Fall off the radar and in love with these secluded summer spots
After months stuck on Zoom, and with lockdown restrictions easing ever so slightly, we’re all keen to set aside some time for a dreamy getaway in the British sunshine – with research from ONS indicating that 1 in 4 of us are ‘very likely’ to plan a summer staycation this year.
But with more Brits staycationing than ever before, there’s a worry that if too many flock to the same places, social distancing guidelines could well be forgotten – as was seen with the overcrowding of several beaches on the Southern coastline back in June.
And so a mighty dilemma falls upon us: choosing a staycation location that is both as breathtaking as the white sand beaches of Sicily but little known enough that it’s also SD-friendly.
Although it might seem a mammoth task, ShowersToYou.co.uk has done the lion’s share, by searching Instagram to find the UK’s least tagged, and prettiest secret beaches for us to discover this summer.
Topping the list with just four hashtags is Coves Haven beach. With high sand dunes and steep cliffs providing a beautiful view of Holy Island’s coast, this little-known gem is also the most remote beach on our list to visit.
Up next with 27 hashtags is the award-winning Strathy Bay, situated in the Scottish Highlands. With the River Strathy on one side and the north coast’s epic cliffs on the other, this hidden spot was nominated as one of Scotland’s best beaches in 2019 and is well worth a visit.
And renowned for its waterfalls, the Lake District has a plethora of beautiful spots dotted across its coastline. Take, Drigg, for example. The most popular of the least tagged beaches (garnering 658 hashtags), it’s a beautiful spot for a picnic and just so happens to be secluded enough that should a cheeky skinny dip be on the cards, well...who's to know?
As this round-up shows, England and Scotland are home to some of the most beautiful secret beaches we’ll come across. Staycation 2020 doesn’t seem so bad after-all, eh?
Ranked in order of the least hashtags to the most, these are the UK's top 15 secret beaches
Coves Haven, Holy Island, England
AKA: #coveshaven
Total number of hashtags: 4
Strathy Bay, Highland, Scotland
AKA: #strathybay
Total number of hashtags: 27
Shepherd's Chine, Isle of Wight
AKA: #shepherdschine
Total number of hashtags: 86
Sinclairs Bay, Highland
AKA: #sinclairs bay
Total number of hashtags: 142
Gammon Head Beach, Devon
AKA: #gammonhead
Total number of hashtags: 153
Porthbeor, Cornwall
AKA: #porthbeor, #porthbeorbeach
Total number of hashtags: 188
Rumbling Kern, Northumberland, England
AKA: #rumblingkern, #rumblingkernhowick
Total number of hashtags: 244
Speke's Mill Mouth, Devon
AKA: #spekesmillmouth, #spekesmillmouthbeach
Total number of hashtags: 299
Langamull Beach, Isle of Mull, Scotland
AKA: #langamull, #langamullbeach
Total number of hashtags: 314
Fidden, Isle of Mull
AKA: #fidden, #fiddenbay, #fiddenbeach
Total number of hashtags: 319
Traeth Mawr, Glamorgan, Wales
AKA: #traethmawr
Total number of hashtags: 410
Traeth Bychan Beach, Anglesey, Wales
AKA: #traethbychan
Total number of hashtags: 537
Traeth Llynfn, Pembrokeshire, Wales
AKA: #traethllyfn, #traethllyfnbeach
Total number of hashtags: 583
Drigg, Lake District, England
AKA: #drigg
Total number of hashtags: 658
