South Wales beaches among UK's best in The Times 2025 guide
Introducing the list, Mr Haslam said: "[The fact] that I completed this tour of inspection under mainly blue skies made choosing the top 50 — ten of which are new entries — even harder.
"If it feels like I've moved away from easily-accessed urban shores to include more rural beaches, that's because the glitter seems tarnished in too many of our resort towns.
Best-rated UK beaches for 2025 - Tripadvisor rankings
"I've seen businesses struggling with rising costs, councils cutting budgets and water quality falling as infrastructure has failed to keep pace with population growth.
"That's not true of all town beaches though: Bude, Frinton on Sea, Roker, Saundersfoot and Skegness made the top 50, and others including Cromer, Felixstowe, Torquay and Mumbles came close.
"The truth remains, though, that our coast is still the most beautiful and most varied on earth, and there's much to discover beyond the most obvious spots.
"So pack a picnic and the factor 50 and make 2025 the summer of the beach that's a little harder to reach."
See which Welsh beaches featured among the UK's best in the 2025 edition of The Times and Sunday Times Best Beaches Guide. (Image: Getty Images)
The Welsh beaches among the UK's best
The beaches in Wales ranked among the best in the UK, according to The Times, are:
Wales' Beach of the Year : Shell Island, Gwynedd
: Shell Island, Gwynedd Dunraven Bay, Glamorgan
Three Cliffs Bay, Glamorgan
Saundersfoot, Pembrokeshire
Whitesands, Pembrokeshire
Mwnt, Ceredigion
Aberdaron, Gwynedd
Traeth Llanddwyn, Gwynedd
The 2 South Wales beaches among the UK's best
Dunraven Bay
Beach-goers in south Wales often travel to Gower or Pembrokeshire in search of the perfect spot.
However, The Times recommends looking at Glamorgan's Heritage Coast for the best beach - Dunraven Bay.
The news outlet explained: "If you've sped past en route to the Gower or Pembrokeshire you've missed a stretch of the Welsh coast that bears comparison with geological wonders such as the Giant's Causeway in Co Antrim and Lulworth Cove in Dorset — but without the crowds.
"At Dunraven Bay (also known as Southerndown beach) you'll find a millefeuille of carboniferous limestone and blue lias — layers of limestone and shale — overhanging a beach paved flatter than your patio.
"It's an otherworldly beach, as good for fossil hunting as it is for simply admiring the views across the Bristol Channel, and if it seems vaguely familiar, that's because it's played the part of several planets in Doctor Who."
The water quality at Dunraven Bay is rated "excellent", the beach is dog friendly, and there is a café and toilets.
It also comes highly recommended by visitors, boasting a 4.5 rating (out of 5) on Tripadvisor from 217 reviews.
One person, commenting about their experience at Dunraven Bay, said: "Beautiful bay and not too busy.
"Somewhat close to Devon but without the crowds. A real gem. Lots of space to walk and play. I would love to return."
When was the last time you visited Dunraven Bay? (Image: Getty Images)
Three Cliffs Bay
Three Cliffs Bay also featured in the 2025 edition of The Times and Sunday Times Best Beaches Guide.
The south Wales beach has been described by visitors as "unforgettable", "breathtaking" and "stunning" on Tripadvisor, where it boasts a near-perfect 4.8 rating from 764 reviews.
The Times said for those planning a trip to Three Cliffs Bay, securing SE1 (available from £52) at the Three Cliffs Bay Holiday Park on the Gower peninsula was a must.
Three Cliff Bay is described as "breathtaking" by visitors. (Image: Tripadvisor) The news outlet explained: "By my reckoning pitch SE1 at the Three Cliffs Bay Holiday Park on the Gower peninsula is the best in the nation: 50 yards from the ablutions, flat, protected from the prevailing wind, and blessed with the best beach view in the country.
"From here you'll have an uninterrupted drone's-eye view of the magnificence of Three Cliffs Bay, with the wide waters of the Pennard Pill snaking across the sands to the left, the crags of Penmaen Burrows, where the lost village of Stedwarlango is thought to be buried, on the right and the dragon-tooth spikes of the Three Cliffs in front.
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"I've timed the walk from the campsite to the beach and it's 16 minutes."
For those coming from the car park on the A4118, it's a 22-minute walk.
Three Cliffs Bay Beach is also dog-friendly.
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Forest Holidays clinched second place (Image: Leicester Mercury ) Article continues below Customers praised the quality of the accommodation and cleanliness, although they only awarded three-stars for value for money. Another top performer was Bluestone Wales, nestled in the scenic Pembrokeshire. Bluestone provides luxury lodges and cottages, also earning high marks for the quality of accommodation on offer — go here to read what one visitor who drove 2.5 hours to stay there thought. While they scored well for the variety of children's activities available and the entertainment, they also received a three-star rating for value for money, resulting in an overall score of 77%. Potters Resorts have two locations including the beautiful Hopton-on-Sea in Norfolk (Image: Getty Images/iStockphoto ) Bluestone Wales in Pembrokeshire came third in the list (Image: Western Daily Press ) Pontins found themselves at the bottom of the chart once again, having also come last in 2024. The brand currently has just one holiday park open to guests, the adults-only Sand Bay Holiday Village in Weston-Super-Mare. Their other two parks in Burnham on Sea, Somerset and Pakefield, Suffolk are temporarily closed to accommodate construction workers. With 56% for customer satisfaction, Pontins earned just two-stars in most areas and, despite being the cheapest option, customers still felt they received poor value for money. In a scathing Tripadvisor review, one customer didn't hold back about their Pakefield park experience, stating: "Worst place I have ever visited, chalet was old unkempt and dirty, holes in sheets, beds pushed together with terrible mattress and pillows, to shower you had to keep pushing a button in, it leaked all over the floor." Another visitor expressed dissatisfaction, noting: "Rooms are shabby and quite dirty. Dirt on the baseboards, cobwebs in the corners and behind doors, our shower curtain had pink mold growing along the bottom seam, clearly not laundered between guests." Not all feedback was negative, as some holidaymakers enjoyed their stay, with one reviewer commenting: "We went beginning of October had a brilliant week! Food was great, swimming pool was really good and for the price you really can't get any better!" Pontins - who were bottom of the list - have closed locations including Camber Sands in East Sussex (Image: Adam Gerrard / Daily Mirror ) Entertainment at Pontins also received commendations, with a guest remarking: "The Bluecoats show Vegas was amazing! They are all so talented and are always doing some activity or joining in on the dance floor and having a laugh or chatting with people." Largo Leisure Parks, which operates six parks in Scotland, found itself at the lower end of the satisfaction scale with a score of 64%. 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It operates 25 parks in locations such as the popular south-west of England and the Isle of Wight. Away Resorts received just two stars for value for money, in spite of offering a broad selection of accommodation including caravans, glamping options, and luxury lodges. The company also had unsatisfactory ratings in customer service but earned three stars for cleanliness and accommodation quality. Away Resorts have 25 family-friendly resorts including one in Newquay (Image: William Dax / SWNS ) Center Parcs in Elveden Forest - their parks received high scores for quality but were described as 'expensive' (Image: Publicity Picture ) Center Parcs, the most popular holiday park provider in the survey, scored 69%, putting it on par with Haven. Despite high scores for its facilities and accommodation quality, it received lower marks for the range of complimentary activities and overall value for money. It was the third priciest on the list, following Potters and Warner Leisure Villages, who cater to adults-only breaks. A Which? member commented: "Very expensive for what it is. Accommodation excellent, apart from the oasis pool, everything was extra. Staff were very helpful and the children enjoyed their stay. I will not be going back." Haven, with 38 parks across the UK, matched Center Parcs' score, although they did receive three stars for value for money. Which? readers awarded them two-star ratings for food and drink and the variety of free activities available. You can read what one mum thought of Haven here. Article continues below Best and worst holiday parks in the UK - ranked Pontins, Away Resorts, Park Holidays, Butlins, Center Parcs, and Haven have been approached for comment.
