Season: autumn Broad Haven South beach sits a mile south east of Bosherston village. The beautiful, golden beach is edged by grey limestone cliffs and pointed sea stacks. The sand is soft and child friendly. Sitting between Stackpole and St Govan’s headlands in Pembrokeshire, the main sea stack is known as Church Rock. Behind the […]
Season: autumn Freshwater West beach is a two mile stretch of golden sand in Pembrokeshire. The shingle upper reaches are backed by mature dunes and the beach enjoys the full force of the North Atlantic, making it Wales’ best surfing beach, but one to treat with respect when swimming here. The rocky reef at the […]
Season: autumn Caswell Bay lies towards the eastern end of The Gower Peninsula, just west of Langland Bay. With shingle at the top of the beach and a sandy lower level, it’s popular with families and surfers alike. The coast path runs just behind the beach. With a regular summer lifeguard patrol, it’s also a […]
Season: autumn Saundersfoot is a small fishing village sitting at the foot of a wooded valley. The expansive sandy south east facing beach has a Blue Flag and all that most visitors need, including safe swimming and eateries close by. The immediate vicinity was designated as a conservation area in 1995. At low tide there’s […]
Season: autumn Pronounced “Poth dee” but sharing the P-Celt and phonetic resonance of Cornwall’s Poldhu Cove on the Lizard Peninsula, this bay and beach are backed by a wooded ravine, known as Bishopston Valley. This shingle beach is located a mile and a half from Bishopston village, where there is parking. I recommend approaching via […]
Season: autumn Oxwich Bay has one of the best known beaches on the Gower Peninsula. Accessed via the nearby village of Oxwich, the setting features two and a half miles of sandy beach, dunes and woodland. The beach and the bay have an expansive feel and visitors flock here in the summer. A cafe at […]
Season: autumn The village of Manorbier, pronounced man-er-beer, is an attractive backdrop to the secluded, sandy beach here. The village also contains Manorbier Castle, itself a worthwhile, well presented visitor attraction. The beautiful, dog friendly beach is popular with surfers, but it is also a safe location for swimming and rockpooling, due to its “excellent” […]
Season: autumn Langland Bay is located just west of Mumbles Head on The Gower Peninsula and is the most easterly of the regional beaches. The beach is shingled on the upper reaches, but reveals acres of golden sand at low tide. Langland Bay is family friendly, with all the facilities that most visitors require […]
Season: autumn The distinctive triple-pointed crag at the eastern end of the beach, with its natural arch, gives the bay its name. It’s a popular spot for rock climbers. I recommend a scenic approach to the beach via Pennards Cliffs, although you can walk a mile from Parkmill village to get here too. There’s a […]
Season: summer Erraid is a tidal island in the south west corner of Mull, a stunning location where access varies depending on the tide. This is the island where the fictional David Balfour was marooned in Robert Louis Stevenson’s “Kidnapped”, caught out by the tide after being shipwrecked. Erraid is surrounded by many small islets, […]
Season: summer Reputedly the most attractive beach on the Isle of Mull, access involves a half mile walk from the free car park near Ardalanish Farm. The rocks here are considerably older than the Tertiary volcanic rock found most widely on the island. Ardalanish beach is broad, with silver sands and an isolated, elemental feel. […]
Season: spring I arrived early for this visit to Sanna Bay, which sits near mainland Britain’s most westerly point. The rising tide was halfway in over the white sand and not a soul was about, a timeless scene. The geology is exceptional here, with grand volcanic granite hills leading down to course marram grass and […]
