A beautiful Cornwall beach has been named by the Sunday Times as the best in the UK. The Towans, was also ranked the best in the South West in the newspaper's prestigious - with Cornwall beaches taking up four spots in the regional top 10. The annual guide was compiled with an 11-point inspection checklist.
Criteria includes water quality, cleanliness, accessibility, car-parking facilities, lifeguard presence, hygiene levels at restrooms and showers, and dog-friendliness. Cornwall's other beaches included in the guide also scored highly. But Chris Haslam, chief travel writer at The Times - who personally visited and inspected all 50 beaches included in the guide in the past eight weeks - praised The Towans offer of a "sense of space in untamed nature".
He said: "The Towans’ water quality is rated as excellent, it’s dog-friendly and the cleanliness, car parking, lifeguarding, catering and toilets are top notch. The water sports facilities are superb and the beauty is beyond question. "But there’s something here that’s not on the checklist: a sense of space in untamed nature that lowers your heart rate, reduces the cortisol and loosens the limbs.
” The 2024 guide only features beaches which are rated as “excellent” for water quality by the national environment agencies. And, as usual, it covers only mainland beaches. Read on to find out about Cornwall's winning and the three other Cornish beaches named among the best in the South West by the Times and Sunday Times.
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