Pack Your Bucket and Spade – the West Country’s Blue Flag Beaches are Calling

Beaches in the West Country have stood up to new, tougher blue flag award standards with admirable aplomb so which will you visit first?

In total, 23 beaches in the South West have been granted blue flag status and the new Seaside Award replacing the QualityCoast Award has been handed out to 27 West Country beaches.

There are fewer Blue Flag beaches to choose from nationwide this year as each had to meet new "excellent" standards under the new EU Bathing Waters Directive. The 55-beach UK total is down from 79 in 2012.

Ever popular beach Sandbanks, in Poole, Dorset, will no doubt be full to bursting each time the sun shines this year. The golden sandy beach has held a Blue Flag Award for 26 years.

Gyllyngvase beach in Falmouth, Cornwall, boasts an award-winning café and, as with a good selection of West Country beaches, has an RNLI lifeguard on duty.

Blackpool Sands (pictured above) near Dartmouth is a beautiful beach. Check out the fantastic Venus Cafe if you visit.

Dawlish Warren, South Devon, is part of a National Nature Reserve, with its wildlife making it a unique attraction.

Westward Ho! has won a Blue Flag Award for its 10th year in a row.

Winning West Country Blue Flag beaches include: Sandbanks, Shore Road, Canford Cliffs, Branksome in Poole, Blackpool Sands, Alum Chine, Durley Chine, Fisherman’s Walk in Bournemouth, Southbourne, Carbis Bay, Polzeath, Porthtowan, Gyllyngvase, Porthmeor, Sandy Bay, Salcombe South Sands, Swanage Central, Dawlish Warren, Breakwater, Broadsands, Meadfoot, Oddicombe. 

Use our explore the area map to find a holiday cottage close to the West Country beach of your choice, or call us on 01647 433593 for human help!

Photo credit

What’s your idea of beach heaven?

What’s the most essential ingredient for a great summer holiday? Many would argue that it’s the beach.

We’re lucky that the West Country is blessed with some of the finest – and cleanest – beaches in the UK. We think they should stay that way, so we’re proud to support the Marine Conservation Society.

Carbis Bay, North Cornwall

There are beaches to suit every preference, from secret coves to expanses of surf-washed sand. We decided to ask our followers on Twitter and Facebook for their recommendations.

On Twitter, @TISJOU (Julie R from Hampshire) said: “When we visit Cornwall kids like to visit Crackington Haven - nice little beach and they love the rock pools there!”

@dineathome (Trevor Bayfield) reckons for one of the best surfing beaches in a south west gale, Kennack Sands is hard to beat.

@bigmarv99 recommends Slapton Sands, with “a beautiful beach and good coffee at Seabreeze Cafe.”

@101polly (Polly Crossman) says “Daymer Bay on the Camel Estuary at low tide on a sunny day is unbeatable (but round the corner away from the crowds!)” Good local knowledge there!

And @chapelstcottage (Devon) likes “Hartland quay because it's so rugged, and Peppercombe or Bucks mills as so remote.”

Bigbury on Sea, South Devon

We asked the same question on Facebook, and got some more really helpful tips:

Alison Wright nominated two beaches: "Blackpool Sands in Devon for a beautiful horse-shoe beach, very easy flat access and close parking, and the most brilliant (licensed) beach cafe ever. Also Porthcurno Beach at the end of England - near to Sennen Cove. Again great beach cafe, very large beach so lots of things always going on!" 

Angie Wright also commented, recommending "Wembury Beach, lovely rock pools, great sand, lovely views and a super cafe!" 

Another recommendation was: “Widemouth Bay: amazing surf, laid back, non-commercial (but good cafe), great rock-pooling, feels like you are miles from anywhere, great for all ages. However if I have to give my absolute fave, it has to be Sennen and no need to explain the reasons for that one - amazing!”

Julie Beighton plumped for “Crantock. Beautiful sand and dunes. River running into sea. Like Margaret river in Western Australia.”

We decided to see if we could determine the most important factor when choosing a West Country beach to visit, so we created a Facebook poll – top answers so far: a friendly beach café and rock pools to explore. You can see the beaches in Devon and Cornwall that made it into our top ten in this Facebook photo album.

We’d love to hear about your favourite West Country beaches, so do leave a comment below and take part in our poll!

You might also like to browse our holiday cottages near a sandy beach!

.

Venus SUP Championship proudly sponsored by Helpful Holidays…

Stand up paddle boarding (or SUP for short) seems to be taking the West Country by storm, so we’re delighted to announce our sponsorship of the second annual Venus Riders Family SUP Championship in south Devon at the end of May. 

Stand up paddle boarding is one of the best sports for the whole family to enjoy. Standing on top of a long board, you glide along the surface of the water using a long paddle, a little bit like a gondolier! It's a perfect way to see the West Country coastline and great exercise too.

It sounds idyllic, doesn't it? But there is a competitive side too, as the event at Blackpool Sands proves. The Championship will attract experienced and beginner SUP boarders of all ages between Tuesday 31st May and Friday 3rd June 2011. Contestants aged 8 and above can take part in qualifying heats with the aim of making it through to the grand final on Friday, where three eventual winners will be crowned. Registration for the heats is at 9:30am on Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday for all wannabe SUP champs and it’s free to take part.

Hosted by the Venus Company, the event aims to put the South Hams firmly on the map as THE place for SUP in the UK. Building on the runaway - or paddleaway - success of the 2010 four-day competition, it is hoped hundreds will come along to participate again this year. It makes a great spectator sport too, for those who want to stay firmly on dry land.

The Venus Company has six environmentally friendly and socially responsible cafés, five in stunning beachside locations in south Devon and north Cornwall - Blackpool Sands, East Portlemouth, Bigbury-on-Sea, Tolcarne and Watergate Bay – and their most recent enterprise at the shops at Dartington centre near Totnes. Venus also has a watersports arm to the business based at Bigbury-on-Sea and Blackpool Sands and demand for SUP tuition has never been higher.

If you fancy yourself as the next Venus Riders SUP Champion, make sure you take part in this year’s event. Go to the Venus Company website - www.lovingthebeach.co.uk - to sign up for the 'Friends of Venus' newsletter to ensure you are kept up-to-date with event details.

New to SUP? Why not book some SUP lessons with Venus Riders to get in some practice before next year’s competition? Visit the SUP page for more information.

For an added incentive to get down to the Championship at Blackpool Sands and try SUP or watch the entrants, there’s a chance to win a £500 Helpful Holidays voucher in the free prize draw. So, see you there!

View a list of our holiday cottages in the South Hams to find just the right place for a happy holiday at great value.

.

The Venus Company - loving the beach...

We love the West Country, and being environmentally aware comes naturally. So when we heard of a local, forward-thinking organisation who was championing these principles, we were keen to know more.

The Venus Company has six environmentally friendly and socially responsible cafés, five in stunning beachside locations in south Devon and north Cornwall - Blackpool Sands, East Portlemouth, Bigbury-on-Sea, Tolcarne and Watergate Bay – and their most recent enterprise at the Shops at Dartington centre near Totnes.

Their cafés are renowned for their delicious menus of quality, locally sourced organic food and drink, whether you’re eating in or taking away. From full English breakfasts and beef burgers to paninis, salads and cream teas, Venus caters for gluten-free, vegetarian and meat lovers alike and children are made very welcome. Blackpool Sands also has a restaurant where alfresco, Mediterranean-style evening dining is available and special occasions can be catered for – the views are to die for. Venus also has a watersports arm to the business based at Bigbury-on-Sea and Blackpool Sands to help you work up an appetite!

Set up in 1995 by Michael Smith, his wife Louisa and Lee Porter, the company adopted the tagline ‘Loving the Beach’. A key business aim was to create a quality concept which encompassed their keen interest in environmental issues. The South Hams-based family business has gone from strength to strength, winning numerous sustainability awards along the way. From supporting wildlife charities to fundraising for schools, the company continues to have a positive impact at its venues and further afield.

Michael Smith says: “At Venus, we are passionate about looking after the environment. We consider the environmental impact of every business decision we take. Our goal is to minimise the impact of our business, using local and organic suppliers, reducing food miles and employing local people. We hope that our contribution - through saving energy, recycling products, centralising our operations and using sustainable materials - will help to ensure that future generations are able to enjoy our beautiful coastline and countryside as much as we do”.

The company uses countless innovative methods to boost energy efficiency and reduce its carbon footprint. Venus re-develops sites using recyclable materials and sympathetic landscaping (East Portlemouth), uses its own environmental specifications for new builds (Bigbury-on-Sea and Tolcarne) and uses innovative, environmentally friendly approaches when upgrading sites (Blackpool Sands). But there's also the everyday eco-savings, like low carbon vehicles for deliveries, low energy lights, motion sensors for storeroom lights and a study into encouraging customers to recycle efficiently.

Venus's suppliers are happy to help the company in its quest, too: In 2009, a 5 litre bag-in-box organic fruit juice was developed for Venus by Luscombe Organic Juices saving some 3,000 glass bottles.

Helpful Holidays and Venus are forging a long-term partnership and working together on a range of marketing activities, in particular to develop a ‘sustainable cottage scheme’ to highlight the particularly environmentally friendly holiday homes in our portfolio. We’ve seen a consistent demand from holidaymakers for information about the ‘green’ credentials of our holiday cottages on issues such as recycling, composting, water and energy saving and using local transport. We’ll keep you posted on our progress with the scheme.

So if you’re staying in the South Hams or north Cornwall, or even just visiting for a day, why not head for one of these spectacular beaches and enjoy a tasty treat from Venus? Next month, look out for our post about the Venus SUP Championship in May.


View holiday cottages in the South Hams
View holiday cottages in North Cornwall

Award-winning beaches...

You're spoilt for choice in the West Country with countless sheltered coves, estuary creeks and huge stretches of surf-washed sand along the varied and spectacular coastline. And the good news is that twenty seven of our beaches have won the prestigious Blue Flag award for 2010. One of our favourites is Blackpool Sands in the South Hams (pictured left); with a wooded backdrop, watersports and the award winning Venus Beach Cafe, it has a wonderful Mediterranean feel.

How about staying just a few miles away in this light and airy cottage sleeping six? It still has availability over the summer so grab it while you can!

All our holiday cottages are personally inspected and star-rated for quality and come with our whole-hearted recommendation as good places for happy holidays.

Take a look at all of our holiday cottages near a sandy beach and find the perfect one for you.