UK beaches are exceptionally popular and with these 10 facts, it’s easy to see why!
1. There are an impressive 150 beaches in the UK with a Blue Flag or Quality Coast classification; guaranteeing cleanliness, excellent facilities and security. There are 13 beaches with Blue Flag status in Pembrokeshire alone. Great Britain contains some of the cleanest, safest and most spectacular beaches in the world.
2. Our coastline is one of the most accessible in the world; wherever you live in the UK, you’ll be less than 2 hours’ drive from the coast. Few other countries can boast such ease of access. It is estimated that the furthest you can be from the sea is 73 miles, if you live in Coton in the elms, Derbyshire!
3. The UK coastline is very long compared to other countries of similar size; for example, our coastline is 3 and a half times longer than the coastline of Spain and 5 times longer than the coastline of France. Why go to Europe in search of golden, sun-kissed beaches when they can all be found in the UK?
4. Historically there have been up to 200 million day trips to the coast in a single year. That equates to more than 3 visits to the coast for every person in the UK. It goes without saying that UK beaches are very popular with the British population.
5. The UK contains some of the best beaches in the world to learn to surf; from Caswell Bay on the Gower Peninsula to Sennen Cove in Cornwall. A popular surfing website lists a total of 47 beaches in the UK that are suitable for surfing. In addition, there are a number of excellent surf schools situated throughout the UK, from surf’s up to Quiksilver surf school.
6. The annual profits from UK beach services for a year amount to a whopping £8bn. Tourism industry figures also indicate a 13% increase in tourist spending between 2008 and 2009.
7. There are now 3 times as many clean beaches in the UK as there were 25 years ago; And the number continues to improve, thanks to the hard work of the Marine Conservation Society and other voluntary organizations. The cleanliness of the water continues to improve, as do safety measures on beaches across the UK.
8. Torbay and the Isle of Wight are said to have the best beaches in the UK, each receiving 14 awards this year.
9. Blackpool Pleasure Beach is not only the most popular seaside resort in the UK; It’s also the UK’s most popular attraction, nationally, attracting 5.7 million visitors last year, overtaking the Tate Modern, with 800,000 visitors, for second place.
10. UK beaches are some of the best places to see incredible wildlife. A wide variety of birds, fish and even seals can be seen on many beaches along the UK coast. In addition to this, more than 1,500 km of coastline in England and Wales have been designated as coastal heritage; that is, an area of remarkable natural beauty of scientific interest.