Ian Cade

United Kingdom \ Member since December 2005

#None 0 0

I discovered the World Heritage list whilst studying in the Czech city of Olomouc in 2003, and since then I have spent a fair bit of my time visiting the sites and boring people with information about them. World Heritage Sites provide a great way to hunt out the best bits of countries and can give you a look at some great parts of a destination that you would otherwise not see. A few of my favourite sites have been the ones that I have made a special effort to get to see because of their place on the list; Sceilg Mhichíl, Guanajuato and Preah Vihear

I mostly take short trips around Europe, making the most of budget airlines special offers, seeing some of the continent's great cities, visiting friends and dragging them to some pretty obscure places.
I try to travel outside Europe at least once a year and hope to tick off a few of the places on my wish list when money, politics and time enable this.

It's not about the shark!:
Whilst the World Heritage Sites themselves are the focus of my travels, they are more a means to an end, the real joy of travelling comes from interacting with people, waiting for trains at hitherto unknown corners of the world then eating and drinking the tasty (and not so tasty) delights on offer.

My most impressive site: Angkor

My proposal for a new site: Major Buildings of the Chicago School of Architecture

Check out my website: https://letterboxd.com/meltwaterfalls/

Recent Visits
  • 1
    0
    June 7, 2025
    Welterbetag 2025: Hildesheim Cathedral and Church
  • 4
    0
    Feb. 23, 2025
    Cilento and Vallo di Diano, Naples, Pompei, Royal Palace at Caserta
  • 1
    0
    Sept. 13, 2024
    Eisinga Planetarium
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About Ian Cade

First name
Ian
Member since
December 2005
Country of Origin
United Kingdom
Visits
Rank
#None
WHS
0
Tentative Sites
0
Website Participation
Reviews
313
Ratings

Ratings

World Heritage Sites
Tentative Sites
323 67
Photos
N/A
Locations
N/A
Zones
N/A

Reviews by Ian Cade

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Quedlinburg by Ian Cade

Quedlinburg (Inscribed)

Quedlinburg

During the day I thought Quedlinburg was rather nice. However an evening stroll started to reveal an even more charming side to the city. The winding streets of half timbered …

Alcala de Henares by Ian Cade

Alcala de Henares (Inscribed)

Alcala de Henares

Initially I was rather underwhelmed by Alcala; it just seemed like an unremarkable commuter town. However a slightly rambling wander finally saw me arrive at the grand edifice of the …

Segovia by Ian Cade

Segovia (Inscribed)

Segovia

I think Segovia may be my favourite WHS in Spain of the 19 that I have visited so far. The mixture of an amazing monument, charming cobbled old town and …

El Escurial by Ian Cade

El Escurial (Inscribed)

El Escurial

A hungover traipse around this massive and austere royal palace/ monastery complex wasn't really motivating me to get out of bed after a great night of tapas and bar hoping …

Avila by Ian Cade

Avila (Inscribed)

Avila

I think I caught Avila on a bad day. It seems that a Monday morning in November doesn’t show this city in its best light.

Being a Monday in continental …

Aranjuez by Ian Cade

Aranjuez (Inscribed)

Aranjuez

Strapping on my camera and backpack I did my duty and after a short hop on the commuter train from Madrid I landed at yet another European Royal Palace complex.

Rideau Canal by Ian Cade

Rideau Canal (Inscribed)

Rideau Canal

The stretch of canal in the Canadian capital Ottawa turned out to be a rather pleasant surprise, as did much of this charming capital city.

My first glance of the …

Yellowstone by Ian Cade

Yellowstone (Inscribed)

Yellowstone

Simply magnificent!

Natural World Heritage Sites are not really my specialty; however when one is as impressive as this it really has an effect. This was WHS number 200 for …

Chaco Culture by Ian Cade

Chaco Culture (Inscribed)

Chaco Culture

I’ll admit it; this was the site in the South West that I was visiting purely because I was in the area rather than because I had a strong desire …

Taos Pueblo by Ian Cade

Taos Pueblo (Inscribed)

Taos Pueblo

The main thing that stuck with me after my visit was how "authentic" the Pueblo was. With the exception of the odd bit of plastic guttering and a portable-toilet there …

Mesa Verde by Ian Cade

Mesa Verde (Inscribed)

Mesa Verde

There are some sites that I want to visit from the first time I see a picture of them. The Cliff Palace at Mesa Verde has been one of them …

Venetian Works of Defence by Ian Cade

Venetian Works of Defence (Inscribed)

Venetian Works of Defence

Unknown to me, John S. below has written almost word for word my summary of this town. Though I probably wouldn’t use the word ‘boring’, more just ‘laid back’, though …

Aquileia by Ian Cade

Aquileia (Inscribed)

Aquileia

I wasn't expecting it, but the Basilica of Aquileia was astounding, one of the finest churches I have been in during all my World Heritage Site hunting.

As the other …

Skocjan Caves by Ian Cade

Skocjan Caves (Inscribed)

Skocjan Caves

I was rather impressed with this magnificent cave complex and the wonderful surrounding countryside. Whilst I don’t have a huge amount of knowledge to judge the quality of these caves …

Longobards in Italy by Ian Cade

Longobards in Italy (Inscribed)

Longobards in Italy

My first taste of this site, which is spread across Italy, was in the delightful town of Cividale del Friuli tucked up in the North East near the Slovene boarder. …

Euphrasian Basilica in Porec by Ian Cade

Euphrasian Basilica in Porec (Inscribed)

Euphrasian Basilica in Porec

As the others have said below Porec is a pretty town that can seem somewhat lost under tourist paraphernalia; however the basilica and especially its mosaic decorated apse are really …

Heritage of Mercury by Ian Cade

Heritage of Mercury (Inscribed)

Heritage of Mercury

“…and if I hire a car I could make it to the disused mercury mine!” little did I know that this ‘obscure’ holiday destination that I was trumpeting in the …

Mudejar Architecture of Aragon by Ian Cade

Mudejar Architecture of Aragon (Inscribed)

Mudejar Architecture of Aragon

The three parts of this site located in central Zaragoza provided me with a great weekend break in yet another lively Spanish city.

I was particularly impressed with the Aljafería …

Graz by Ian Cade

Graz (Inscribed)

Graz

After three or four hours in Graz I was left feeling pretty underwhelmed, however by the time I left 24 hours later I viewed it as a city I would …

Toledo by Ian Cade

Toledo (Inscribed)

Toledo

I was in two minds about visiting Toledo, not because I didn’t think it would be a worthwhile trip, but I was unsure if I could give it enough time …

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