If your favourite beach feels like it’s getting more and more crowded, then perhaps you could try this beach that’s beautiful but off the beaten track
Wales’ ‘best hidden beach’ is ‘never crowded’, even in summer, and accessible only on foot
This corner of Wales has some of the best-known beaches and tourist destinations of anywhere in the country. But between the famous and beautiful communities of Newport and Fishguard in north Pembrokeshire is a little-known beach that you can only access on foot and is unlikely to be busy no matter when you visit, even in the height of summer.
In fact, it has just come top of a list of the UK’s top hidden beaches, which was compiled by taking 56 beaches from Conde Nast Traveller’s latest list of best beaches in the UK then recording the number of Instagram hashtags associated with each location. And the beach with the fewest mentions was in Wales. In fact, it had seven times fewer mentions than the Scottish beach that came second, and 56 times fewer mentions than Mwnt Beach, just up the coast, which came in 10th place in the list.
According to the list, put together by travel sim provider Holafly, the UK’s top “hidden” beach is Aberfforest, which is around two miles west of Newport, itself called a “perfect” Welsh village with a world-class pub. If you’ve never heard of it before, you’re probably not alone as it certainly doesn’t get as many headlines or social media posts as more famous Pembrokeshire beaches like Barafundle, Whitesands, Marloes or Tenby — you can see our pick of Wales’ best beaches here.
The beach at Aberfforest has been named the UK’s best ‘hidden beach’
Aberfforest is remote and accessible only from the coast path of from some local properties
When the tide is in, the beach at Aberfforest is largely shingle, but there is more sand as the tide goes out. The Beach Guide website says: “It is protected by headlands to either side making it a good spot for a high tide swim. To the rear of the beach are some gently sloping fields and the wooded valley the river Fforest runs down. It is well worth making the little walk up the river valley which takes you to a small waterfall.”
A local provider of rental cottages, Aberfforest Cottages, says access to the beach is “limited to just a handful of local properties and ramblers on the coastal path which passes through the bay”. It says: “This means that even in the height of summer, the beach is rarely busy and offers the perfect base for days spent swimming, sailing, kayaking and rock-pooling. Every now and then the bay plays host to inquisitive seals and dolphins which breed locally. Catching sight of these amazing creatures as their heads emerge out of the sea and survey the bay is a fantastic treat.”
The woodland walk through ferns and wild garlic leading to the beautiful waterfall at Aberfforest
The waterfall at AberfforestThe waterfall
But the beach is not the only draw — not far away is Aberfforest waterfall. Aberfforest Cottages say the waterfall is “a fabulous place to explore, for adults, children and dogs alike”, adding: “A circular route follows the picturesque track to the beach and back to the cottage through ancient woodlands taking in the waterfall on the way.”
The coast path
The Pembrokeshire coast path is world famous — in fact, it has been ranked among the world’s top 10 long-distance paths by National Geographic, which has also ranked Pembrokeshire the world’s second best coastal destination.
The top 10 ‘hidden’ beaches in the UK
According to the list, these are the top 10 ‘hidden’ beaches in the UK:
1. Aberfforest, Pembrokeshire, Wales
2. Uig, Isle of Lewis, Scotland
3. Pentle Bay, Scilly Isles, England
4. Magilligan Point, Limavady, Northern Ireland
5. Scarista, Lewis and Harris, Scotland
6. Mudeford Sandbank, Dorset, England
7. Woolacombe Sands, Devon, England
8. Pedn Vounder, Cornwall, England
9. Walberswick, Suffolk, England
10. Mwnt, Ceredigion, Wales