The nine Welsh beaches named on list of the best in the UK

An international travel guide has named its best beaches in the UK - with nine in Wales making the cut. Condé Nast Traveller(CNT) is is a luxury travel magazine aimed at the upmarket, independent tourist market.

It says that with international visitors the UK might not be known for the best beaches in the world but that anyone visiting the coastline will be "pleasantly surprised" at what they find.

They said the UK has actually got some of the "world's most beautiful sandy beaches". While insisting it had "no favourites" it did single out Wales for its "enchanting coast".

That will explain why nine beaches made the cut of just over 50 UK sites - with two of them up in North Wales.

Here's the list of nine sandy spots in Wales that the travel guide recommends - and what they say about them.

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Llanddwyn, Anglesey

On tiny Llanddwyn Island, the three-mile-long beach is known as a 'beach of romance', thanks to Dwynwen, who ran away to Llanddwyn after a love affair went awry and became Wales's own St Valentine, patron saint of lovers.

Behind the beach is the Newborough Warren National Nature Reserve, a hot spot for bird-watchers and wildlife enthusiasts. Visitors might spot the world's second-largest species of raven, or perhaps even an elusive red squirrel. Nearby, Lligwy and Traeth Yr Ora are also home to spectacular stretches of sand.

Harlech, Gwynedd

Harlech beach is huge enough that you'll feel completely alone, despite it being easily accessible with excellent facilities including toilets, shops and parking. One of the beach's major attractions is its clean golden sand, and it's been designated a National Nature Reserve and Site of Special Scientific Interest because of its miles of rolling dunes. The clean, safe water is ideal for adults and children to swim in.

Penbryn, Ceredigion

Some people have the soft sands of Harbour Island or the Seychelles, but for others only the wild coastline of Ceredigion and Pembrokeshire will do. Not quite as balmy, perhaps; but there's poetry flowing through its rock strata. Use Cardigan as your base. Poppit Sands is the closest beach to town - and it's very nice, with a handy car park and a café. But further north is Penbryn, for which you have to put in a little more legwork. You can cove-hop all the way up here, with signposts every half mile or so pointing the way to another tucked-away shore.

Mwnt Beach, Cardigan

Hike your way through hedgerow-covered single-track lanes before the coastline suddenly opens up in front of you, complete with azure waters and honey-hued sand. Surrounded by towering grassy cliffs, visit the Church of the Holy Cross, a huge whitewashed chapel once a magnet to pilgrims en route to Bardsey Island.

Three Cliffs Bay, Gower Coast

Three Cliffs Bay, on what is undoubtedly one of Britain's most beautiful shorelines, is relatively quiet year-round due to the fact that scaling its dunes makes for a challenging walk - but it's worth the hike. Rugged green cliffs give way to an undulating stretch of sandy coastline, home to lots of postcard-picturesque beaches.

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Aberfforest Beach

A horseshoe-shaped little bay halfway between Dina Cross and Newport, on Aberfforest Beach you are significantly more likely to spot a sunbathing seal or a passing pod of dolphins than you are a picnicking family. It's completely unspoilt. The sand and smooth slate-shingle is met by cool clear still waters and steep cliffs on either side.

Barafundle Bay, Pembrokeshire

The south-west corner of Wales has the most wonderful stretch of coast and sandy beaches. Try beautiful Barafundle Bay, reached after an invigorating half-hour romp across the clifftops, which ensures it stays relatively quiet even in the height of summer.

Rhossili Bay, Gower Coast

The Gower peninsula has one of the UK's most picturesque coasts, with rugged little coves and large expanses of golden sand. At its western end, Rhossili Bay is a relatively untouched beach, a long, beautiful curve of white sand enclosed by steep limestone cliffs, with little on it other than the remains of Norwegian ship Helvetia, which was beached in 1887, sticking up out of the sand.

Whitesands Beach, Pembrokeshire

One of the most popular surf spots in the country come summer, the west-facing Whitesands Beach in Pembrokeshire sees its waters brimming with bodyboarders, canoeists and surfers at the northern end, all competing for the best waves. The south end is quieter, but visitors seeking more solace might prefer to take a 15-minute walk northwest to Porthmelgan, which overlooks Ramsay Island, the home of the UK's largest grey seal population. Porthmelgan's waters are more dangerous for swimming in, but the beach serves as respite from the clamour of the crowds at Whitesands.

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