Britain's Top 10 Beaches
Posted: 2009-05-30
I see that VisitBritain has come up with a list of the top 10 beaches in Britain. Its a bit of an odd list, with some beaches in what I would call the 'really crowded popular resort with candy wrappers scattered about the beach' category, and others in the 'natural beauty but not great for bathing' category.
In short, the VisitBritain list is:
- Bournemouth, Dorset
- West Wittering, West Sussex
- Croyde Bay, North Devon
- Holy Island, Northumberland
- Holkham, Norfolk
- Great Bay, St Martin 's, Isles of Scilly
- Blackpool, Lancashire
- Abereiddi Blue Lagoon, Pembrokeshire
- Sinclair's Bay, Caithness
- Porthcurno, Cornwall
Now, I can't claim to have visited all the beaches on the list, but I have been to a few. I agree that Holy Island is a special place, as much for the beauty of the landscape as the history that is everywhere you look. And Holkham is gorgeous, as well.
It made me wonder, though, what are the best beaches I have visited in the UK? Here's a few that spring to mind, in no particular order:
- Coral Beach, near Dunvegan, Isle of Skye - an idyllic, remote beach, with water so blue it belongs in the Caribbean.
- Camber Sands, Kent (near Rye) - wow! Miles of unspoiled sand that stretches away into the distance. When the tide is out the beach seems to go on forever.
- Bamburgh - one of the most glorious evenings of my life was spent photographing Bamburgh Castle as the sun went down over the beach below the castle
- Woolacombe, north Devon - the coastline at Woolacombe is a wonderful mix of smooth golden sand and craggy rocks.
- Mupe Bay, Dorset - A mile or so east of the crowds at Lulworth Cove is this small, deserted bay with fabulous rock ridges stretching into the sea. Not for bathing, but for enjoying the drama of a rugged coast
- St Abbs Head, Scottish Borders - a few miles north of Berwick upon Tweed is St Abbs. Like Mupe Bay above, this is not a beach made for bathing, but there are paths along the headland, overlooking glorious coastline.
I'm sure there are others, but those are the first few that spring to mind - places I wouldn't hesitate to recommend to friends as a terrific place to visit. What are your favourites?
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