This is a great place for walkers and families about seven miles south of Carmarthen. The beach is…read morelarge with lovely soft sand and there are nice views across the estuary and River Towy to the village of Ferryside. Swimming is prohibited however because of the tides and mud flats. There is an official car park and also another gravelly and grassy area where one can park for no charge. Besides the main car park are toilets and a shop and cafe. Overlooking the beach is the huge ruin of Llansteffan Castle, also well worth a visit.

Posiibly the greatest beach in Britain. Smooth golden sand meets the clear blue sea. Divine views…read moremake for picture postcard scenes and the open beach is perfect for a family day out. An abundance of inspiration for artists and photographers alike and has even been known to have good surf on windier days I have been here many a time and it has never failed to disappoint. A definite must-see if you are in the area with something for everyone.

Barafundle Beach is, for me, the best beach in Wales - And I'm not the only one who thinks it's…read moreamazing - It was voted by the Times and the Good Holiday Guide as one of the top 10 beaches in the whole world. Barafundle is a sandy beach, surrounded by limestone cliffs - you therefore have to be prepared for a bit of a hike along the cliffs to get to the beach (about 1K) - not a difficult walk, but steep steps at both ends. You can park in the National Trust car park for a few quid. This whole estate (Stackpole) is National Trust, and therefore beautifully preserved - This obviously limits facilities. There are tea rooms in the car parks near the beach - but no facilities at all once you walk there. This is to the great benefit of the beach - it is truly natural and wonderful. The 'desert island' experience is well worth the walk. The water quality is fantastic - it is crystal clear. There are no rocks or dangerous currents - so bathing is very safe - Although you must be careful because there is no lifeguard cover here. This beach is perfect - See my Stackpole review for some more of the attractions at this National Trust site.

BEAUTIFUL Be sure to take the scenic walk from Mumbles to…read moreLangland Bay, then have lunch. You'll pass little Rotherslade Bay. Didn't expect Wales (or the UK) to have such a coastline, with colorful flowers on cliffs over crashing waves.

One of our favourite places to walk, especially along the pathway between Mumbles and Langland…read moreitself. The beach is large and sandy and the headlands green and hilly. The beach is very popular in summer but the promenade and paths make for a pleasant walk all year round. The beach is bordered by a long row of green and white beach huts which are very distinctive and behind lie two large car parks (pay and display). There is a newly built cafe at one end of the promenade, and a small snack bar and beach shop at the other. Further along the coastal path (just around the corner from Langland Bay) is another cafe with outdoor tables.

A beautiful, huge, beach on the Gower Peninsula, nearly three miles of soft sand with sand dunes…read moreand green hills behind. A lovely beach to walk or sunbathe on and the sea is clean and safe for swimming too. You can start many walks from here to other bays on the Gower, or behind Oxwich through the nature reserve woodland. There's the Oxwich Bay Hotel right beside the beach too which is good for meals, snacks and drinks and there's a very small caravan park too. Hardly any other buildings so quite a rural 'feel'.

Another Gower must see. Oxwich is popular with locals and tourists. It's a huge stretch of sand…read morewith a car park that's practically on the beach. It's a great place to walk in winter and then warm up with a drink in the Oxwich Bay Hotel. There's a decent campsite that is very popular. When I was a child we used to join friends for BBQ's and cricket, last time I was there I saw some families doing just that. There is a little church just at the side of the beach and a coastal walk around it.

Whitmore Bay is what most people think of when they talk about Barry Island, and has all the…read moreameneties you'd expect for a suburban resort: amusement arcades and fish'n'chips abound. Just behind is a small fairground, which I recall visiting when I was a small child - I used then to think it was quite impressive! The bay has also now been made famous by featuring extensively in the TV series 'Gavin and Stacey'. Up until the 1960s, however, it used to be packed during Bank Holidays with people coming on day trips from the mining communities in the valleys: newsreel footage shows every inch of sand covered with families! It's rather quieter than that, now, but still popular for day trips.

The larger of the two beaches on the island, this is very popular with holiday makers and local…read morewalkers. It's a surprisingly huge beach with soft golden sand and long headlands on either side. Ideal for families throughout the season for swimming and sunbathing. There is usually a coastguard presence. There are horse and carriage rides along the beach in summer, and many tourist and beach shops, cafes and fast food outlets around the promenade. The famous Pleasure Park lies behind the beach. The island railway station is fairly close (by foot) and you can journey to Cardiff from here.

This beach, also known as Aberavon Sands, is a lovely wide three mile stretch of fine sand. It's…read morepopular with walkers, holiday makers and families and swimmers too as it is a Blue Flag beach. There were about 20 people swimming in the sea today, while we were on the Promenade, despite the cool weather, no sun and icy water!! At times there are very large waves and then you'll see droves of surfers (or whatever the collective noun is). A lot of money (almost £4m) has been put into facilities, repairs and renovation projects over the past few years and we've seen a considerable improvement during that time. There are many parking facilities along the Promenade near the beach, both pay and display car parks and free parking bays. My video is from a year or two ago: Video link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l6r43vmWFf4

Great place for a family day out!…read more This is a long flat promenade - onto a huge stretch of sandy beach. The promenade is flat and accessible to all, and there are steps down onto the beach. It's a favourite place for our family - the dog loves to walk on the beach (but only allowed October to May - I think!), and the Council litter wardens patrol quite often, so remember to pick up your doggie poos! There's great children's playground, a paddling pool and a skateboard area, along with fish and chips and ice cream sellers. There's also a lovely little cafe on the prom - Remo's, which is well worth a visit. Plenty of free parking is available close by, as well.

A huge WOW for Saunton Sands. An unspoilt, endless run of beach for surfers, paddlers, dogs &…read moregrokels like me! Truly beautiful - wild, great light & so peaceful. Perfect.

Beautiful calm and quiet beach which few tourists visit but known by all the locals. Accessed via…read moreBraunton Burrows you come over the top of the sand dunes to a mass expanse of beach. Dogs allowed all year round and perfect to sunbathe in peace. I miss North Devon!

Simply one of the UK's most stunning beaches, voted best beach in the UK in 2010…read more Situated on the west coast of the Gower Peninsular, half an hour by car from Swansea, it sweeps majestically the 3 miles (5km) from the Worm's Head peninsular in the south to Burry Holms in the north. Backed by a mixture of grassy downland, rocky cliffs, and wonderful dunes, it is a virtually undeveloped, stunning expanse of sand, with amazing views. At low tide, the beach can become up to 500m from shore to the water's edge. The Worm's Head and part of the bay are in the care of the National Trust. It's popular with surfers, with bird-watchers (lots of sea-birds nesting along the cliffs) as well as more straightforward beach lovers. As well as the sand and sea, there are rock pools for the children to explore, especially good at the northern end next to Spaniard's Rocks. It's also great for walkers and famous for its sunsets. Surprisingly, it also hosts a couple of ruined mediaeval churches and an old fort, as well as lots of Bronze and Iron Age archaeology and, rather more recently, the wreck of the ship Helvetia which ran aground in 1887. The village of Rhossili, at the southern end, has a 12th-century church containing a memorial to Edgar Evans, who died in Scott's ill-fated expedition to the Antarctic in 1912. Practicalities There is a private car park at Rhossili with public toilets and a National Trust Visitor centre and shop. The village has a convenience shop, a kite centre, an art gallery, surfing shop, a couple of places to eat and drink, and a take-away. It's quite a steep descent to the beach, and best avoided by push-chairs and those with limited mobility. There are lots of holiday cottages to rent around the village, as well as as few B&Bs. There's also a car park at Hillend, near the village of Llangennith, 2 miles further north, which provides slightly easier access, but with fewer facilities, although there is a camp-site there. There is also a car park at Llangennith Burrows (via the village), but it is a mile-long slop across the dunes to the beach. It's generally quieter at this end, though. Gower bus provides a regular service on routes 118 and 119 (roughly hourly) from Swansea to Rhossili, with a less frequent Sunday service. See Gower Bus details at http://www.swansea.gov.uk . Finally, beware the tides here: the Bristol Channel has the world's second greatest tidal range, and tide can come in swiftly: accompany children if they wander to the water's edge. The Worm's Head becomes an island at high tide and, whilst it is easily accessible at low tide, it is important to make sure you don't get cut off.

I couldn't agree more with Sue. It's a fantastic place to be. From the car park, there are three…read moremain choices (four if you count 'sitting in the cafe'! :) ). One can go down to the beautiful, sandy beach and walk, swim, surf etc; walk along the hills behind the beach or walk to Worm's Head. If you haven't checked when low tide is, and it might help if you do, there is a look-out hut at the 'end' of the main path there with the times written for all to see. We hadn't timed our trip well, so walked further round the coast instead to the next beach. The car park during summer is £3.50, £2.50 in winter. There are loos by the car park and a National Trust shop. Oh! And it's likely to be windy! :) PS 'Worm' is the old word for 'dragon' and the headland is said to resemble a dragon.

Swansea Bay is huge - it stretches for about four miles and the tide (for some reason I can't…read morefathom) is usually very far out, at least, it has been all the dozens of times I've been over there! It does make for a large, wide, beach to play or walk on, and the sand is soft and pleasant underfoot. There's a proper footpath and cycle track too, which runs all the way from the Marina to Mumbles Pier. You can carry on walking beyond there as well by going up the steps set into the cliff and rejoining the coastal path on its way to Langland Bay. Video link: http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=W7WSbGL5tG8

It's a nice bay but without any usable neach. Nice for a walk and to relax. It's hugeread more