Cornwall in Times and Sunday Times Best UK Beaches guide

The 17th edition of the guide is the definitive and most comprehensive list of the UK’s 50 best beaches.

In his description of Bude, Chris Haslam, the award-winning chief travel writer at The Times and The Sunday Times, says: “With its beach huts, fishing, surfing, castling and harbourside dining, Summerleaze beach is the star attraction but do check out Crooklets, north of the cricket club, for the rock pools, and Northcott Mouth, home of gourmet café and gig venue Sip + Sea at the charming Rustic Tea Garden.”

Bude in Cornwall is the Southwest of England’s beach of the year, according to the annual Times and Sunday Times Best UK Beaches guide (Image: Getty Images) Chris Haslam has selected the UK’s top 50 beaches from a total of 756 that he personally visited and inspected on a month-long campervan tour of the British and Northern Irish coasts. 

Also included in the top beaches in the South West are six from Cornwall including our very own Swanpool, Podhu Cove, Harlyn Bay, Pedn Vounder and Watergate Bay. 

You can read more about the full list here: www.thetimes.com/travel/destinations/uk-travel/best-beaches-uk-b5b2krtp7

The guide showcases the unrivalled beauty of the UK seaside, evaluated through a rigorous 11-point inspection checklist. Criteria include water quality, cleanliness, accessibility, car-parking facilities, lifeguard presence, hygiene levels at restrooms and showers, and dog-friendliness. 

As always, this guide covers only mainland beaches.

Best beaches in the Southwest of England

THE SOUTHWEST OF ENGLAND’S BEACH OF THE YEAR:

Bude, Cornwall

Panoramic view of the beach at the Cornish seaside resort of Bude. In the foreground is the River Strat. (Image: Getty Images)

Bude has been a thriving seaside resort town since Victorian times, and has built a strong reputation as 
a holiday destination due to beautiful, award winning beaches, the famous Bude Sea Pool, rugged cliffs, wide open spaces and stunning coastal landscapes.  

• Lannacombe, Devon
  

• Bantham, Devon
  

• Swanpool, Cornwall
  

Swanpool Beach is in the top ten (Image: Getty Images/iStockphoto)

Swanpool Beach is a hidden gem between Falmouth‘s popular Gyllyngvase Beach and Maenporth. With a car park behind the beach, beach huts, a popular cafe and the newly opened Beachhouse seafood restaurant overlooking it. 

Poldhu Cove has a wide expanse of sand (Image: Michael Charles)

One of the most popular beaches for families in the Helston and Lizard Peninsula area, Poldhu is known for its vast expanse of sand. It includes the extremely popular Poldhu Beach Cafe, which is known for opening 364 days of the year, only closing Christmas Day! 

The iconic Pedn Vounder Beach is also in there (Image: Getty Images/iStockphoto)

Pedn Vounder is world famous for it’s sparkling sands and crystal clear seas, as well as a bit of nudity! Beware of the steep climb down.

Harlyn Bay is perfect for families (Image: Getty Images/iStockphoto)

Watergate Bay with its wide expanse of sands at low tide and rockpools is the ideal place for a family holiday. Also good for surfing.

Surfer’s paradise Watergate Bay (Image: Michael Charles)

Watergate Gate is renowned for its excellent surf wide expanse of sand as well as being the site of the first 15 training restaurant from Jamie Oliver

Chris Haslam said; “Behind all the best urban beaches you find local people working hard to protect their shoreline — whether by arranging beach cleans, putting pressure on councils or keeping an eye on developers — and Bude offers one of the best examples of such community engagement. The surf’s not bad either.”