World’s longest escalator is unveiled on Chinese mountain

Would you ride it? (Picture: REX Features)

Climbing a mountain usually tends to be an arduous experience that will leave you tired, sore - and probably wondering how you’re going to get down again.

But a mountain in China has the last part of that sorted - by installing a gargantuan escalator to transport visitors back to the bottom.

The attraction, which has been billed as the world’s longest sightseeing escalator, is 688 metres long and has been installed in China’s Hubei Province.

After climbing to the top, guests are invited to board the escalator for an impressive 18 minute journey that is said to take in breathtaking views of the Enshi Grand Canyon.

The ride takes 18 minutes (Picture: Rex Features)

It took almost £4.3 million to build, and is capable of ferrying some 7,300 guests every hour.

And while the escalator could potentially look out of place, it will be covered by natural foliage in a bid to blend it back into the natural environment.

Describing the development, a spokesperson said: ‘Now tourists can take the escalator to go down the mountain all the way. It improves the degree of comfort during their journey.‘

It’s a pretty impressive structure (Picture: Rex Features)

But it has received It’s also mixed reviews on Weibo, the Chinese equivalent of Twitter - with viewers criticising the speed and safety of the escalator.

One user said: ‘I went there during the national holiday. My dad and grandma took the escalator. They ended up arriving later than those who took the staircases.’

The escalator is located in the Enshi Grand Canyon (Picture: Rex Features)

Another said: ‘I visited there in winter. It was so windy. I would never go hiking again.’

Still, it’s an ideal solution for the lazy ones among us, right?