The country at number one came as a surprise to us...

Half the reason (i.e. 99 percent of the reason) we go on holidays is to show off how beautiful it is there, compared to the poor folk back home stuck with their not-beautiful surroundings. Which makes us happy to announce that isn't the case with Ireland, as it has been voted in the top 20 most beautiful countries in the world. The worldwide open vote was run by travel website Rough Guides, and this week the results were announced. Now, before you think that 18th out of 20 isn't so great, remember that Ireland has come 18th out of 195 countries in the world, which is fairly great innings for a country without any major mountain ranges and a relatively small amount of actual geographical space to take up. So a round of applause for Ireland, you little beaut. However, there are 17 other countries that the voters deemed even prettier, and their number one pick might surprise you. It certainly surprised us. 20. Vietnam 19. Croatia 18. Ireland 17. Norway 16. Peru 15. Switzerland 14. Finland 13. India 12. Mexico 11. Slovenia 10. Wales 9. USA 8. Iceland 7. England 6. Indonesia 5. South Africa 4. Italy 3. New Zealand 2. Canada 1. Scotland Yup, none other than our Celtic-y neighbours Scotland has been voted the most beautiful country in the world. Who is up for a quick trip to Edinburgh to up our Instagram game?