There are more than 1,500 beaches in the UK. Some of them are famous tourist hotspots (looking at you, Cornwall), but others are hidden away behind dunes and mountains, rarely accessed by anyone but the seagulls.
Hidden beaches are ideal for when you want to enjoy the sun without having to fight half of the town for somewhere to put your towel. There’s loads of them but, by virtue of their being secret, you probably don’t know where they are. That’s where the Telegraph comes in.
The Telegraph has released its list of the UK’s top 20 ‘secret’ beaches, where you can enjoy a swim without the crowds. Well, until all of the crowds read the article and similarly decide to try them out, but we’re confident you have at least a little while before that happens.
The best one of them all? The paper says that’s Ayrmer Cove in south Devon. Even if it rises in fame, it may be able to retain its exclusivity, because it’s pretty tricky to get to. To access the cove, you have to hike across the South West Coast Path from Challaborough and follow a pretty steep route to the secluded cove where, as the Telegraph puts it ‘you’re a lot less likely to run into any sunbathing spot snatchers’.
Nearby, there’s a highly rated pub – Journeys End Inn – where you can end your day of activity with a pint. This beach really does have it all.
In second place was Ringstead Bay in Dorset. It is similarly difficult to get to, meaning only the most dedicated of beachgoers will even be bothered to make the trip. The Telegraph describes it as ‘a small shingle beach with lots of sand at low tide’ which is ‘a good place to hunt for fossils, and with fewer visitors, you’re likely to find something interesting’.
Even further south, Cornwall’s Bream Cove secured bronze. It’s reached via a pleasant walk through the woods and, according to the Telegraph, is a ‘great alternative to the busier beaches of Falmouth’ with ‘real Famous Five vibes’. The rest of the list has options outside of Devon and Cornwall, we promise.
Here’s the complete list of the best hidden beaches in the UK, according to the Telegraph:
- Ayrmer Cove, South Devon
- Ringstead Bay, Dorset
- Bream Cove, Cornwall
- Pedn Vounder, Cornwall
- Shoeburyness, Essex
- Sandgate, Kent
- Rottingdean Beach, East Sussex
- Steephill Cove, Isle of Wight
- Silverdale Cove, Lancashire
- Anderby Creek, Lincolnshire
- Budle Bay, Northumberland
- Horsey Beach, Norfolk
- Clashnessie Bay, Assynt
- Farr Beach, Sutherland
- Scalpsie Bay, Isle of Bute
- Sanna Bay, Kilchoan
- Porthor, Gwynedd
- Fall Bay, Gower
- Traeth Llyfn, North Pembrokeshire
- Amroth Beach, South Pembrokeshire
You can read the Telegraph’s full article here.
Looking for some cracking beaches?
Home or away, we’ve got you covered at Time Out. Here’s our roundup of the best beaches in the UK, and our list of the best beaches in the world if you're looking for sandier shores. We’ve also got a guide for places in the UK that don’t look like the UK, if you want excitement on a budget.
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