Awards season is
upon us, the Brits and Oscars are just around the corner and today we at
TripAdvisor announce the winners of the coveted TripAdvisor Travellers’ Choice
Beaches Awards.
Rhossili Bay in
Swansea has been crowned the UK’s number one beach and third best in Europe
beating almost every other beach in Spain, Greece and Italy. The Welsh beach even
placed in the world’s top 10 above those in Hawaii, the Caribbean and more
exotic locations.
Woolacombe Beach in
Devon was named the UK’s second best beach while Cornwall’s Porthminster Beach
took third place.
“These awards
recognise the best beaches in the UK and beyond, according to those that really
matter – travellers that have visited these beaches and
given them the highest levels of praise,” commented Emma Shaw, TripAdvisor
spokesperson. “Huge congratulations to Swansea’s Rhossili Bay for beating many of
the most exotic beaches across the globe.”
Swansea
beats Sardinia in the seaside stakes
Swansea’s Rhossili
Bay is officially the UK’s number one beach, and, taking third place in Europe
and 10th in the world just goes to prove that you don’t have to
travel thousands of miles for a great beach.
Rhossili Bay is the
largest expanse of white sand on the Gower Peninsula and stretches for three
miles. The beach’s vast stretch of sand and towering cliffs make it popular
with surfers, paragliders and ramblers. The village of Rhossili is steeped in
history and the wreck of the Helvetia, which ran aground on Rhossili Bay in
November 1887 can still be seen on the beach today.
Councillor
David Phillips, Leader of the City and County of Swansea said, “We are
delighted, but not surprised, that Rhossili Bay has been acknowledged by the
world’s leading consumer travel website. We hope that many more visitors
continue to enjoy its outstanding natural beauty.”
Triple
win for Dorset
In a triple
celebration for Dorset, the county is home to three of the UK’s top 10 beaches:
Hengistbury Head in fifth place, Weymouth Beach in seventh and Sandbanks in
eighth.
Sicily
celebrates world win
Italy’s Rabbit
Beach in Sicily has been crowned the number one beach in the world. Situated on
the small island of Lampedusa, it is a totally unspoiled nature reserve that
can only be accessed by boat and is one of the few rare places in the
Mediterranean where loggerhead sea turtles go to lay their eggs. Grace Bay in Providenciales,
Turks and Caicos takes the runner up spot.
