When you think of the best beach in Britain, your mind probably goes to the south coast, right. It’s got to be some stretch of golden sands in Cornwall, maybe a seaside in Brighton, or a cove in Devon?
Amazingly, It’s been voted not only Tripadvisor’s Best Beach in Britain twice, but the third best beach in Europe and ninth best in the world. And you’ve probably never even heard of it.
But according to Tripadvisor, the best beach in Britain isn’t even in England. So naturally, as a Welshman, I went to have a look – and made a stunning discovery.
That’s right, the best beach in Britain is actually in Wales. To be precise, it’s Rhossili Bay, in the Gower, near Swansea in South Wales.
As an Evans, my entire family are from South Wales originally, so I felt a natural compulsion to go and see it for myself – and I wasn’t expecting what I found at all.
Right at the western end of the stunning Gower Peninsula, you’ll find this beach haven, where soft sand literally stretches for miles along the coastline.
Standing from the cliffs, you can see huge expanses of golden sand stretch for miles with sparkling blue waters lapping at the shoreline.
It is a hidden gem in every sense of the word. Little known as a top UK beach destination, it’s also stashed well out of the way along long and winding Swansea country lanes. Driving down high hedgerow single-carriage B-roads, it felt like driving to nowhere, until you suddenly turn a corner and there’s a cliff edge and a massive beach.
Parking the car, we found a little ice cream parlour and a pub along with a public loo sat at the summit, with a big set of stairs at the top of the cliff you can use to find the beach.
If you stay up top, not only will you get stunning views along the Welsh coast, but you can make your way to a sunflower farm where you can pay a few pounds to pick your own sunflower and take it home.
But the beach itself is what people come for. It’s got so much space, with so few people. It really does seem to be a place most people haven’t realised exists. When the tide is out, you have your pick of sunbathing spots, with almost no crowds and acres of space to choose from.
Parts of the sand are a tiny bit pebbley or gritty, but there’s plenty of decent beach overall.
But nearby is the best discovery of all. There’s a tidal island called Worm’s Head just off the beach.
It is the most westerly point in all of the Gower peninsula, and is named for a sea serpent. The headland is just 200 yards wide at its narrowest point and is only accessible on foot for two and a half hours either side of low tide – and can be fatal to reach if you try at any other time, with warning signs in front of it and beach managers stopping people trying to get across outside of the goldilocks low tide hours.
In all, it’s a stunning, fascinating and unusual place with plenty to see – and next to nobody there to get in your way.