontcysyllte Aqueduct and Canal, United Kingdom
2) Canadian Rocky Mountain Parks, Canada
3) Rio de Janeiro: Carioca Landscapes between the Mountain and the Sea, Brazil
4) = Plitvice Lakes National Park, Croatia
4) = Maloti-Drakensberg Park, South Africa
5) Island of Mozambique, Mozambique
6) Ancient City of Sigiriya, Sri Lanka
7) = Angkor Wat, Cambodia
7) = Historic Centre of Oaxaca and Archaeological Site of Monte Albán, Mexico
8) Sceilg Mhichíl, Ireland
9) Petra, Jordan
10) Historic Monuments of Ancient Kyoto (Kyoto, Uji and Otsu Cities), Japan
11) Yellowstone National Park, United States
12) Taj Mahal, India
13) Galápagos Islands, Ecuador
14) Rapa Nui National Park (Easter Island), Chile
15) Piazza del Duomo, Pisa, Italy
16) Fujisan, sacred place and source of artistic inspiration (Mount Fuji), Japan
17) Historic Centre of Lima, Peru
18) Historic Ensemble of the Potala Palace, Lhasa, China
Adventurous cat caught taking a train from Yorkshire to Manchester Airport
Daisy Jackson
Train conductors have reunited an adventurous senior cat with her owners after she was caught taking a train all the way to Manchester Airport.
15-year-old Angel was discovered on board an hour-long TransPennine Express service from West Yorkshire to the airport.
The black-and-white moggy had been strolling along the train making friends with passengers on board, following conductor Will Saunders through the carriages.
It turns out Angel is something of a local legend in Brighouse, and has been caught riding rail replacement buses in the past too, as well as making herself at home in the local pub.
On this occasion, she fancied herself a little holiday and hopped on board the 3.55am service from Brighouse to Manchester Airport.
Will kept a close eye on the gorgeous cat all the way to Manchester Airport, where they settled her into a cardboard box at the station.
Will then took Angel home to Stockport for the night to keep her safe, later discovering a phone number on Angel’s collar.
He and his partner then drove Angel all the way back home to Brighouse.
Will Saunders, conductor at TPE, said: “As a cat lover myself, I couldn’t leave her to fend for herself. She was so calm and confident on the train – it was like she’d done it before!
“I’m just glad we could keep her safe and get her back home. She’s clearly a much-loved cat.”
Andrew McClements, Customer Experience & Transformation Director at TPE, added: “Our teams are used to helping customers reach their destinations, but this was definitely one of our more unusual passengers.
“We’re just glad we could make sure this adventurous feline made it home safely.”
Now back where she belongs, Angel’s tale shows that even the most curious traveller can count on TPE to help them land on their paws.
The three-day Switzerland train pass that costs less than a journey from Manchester to London
Daisy Jackson
Switzerland has the most famous landscapes in the entire world – and there’s a three-day travel pass you can use to explore that costs less than the train from Manchester to London.
Whether it’s a view of the Matterhorn and the Swiss Alps, cruising past lakes, or zipping around cities Geneva or Zurich, there’s a single ticket that can do it all.
And (slightly depressingly) it costs less than a peak train ticket between Manchester and London, for three days of unlimited travel around an entire country. Sigh.
The Swiss Travel Pass includes rides on the world-famous Glacier Express panoramic train, which weaves through the mountains of the Swiss Alps between Zermatt and St Moritz.
It also gets passengers unlimited travel on other panoramic train journeys like the Bernina Express and Gotthard Panorama Express.
As well as all that train travel, the Swiss Travel Pass includes buses, boats, cable cars and public transport in more than 90 cities.
AND, gets you into 500 different museums.
The three-day Swiss Travel Pass costs less than a journey from Manchester to London. Credit: Unsplash, Victor He
While Switzerland is one of the most expensive countries in Europe to visit, you can’t argue with the price of the Swiss Travel Pass – just £243.20 for unlimited journeys over three days.
Again – an on-peak train return to London from Manchester costs £386.00…
If three days isn’t enough, there are also Swiss Travel Passes that run for four, six, eight or even 15 consecutive days.
The Swiss Travel Pass is a rail pass that lets you travel around Switzerland as much as you want by train, bus and boat for a set amount of travel days.
You can use a Swiss Travel Pass if you’re a tourist and permanently reside outside Switzerland and the Principality of Liechtenstein.
Daisy Jackson -
8th October 2023 
