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 Holkham beach in Norfolk
Photograph: Shutterstock

The UK’s whitest beaches have been revealed

Beaches in South Wales, Devon, and Norfolk are amongst our best looking, according to a new study

Annie McNamee
Written by
Annie McNamee
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This year’s been tough on the wallet. Everyone is feeling the pinch, and if you, like so many others, are not able to fit an international holiday into the budget this summer, we’re here to be the bearers of good news. You need not worry about trying to get out of Britain this year, as the people over at Dog Friendly Cottages (DFC) have scientifically (sort of) figured out the top 10 whitest beaches in the country.

There will be no need for Bora Bora. There will be no reason to travel all the way to Tenerife. Between this research and the fact that two of our beaches were recently named amongst the world’s most sustainable, 2024 is the perfect time for a beachy staycation. And there’s no better place to make that happen than Holkham beach in Norfolk, which is officially home to the UK’s whitest sand.

How did DFC figure this out, you ask? Well, by using Google satellite images and digital colour analysis of course. This technique also discovered that Woolacombe Beach in Devon has the second best sandy shores in Britain, and Barafundle Bay in South Wales the third. According to DFC, the latter is an ‘expansive stretch of white sand and crystal-clear waters [which] is frequently voted among the best beaches in both Britain and the world.’

The UK’s whitest sandy beaches

  1. Holkham Beach, Norfolk
  2. Woolacombe Beach, Devon
  3. Barafundle Bay, South Wales
  4. Bamburgh Castle Beach, Northumberland
  5. Tenby North Beach, South Wales
  6. Porthcurno Beach, Cornwall
  7. Camber Sands, Sussex
  8. Rhossili Bay, South Wales
  9. Fistral Beach, Devon
  10. Bournemouth Beach, Bournemouth

Congratulations to all those named, we’ll look forward to visiting and subsequently finding your gorgeous sand in our shoes for months to come.

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 international shores. We’ve also got a guide to places in the UK that don’t look like the UK, if you want excitement on a budget. 

Here are all the winners of the National Pub and Bar Awards 2024.

Plus: The UK’s most popular city has been revealed – and it’s not London.

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