From the batch of 2024, I had 2 near misses:
- Nelson Mandela Legacy Sites: I went to 2 components that got dropped along the way in favour of others. Also, I have been to Pretoria and its Voortrekkersmonument (mentioned in the AB ev) and may have passed the Union Buildings. But I do not recall it and have no pictures.
- Flow Country: It actually lies on the way when driving from Inverness to the ferry to Orkney. However, I was on a bus and did not make the detour to tick the (then) TWHS ...

What are yours?

Melka Kunture and Balchit: My tour to Tiya included a visit to Melka Kunture, but when we arrived at the archaeological site, it was closed for no reason (it should have been open). However, I need to check the final maps to see if I was in the core zone anyway :)

I got 10 ticks from this years batch .....but there were 3 near misses - with varying degrees of "annoyance".

Tirgu Jiu (Added to T List in March 1991) In 1999 we drove around a large part of Romania and Tirgu Jiu was an important planned visit..... BUT.... during the morning we were driving there we were involved in a (small) car accident.......by the time matters were sorted out with the police etc we had to miss it out altogether!

Moidams (added to T List in April 2014). In Feb 2013 we visited NE India - At the time the ONLY WHS were Manas and Kaziranga which we picked up..... Whilst, for TWHS there was Majuli which we spent a day going out of our way for but which has, so far failed to get inscribed despite several nominations....and Namdapha NP in the far corner of Arunachal Pradesh and unachievable in our timescale. There were no other entries from the North East - Then, just over a year later, India added the Ahom Dynasty Moidams... We had spent half a day in nearby Sivsagar. This city had been the Ahom Capital and we visited several Ahom related sites .....and then, on our way from there to Nagaland, drove through Garhgaon, a mere 15kms from Choraideo where the inscribed Modams are situated!!!
It gets worse...... I note that the Root Bridges were added to India's T List in April 2021.....destined I fear to be another near miss in the future as we were within 16kms of the double decker bridge on our way to nearby Cherrapunji whose claim to fame (disputed!) is to be the "wettest place on earth". I can even remember discussing with our driver whether we could fit it in such an interesting site even though it had no WHS aspect in 2013 (paying extra if necessary!!) - but it was not possible in the time available.

Schwerin (added to T List in Jan 2015). Our main trip to the former DDR had been as early as May 2002 and we must have driven right past on our way from Berlin to Wismar!! We had another chance in Aug 2013 when we got as close as Hamburg (110kms away) but were concentrating on the then Inscribed and T List so Schwerin wasn't even considered! After that trip I think we had completed both the German then Inscribed and T (?) Lists - but, as we know, Germany just keeps identifying more and more and more.....

Tirgu Jiu is the most annoying as I genuinely would like to have seen it for more than just because it is a WHS - and, without bad luck could have. It would be quite high on my personal list of "Top missing WHS I really would like to have visited" even if it is only running at 2.5 stars from this Community! The others show the problem of having done so much travelling before some sites now being inscribed were even on a T List to give a "target" to aim at!. The Moidams are the more disappointing as, with some extra preparation/reading on the Ahom monarchs etc before I went, I could well have identified by myself (without a UNESCO pointer!) their nearby value and we had plenty of time. I am less concerned about Schwerin - yet another German Castle which, I am sure has its merits but, which in all honesty, I don't particularly want to visit other than for a mere "tick"! Am certainly not "going back" for it!

Schwerin, changed trains there on the way between Quedlinburg and Wismar on New Years Eve 2011. I only had about 10 minutes between trains on an already tight schedule so missed the castle by about 1km, I kept an eye out for it, from interest as it wasn't on the t-list at the time, I think I saw it.
Though as a consolation this is where I first discovered the use of "Zwo" in German stations to make announcements clearer between platform 2 and 3.

I think I have good news for you - the (historic) railway station of Schwerin is also part of the WHS!

Oh now that is a quandary, I can get a tick without having to travel and see yet another minor dukes ostentatious house, I definitely had a knowing visit to the core zone.

I remember the station just being very normal, nothing special at all, mostly modern, almost certainly I bought something at a Relay or Rossman.

But I don't really think it gets to the heart of the OUV, so a near miss still I think.

The facade is quite impressive, and it really relates to the site's OUV and gets a mention in the AB ev "The prime examples of Renaissance-inspired buildings are the New Town Manor, the Grand Ducal Estate Office, and the Railway Station "

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Schwerin_Hauptbahnhof

I have three ticks this season. My only near miss is Via Appia. It is not a big deal though since every road leads to Rome :)

I have a similar story to meltwaterfalls with Schwerin as my near-miss. I was on my way from Lübeck to Wismar, and I needed to stow my heavy bag somewhere: to my dismay I discovered that it was not possible in Wismar, so I went to Schwerin and left it there (and then yes, I had to go back and then continue to Rügen, with a couple of minor changes in between... quite a convoluted day on the rails). Of course I tried to do as much as possible in the little time I had (less than 30m) between trains, so I took a walk into the old center and at one point... the epiphany of the castle! I was so awe-struck that I had the temptation to visit it instead of Wismar (and its future nomination as WHS was advertised all over the city). But plans are plans and I ran back to the station!

Even if I saw the castle and if the station and maybe parts of the center are in the core zone, I feel it was too brief a moment, and despite my wonder I had no time to experience its OUV. But I was right there!

Another near miss might be Melka Kunture and Balchit, in that we wentfrom Addis Abeba to Tiya and the rock-hewn church and then beyond, so we could have passed it, but we did no stop that I remember, and anyway it was not on the agenda and there was no talk about it. But had I known it, maybe I could have insisted a little...

My near miss the Jordan one. I drove not far away but was late after the castles and family wanted back to hotel. did visit the T in north-west though but.... doesn't make it yet. Will some day do a stopover on Jordanian airways, they often have great airfares to asia.

Schwerin missed on purposed. Had a to long night in Hamburg and was to tired next day and just drove home.
will pick it up hope in 2025 when i drive to sweden via denmark to finish denmark and sweden (up to high coast).

I added 6 WHS and my near miss is the Bosnian cave very close to Stolac, Bosnia or Slano, Croatia by car (where I also slept 1 night each on 2 separate trips).