Llangollen is best for blue skies

Blue skies thinking: the beautiful scene above Denbighshire

The blue skies over Denbighshire have been voted among the best in the world, according to a new survey, beating views in Italy and the Caribbean.

Travel website Expedia says the view from Castell Dinas Bran, above Llangollen, has the UK's top blue sky, and the ninth loveliest in the world.

The company made a list of the world's top 20 blue skies, taking into account factors such as colour and density.

North Wales is described as "beautiful" with "blue skies aplenty."

The league table was compiled by Anya Hohnbaum, of Expedia, who visited 20 countries in 72 days, covering 64,000 miles.

She concluded Rio de Janeiro boasted the bluest sky in the world, followed by the Bay of Islands in New Zealand and Australia's Ayers Rock.

But Llangollen was judged Britain's number one, after Ms Hohnbaum spent an afternoon in June at Castell Dinas Bran, a castle ruin.

She wrote in her travel journal: "Don't forget how beautiful the landscape is on your doorstep. Wales is really stunning and steeped in history.

TOP 20 BLUE SKIES 1. Rio de Janeiro, Brazil 2. Bay of Islands, New Zealand 3. Ayers Rock, Australia 4. Denarau Island, Fiji 5. Cape Town, South Africa 6. Antananarivo, Madagascar 7. Karumba, The Maldives 8. Tokyo, Japan 9. Castell Dinas Bran, Wales 10. Long Beach, LA, USA 11. St Lucia, Caribbean 12. Dublin, Ireland 13. Marrakech, Morocco 14. Juneau, Alaska 15. Phnom-Penh, Cambodia 16. Amalfi Coast, Italy 17. Koh Samui, Thailand 18. Edinburgh, Scotland 19. Giza, Egypt 20. Cornwall, England

"Castell Dinas Bran - a 13th century medieval castle and hill fort - has links with the legendary holy grail. Definitely worth a visit.

"Summer is definitely upon us here in north Wales. How long it will last I can't be sure so I'm going to make the most of it while I can.

"I'm currently sitting on the banks of the River Dee in the enchanting little town of Llangollen and, on reflection, I really couldn't have picked a better day for exploring this beautiful area - blue skies are aplenty."

Denbighshire councillor Sue Roberts called it a "tremendous natural accolade".

"Llangollen is one of Denbighshire's top tourist destinations, and it's great that the area can now boast Great Britain's bluest skies on top of its many other attractions,"she said.

Expedia said it worked with the optical radiation team at the National Physical Laboratory.

It tested multiple elements including colour, clarity and brightness, cloud density and how each blue sky made visiting holidaymakers feel.