Devon beach named best in the UK
Woolacombe in Devon has been named Britain's best beach in TripAdvisor's Travellers' Choice Awards.
The sandy stretch beat beaches in Italy, Greece, Thailand and Costa Rica to be named the fourth best beach in Europe and the 13th best in the world.
Located in North Devon, Woolacombe is a three-mile golden sand beach, famed for its Blue Flag status, water quality and safe swimming for families. Backed by sandy hills and the Woolacombe Downs, it is popular among surfers who travel from all over the country for the rolling, unbroken surf and clean water. The sheer length of the beach means that there is no shortage of sand to sit down and relax on during the busy summer months.
Weymouth Beach in Dorset was named second best rated beach in Britain and the eighth best beach in Europe, while Wales' Rhossili Bay took third place in the UK and eleventh in Europe.
Other British beaches listed in Europe's top 25 were St. Brelade's Bay Beach in Jersey and Porthminster Beach in St Ives, Cornwall, placed fourteenth and eighteenth respectively.
One TripAdvisor reviewer who recently visited Woolacombe said: "Came here first in 1950. I am still coming here and although there are a lot more people now it is still possibly one of the best beaches in Britain, the clean sand, beach huts for hire, 3 miles to walk the length and fantastic clifftop walks make this a very special place."
Despite Devon being home to the UK's number one beach, Cornwall scooped the most number of awards of any county in the UK. The 'most beautiful county in England' is home to four winning beaches: Porthminster Beach in St Ives, Perranporth Beach in Perranporth and Fistral Beach in Newquay which took fifth, sixth and seventh place in the UK respectively, along with Hayle's Godrevy Head which came 22nd.
Meanwhile, Brazil's Baia do Sancho scooped the award for best beach in the world for the second year running. Located in Fernando de Noronha, an archipelago with UNESCO world heritage status, it offers crystalline water and soft white sand, while surrounded by towering cliffs covered by vegetation that attracts a multitude of exotic wildlife.
Click through our slideshows to find out which beaches were named the best in Britain, Europe and the world - and don't forget to leave a comment to tell us which beach you think is the best in the UK.
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