Cornwall has received yet another fillip for its tourism sector after it was picked as the UK's best region for beaches by the nation's top travel writers.
More than 100 travel journalists, including Simon Calder of the Independent and adventurer Ben Fogle, were asked by 101 Holidays to pick their favourite beaches in the UK and, once the votes had been counted, Cornwall came out on top as the county with the most.
These included Watergate Bay in Cornwall, which placed fourth on the list of favourite beaches in the UK.
Cornwall's West Country neighbours also fared well in the survey, with Dorset and Devon ranked sixth and seventh respectively, as Chesil Beach made sixth on the best beach list and Bantham in Devon eighth.
It's far from the first time the South West has wiped the floor with the rest of the UK when it comes to the quality of its strips of sand.
Last year, North Devon's Woolacombe Bay and North Cornwall's Carbis Bay took first and third in the Lasting Leaf Beach of the Year competition, with Woolacombe also scooping second in the TripAdvisor Travellers' Choice Awards.
But it's not just the West Country's beaches that continue to impress, with Cornwall named Best UK Holiday County or Region at the British Travel Awards for an incredible fifth consecutive time in 2013 on the basis of its complete offering - from its rugged coastline to its wild moorland interior and its signature foods to artisan drinks.
"Cornwall manages to find a special place in the heart of anybody that visits and this award symbolises all that it great about our treasured county," commented Malcolm Bell, head of Visit Cornwall, who accepted the award.
There was also success at the ceremony for the Eden Project, which took Best Leisure Attraction for the third year in a row; the National Maritime Museum in Falmouth, which secured Silver for Best Heritage Attraction; and Looe, which was given Silver in the UK Coastal Resort category.
More than 100 travel journalists, including Simon Calder of the Independent and adventurer Ben Fogle, were asked by 101 Holidays to pick their favourite beaches in the UK and, once the votes had been counted, Cornwall came out on top as the county with the most.
These included Watergate Bay in Cornwall, which placed fourth on the list of favourite beaches in the UK.
Cornwall's West Country neighbours also fared well in the survey, with Dorset and Devon ranked sixth and seventh respectively, as Chesil Beach made sixth on the best beach list and Bantham in Devon eighth.
It's far from the first time the South West has wiped the floor with the rest of the UK when it comes to the quality of its strips of sand.
Last year, North Devon's Woolacombe Bay and North Cornwall's Carbis Bay took first and third in the Lasting Leaf Beach of the Year competition, with Woolacombe also scooping second in the TripAdvisor Travellers' Choice Awards.
But it's not just the West Country's beaches that continue to impress, with Cornwall named Best UK Holiday County or Region at the British Travel Awards for an incredible fifth consecutive time in 2013 on the basis of its complete offering - from its rugged coastline to its wild moorland interior and its signature foods to artisan drinks.
"Cornwall manages to find a special place in the heart of anybody that visits and this award symbolises all that it great about our treasured county," commented Malcolm Bell, head of Visit Cornwall, who accepted the award.
There was also success at the ceremony for the Eden Project, which took Best Leisure Attraction for the third year in a row; the National Maritime Museum in Falmouth, which secured Silver for Best Heritage Attraction; and Looe, which was given Silver in the UK Coastal Resort category.
Cornwall keeps winning praise from experts and holidaymakers alike!
Photo credit: St Ives by Robert Pittman
