The 15 'most beautiful beaches in Wales' - with one named the nation's finest

Editors at thebeachguide.co.uk website asked its users to name their favourite beaches in Wales. They then drew up a list of the best 15 - with a North Wales beach named the finest of the lot.

At the very top was Harlech Beach in Gwynedd. It is not surprising given its pristine golden sands and the backdrop of a Medieval castle and the mountains of Eryri.

There were numerous other beaches from the region making the top 15 - with a full list at the bottom of the story. A look at what Tripadvisor reviewers make of Harlech Beach backs up its placing at the pinnacle. Of the 640 reviews on the site 629 of them rated it as excellent or very good - with a vast majority of them in the first category.

Lee described it as a "little gem of a beach, very secluded and very long". Lydia raised the bar in praise by calling it the "most peaceful, calming and beautiful place on earth"

She added: "I have visited lots of times and each time we go the beach changes. Sometimes the tide is high and the sand dunes low, other times you could walk out for miles until seeing the depths of the sea. Sometimes the sea is crystal clear teeming with jellyfish and other times it is a mysterious deep blue."

But there always has be a few moaners - the type of people who complain that Yr Wyddfa is too steep.

Rick complained about the smell of seaweed at the beach while another reviewer said it was "covered in jellyfish".

Sunlover Tameside criticised the "expensive" car park and said that the toilets were dirty on their trip.

But the positive reviews outnumber the negative - with nearly 100 who love it for every single complaint.

It is easy to see why it led the way as the nation's favourite.

Top three beaches in North Wales on thebeachguide.co.uk

1: Harlech Beach, Gwynedd

Harlech Beach provides a four-mile stretch of pristine golden sand, with stunning views of the Snowdonia mountain range. The beach is backed by grassy dunes. The Morfa Harlech National Nature Reserve at the north end of the beach is Wales’s only growing dune system and provides a good example of the effects of longshore drift. To the south lies Shell Island, a promontory which, as the name suggests has an abundance of shells.

During the summer months leatherback turtles migrate from warmer climes to feed off jellyfish in the waters off this part of the coast. In 1988 a record-breaking 916kg leatherback was washed up here after becoming tangled in fishing equipment.

5(overall list): Benllech Beach, Anglesey

Set on Anglesey’s east coast, Benllech Beach is one of the most popular beaches on the island. It has fine golden sand and clear Blue Flag waters that are a delight for families to paddle and swim. At low tide the sand stretches for miles so there’s plenty of space for activities including swimming, building sandcastles, windsurfing, sailing and sea fishing. There are plenty of rock pools providing opportunities to see crabs, starfish and small fish up-close.

6: Llanddwyn, Anglesey

is an excellent sandy beach backed by forest and extensive dunes, at the south-western tip of Anglesey. The beach includes a narrow peninsula (Llanddwyn Island) jutting out into the Irish Sea.

Llanddwyn Beach stretches over a mile in length and is one of the largest areas of sand dunes in the British Isles. Also known as Newborough Warren, Llanddwyn Beach is in a Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI). The area is rich in birds and wildlife, and beyond the dunes are mud flats within the National Nature Reserve.

The Full Wales List:

1. Harlech Beach, Gwynedd

2. Rhossili Bay, Glamorgan

3. Barafundle Bay, Pembrokeshire

4. Freshwater West Beach, Pembrokeshire

5. Benllech Beach, Anglesey

6. Llanddwyn Beach, Anglesey

7. Morfa Bychan (Black Rock Sands) Beach, Gwynedd

8. Abersoch Beach, Gwynedd

9. Dinas Dinlle Beach, Gwynedd

10. Lligwy Beach, Anglesey

11. Aberffraw Bay, Anglesey

12. Trearddur Bay, Anglesey

13. Traeth yr Ora Beach, Anglesey

14. Llangrannog Beach, Ceredigion

15. Three Cliffs Bay, Glamorgan

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