Most Brits are well aware of the beauty of our coastlines, but it can be hard work convincing others that we can compete with Mediterranean sands or Australian bays. But next time someone scoffs when you say British beaches are some of the best in the world, let them know that we’ve got Lonely Planet on our side.
The travel guide publisher has just released its highly anticipated list of the 100 finest beaches on the globe. And placing alongside beaches across Thailand, Hawaii, Italy and Greece, the UK made the cut not one but four times.
Rhossili Bay in Gower, Wales was the first of the UK beaches to make the list. Widely considered one of the country’s prime surfing spots, Rhossili Bay was described by LP writers as a ‘wonderfully secluded pocket of Wales’ that ‘retains a special soul-stirring energy, framed by blonde dunes and Rhossili Down’s heather-scented slopes’.
The stunning Durdle Door on Dorset’s Jurassic Coast was the next to feature. Famous for its magnificent limestone sea arch, LP said that ‘swimming off the shingle-and-sand beach beneath the green-clad cliffs, with turquoise water stretching into the distance, is a special moment’.
Claiming that it ‘easily rivals any beach in the Caribbean’, the book declared Cornwall’s Kynance Cove another one of the best beaches in the world. Holiday-makers flock there for its turquoise waters and impressive rock formations, plus the fact that it’s supposedly the UK’s warmest beach. Who could say no to that?
And last but not least, West Beach in Berneray in the Outer Hebrides was picked up by Lonely Planet. The little Scottish island bay boasts ‘powdery silver-white sand might feel more Southeast Asia than North Atlantic’ and was praised by LP judges as a ‘wildly remote jewel’.
Everything’s beachy
While we can’t dispute these choices, they just scratch the surface of all the sandy gems the UK has to offer. For more dazzling shores and hidden coves, look no further than our roundup of the best beaches in the country. If you’re after a beach more off the beaten track, we’ve got a list for that too, while if you’re seeking a day trip out of the capital, these are the finest beaches near London. And (obviously) we’ve got our own carefully-picked ranking of the best beaches in the world.
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