The sand is soft and clean, stretches for miles and is bordered by rolling hills and rugged cliffs with breathtaking views of Welsh mountains.
The water is clear and days can end with sunsets on a horizon that seems to go on forever. And as the beach is so big, visitors are likely to find a section all to themselves no matter how busy it gets. This is Traeth Harlech, on the coast of Gwynedd, where it is overlooked by an imposing 13th century castle.
Tripadvisor scores it the top beach in north Wales, just head of the beautiful Llanddwyn on Anglesey. Some reviewers go further, rating it the best in Wales and even Europe. Last month, a regular visitor upped the stakes again when breathlessly described the four-mile sweep of sand as “the most peaceful, calming and beautiful place on earth”. And so enamoured was a Southampton holidaymaker that he went down on one knee there and proposed to his partner of 10 years, saying: “It was the perfect setting for us both. It will forever hold a special place in our hearts.”
