Since the pandemic, the cat has been well and truly let out of the bag when it comes to the quality of beaches that we have up here in the North East.
Bamburgh Beach has picked up a stream of recommendations from travel publications across the world and it seems like every other week our stunning coastline is hailed for its beauty - and in some cases even peace and tranquillity. And another North East beach has picked up an outstanding accolade, this time winning the Sunday Times Beach of the Year.
A list drawn up by The Times chief travel writer Chris Haslam has revealed the 50 best beaches in the UK, with him picking those from 800 that he'd visited over the last year. And it's the long stretch of golden sand at Sandhaven in South Shields that's beat off stiff competition from all over the country to be crowned number one.
