The ‘Caribbean-like’ beach named the UK’s cleanest is in Wales
An unspoilt Welsh beach likened to the Caribbean has scooped the title of the UK’s cleanest beach.
According to new analysis, Barafundle Bay in Pembrokeshire came out top in a new list of the best sandy spots.
With sewage spills and headlines about water pollution in the news it’s timely to identify the cleanest beaches in the UK.
An index methodology was used to rank each of the beaches from cleanest to dirtiest. The metrics included a clean ranking (consisting of air quality, air pollution, water quality, water pollution and clean and tidy index) and average bacteria levels based on results from the testing of bathing waters. They also looked at TripAdvisor and Google review ratings.
Each of these metrics were collected and then ranked against each other to give an overall ranking.
There was very good news for Wales. The nation had six of the top ten in the UK – while the bottom ten beaches were all in England.
The analysis said of the top ranking Barafundle: “The ‘Caribbean-like’ Barafundle Bay in Wales has seen visitors soar over the years since it was listed as one of the best in the world. Now, with the summer season near, the picturesque coastline has been revealed as one of the cleanest beaches for visitors this year.”
The beach has been described as “one of Wales’ most beautiful beaches” and has also been described as “the jewel in the crown” of the local coastline.
Owned and managed by the National Trust, he beach is accessible via the coastal path, and is a favourite for those who want to enjoy a walk with stunning views along the way.
Golden sands
Visit Pembrokeshire said of the beautiful beach: “Swathes of golden sand and crystal clear waters, Barafundle has been voted many, many times as one of the best beaches in Britain and the world; it’s often likened to a Caribbean beach. This pristine beach is isolated which means no facilities; so everything you take has to come back up over the cliffs.”
This beautiful west Wales oasis even has an album named after it. ‘Barafundle’ is the fourth album by Welsh psych folk luminaries Gorky’s Zygotic Mynci. Released in 1997, the album takes its name from the beach which is featured on the cover.
Other Welsh beaches appearing on the list included:
– Three Cliffs Bay, Gower
– Rhossili Bay, Gower
– Harlech Beach, Gwynedd
– Mwnt Beach, Cardigan
The Top 10 Highest Ranking Beaches
1. Barafundle Bay, Pembrokeshire, Wales
2. Woolacombe Sands, Devon, England
3. St Cyrus Beach, Aberdeenshire, Scotland
4. Penbryn Beach, Ceredigion, Wales
5. Seven Sisters, Sussex, England
6. Three Cliffs Bay, Gower, Wales
7. Pedn Vounder Beach, Cornwall, England
8. Rhossili Bay, Gower, Wales
9. Harlech Beach, Gwynedd, Wales
10. Mwnt Beach, Cardigan, Wales
The Top 10 Lowest Ranking Beaches
1. Whitstable Bay, Kent, England
2, Ventnor Beach, Isle of Wight, England
3. Southwold Pier, Suffolk, England
4. Mothecombe, Plymouth, England
5. Viking Bay, Broadstairs, England
6. Hunstanton Beach, Norfolk
7. Whitley Bay, Tyneside, England
8. Aldeburgh Beach, Suffolk, England
9. Dungeness Beach, Romney Marsh, England
10. Sheringham Beach, Norfolk, England
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Where are the palm trees?
I think usage; number of people visits, was not included.
Just like Three Cliffs, it’s not easily accessible by car so only the most dedicated make the effort to walk there. The kind of people who hike or take long countryside walks tend to be those who respect the outdoors and don’t dump their rubbish. Of course, that only accounts for litter. It’s Geography and infrastructure that decides whether your lovely beach is stuck next to a sewage outlet or whether the tides in that area are likely to wash the untreated filth back onto the shore. Poor old Dungeness in Kent can’t do enough litter picking to mitigate the… Read more »
Fair point that less people and higher tidal range helps keep a beach clean.
But I don’t understand your point about a nuclear power station having an impact on litter or air quality. Even if Dungeness was in operation I don’t understand how you think it would cause littering or air pollution. Given the power station has been shut down for seven years it is even harder to understand.