logo
Beautiful UK beach with crystal clear waters can only be reached by tunnel

Beautiful UK beach with crystal clear waters can only be reached by tunnel

Daily Mirrora day ago
Travel influencer Chloe Lawford shared a video of the picture-perfect beach she visited in the UK that's only accessible via a network of historic tunnels
Finding postcard-worthy beaches in the UK might seem like a tough task. Nevertheless, wanderlust spirit Chloe Lawford, a travel blogger, has discovered a stunning, secluded coastal gem that's just perfect for those warm summer days. Situated behind a historical network of tunnels, this hideaway boasts crystal-clear waters and an atmosphere of tranquillity.
This year, the avid adventurer made her way to this enchanting spot for a relaxed seaside picnic and a refreshing dip, resulting in a truly breathtaking excursion. Documenting her experience on TikTok (@chloelawfordtravels), she disclosed: "After paying a small fee to enter, you access the beach through these long tunnels.

"The first set of tunnels leads you out to the Gentleman's Beach, which is on the left and there is a wedding venue here. But you can continue going through more tunnels to get to the Ladies Beach on the right.

"This was the more popular beach and it's where the swimming pool normally is when the tide is out. But we opted to head back up to the Gentleman's Beach as it was much quieter and it was like our own private little beach."
Chloe enthusiastically recommends Tunnels Beaches, hidden away on the Ilfracombe coastline in Devon, reports the Express. Conveniently located within a two-hour drive from Exeter, this idyllic destination is also close to other noteworthy locations such as Woolacombe and Wildersmouth Beach.
Niche Museums sheds light on the history of Tunnels Beaches, dating back to the 1820s when droves of Welsh miners took two years to hew six tunnels into the Ilfracombe hillside.
This massive undertaking was part of North Devon's initiative to cement its reputation as an ideal holiday locale, creating pathways for tourists to tread or coach their way to the seaside.
Currently, adult admission to Tunnels Beaches is modestly priced at £3.75 for those aged 16 and up, whilst tiny tots under three enjoy free entry. Prices for children aged three to 15 are set at an affordable £3.

Budget-conscious visitors can take advantage of the discounts on offer for students and seniors, not forgetting the family deals available to sweeten the deal - though do note, they only accept card payments on-site.
"It was such a lovely day and the water was super clear," enthused Chloe, sharing her experience. "[...]We had a little picnic and then went for a swim, although there were lots of jellyfish in the water, so we didn't brave too long of a swim and we sort of had a quick dip.
"However, it was still super refreshing. If you find yourself in Devon, don't miss out on popping by this beach when the sun's beaming down."
Chloe's glowing recommendation swiftly turned heads on TikTok, with numerous others on the platform echoing praise for the site's splendour.
A resident nearby commented: "This is down the bottom of my road, I have a season ticket and spend every day I can there! Bliss."
Meanwhile, a second person shared their own memories, exclaiming: "Omg I've been there it was so cool but more rocky then sandy."
Orange background

Try Our AI Features

Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:

Comments

No comments yet...

Related Articles

Will the Irish ever forgive the English?
Will the Irish ever forgive the English?

Spectator

timean hour ago

  • Spectator

Will the Irish ever forgive the English?

Leaving home is the best way to find out who you are. In my case, it's a muddle. Welsh dad. Irish mum. English upbringing. And I feel pleasantly detached wherever I go. In England, I'm considered Welsh. In Ireland, I'm considered English. In Wales, I'm considered inadequate because I don't speak the language, apart from the odd term like 'popty ping' (microwave). From childhood I've been a scholar of English preconceptions about my Celtic brethren. 'Welsh? Cave-dwellers who love sheep.' 'Irish? Bog-trotters who love horses.' The Irish are preferred, especially by the English upper classes, who are infatuated with Ireland as an abstract concept. But they're less keen on the real thing. An Irish accent in the family is an ornament. An Irish accent in the sitting room is an embarrassment. Arriving in Dublin, I step off the ferry and walk into town through the docks rather than waiting for a bus that may not exist. My mother was born in Co. Kerry in 1925 and she belonged to the first generation of free Irish citizens. By a quirk of history, her father and her older siblings were born in the United Kingdom as subjects of the British crown. Same house, different country. Nowadays the family home is a knitwear shop in a street full of knitwear shops. From my mother, haphazardly, I picked up the story of Irish independence but I never worked out who led the movement. Other nations threw off their oppressors under the inspiration of a single figure. Russia, Lenin. India, Gandhi. China, Mao. Cuba, Castro. South Africa, Mandela. But Ireland has an endless rollcall of heroes whose effigies line O'Connell Street. Dublin's great landmark, the GPO, is still in business, selling stamps to customers who wait patiently at glass-fronted booths. History shifted here. In this neat, spacious public building, the 20th century turned on its axis. People in Britain don't fully appreciate the significance of the 1916 Easter Rising, which is regarded in Ireland and around the world as the blow that toppled the Empire. It took five decades for the structure to disintegrate entirely, but the wreckers began their work in the heart of Britain's first overseas colony. The rebellion's leaders were executed at Kilmainham Gaol, a grey hulk that serves as a shrine to Ireland's indomitability. It takes 30 minutes to stroll there from the centre of town and I'm greeted by a gatekeeper who says my arrival doesn't suit his timetable. I return the next day, half an hour earlier, and a new gatekeeper rejects me for the same reason. Perhaps the only way to get into Kilmainham Gaol is to blow up the post office. On the Liffey's north bank, I pass the Irish Emigration Museum and ask myself why London has no comparable memorial to the English diaspora. Then I realise: the UK version is called the Foreign Office. I'm an ultra-cautious pedestrian in Dublin, which is infested with trams. These steel pythons prowl the streets, sending people scattering in all directions. The operator's dashboard seems to have just two settings, 'stationary' and 'ramming speed'. Is there a horn? Are there brakes? Search me. There's no steering wheel, obviously, and the operator can't swerve to avoid a dawdling Jesuit or a pensioner with a guide dog. I tend to keep my trap shut in Ireland. A British accent chills the warmth of the natives. 'Too long a sacrifice can make a stone of the heart,' said Yeats. In comedy clubs, the performers make fun of the old enemy. 'Any English in?' asks the compere. A few paws are raised. 'Nice to see you surrendering.' A comic at a different venue checks the audience for Brits. None of us identify ourselves. 'Good,' he says. 'Effing Brits. I hate them.' He tells an unlikely story about a visit to London where he was mistaken for a pickpocket by a grandmother on a mobility scooter. 'Don't even think about it,' she warned. In revenge he stole her wallet and her groceries. This story gets a big laugh. She was English. She deserved it. Dublin's demographic is changing. The canal towpaths are lined with steel fences that prevent vagrants and asylum seekers from establishing camps. But the vagrants can wriggle in through a gap at the base of the fence. Once in, they put up tents and enjoy the protection of a barrier designed to keep them out. The Gardaí ought to wriggle in and arrest them, but they can't. They're too fat. Outside the station, I'm approached by a woman looking for a bus to Sandymount. I put on an exaggerated Jacob Rees-Mogg accent: 'I'm terribly sorry but you've asked the one person in the vicinity who knows nothing about local bus routes.' She laughs. I laugh. And I'm flattered that she thought I was Irish. I ask myself for the millionth time why our islands can't merge afresh and live as one. A while ago, I published this modest idea on social media and I was hit by a barrage of murderous, hate-filled fury posted by lunatics. Everything they wrote was locked in the past. None of it welcomed the future. Come on, guys. We can do this.

Senedd is set to sign off on £1.30-a-night tourism tax
Senedd is set to sign off on £1.30-a-night tourism tax

South Wales Guardian

time2 hours ago

  • South Wales Guardian

Senedd is set to sign off on £1.30-a-night tourism tax

Senedd members voted on amendments to the tourism tax bill, which would see £1.30 a person, plus VAT, charged on stays in hotels, B&Bs and self-catering accommodation. A lower rate of 80p would apply to hostels and campsites, with the 22 councils in Wales given powers to decide whether to introduce a local levy from 2027 at the earliest. During a two-hour 'stage-three' debate, finance secretary Mark Drakeford told the Senedd it is likely the bill will operate in some parts of Wales but not others. If passed as expected at the fourth and final stage next week, the bill would also establish a register of visitor accommodation providers with separate plans for licensing set to follow. Sam Rowlands, the Conservatives' shadow finance secretary, reiterated his party's concerns about the proposals, with the tourism sector 'united in its opposition to the bill.' Mr Rowlands said tourism is responsible for one in eight jobs and the multi-billion-pound sector pumps significant funds into the public purse through other taxes. Conservative amendments aimed at removing powers in the bill for Welsh ministers to extend the tourism tax to berths and moorings were voted down. Mr Rowlands' amendment to give councils flexibility to introduce either of the levy rates, rather than being required to bring in both or none, was voted down as were his calls for a 'more proportional and fairer' percentage-based tax and an attempt to set the levy at 1p. Proposals for a tourism tax were part of the three-year cooperation agreement, between Plaid Cymru and the Welsh Government, which collapsed in May 2024. Luke Fletcher reiterated Plaid Cymru's support, describing the current tourism model as 'overly extractive in nature which then puts considerable pressure on communities.' Conservative calls for educational trips, young carers, veterans and people living in Wales to be added to exemptions to the tax were rejected by the Senedd. With Labour and Plaid holding two thirds of seats, and barring a Leighton Andrews-style mishap, the bill as amended on July 1 is highly likely to be passed on July 8.

Tory conference to be held in ‘smallest house in the world', Welsh minister jokes
Tory conference to be held in ‘smallest house in the world', Welsh minister jokes

Leader Live

time5 hours ago

  • Leader Live

Tory conference to be held in ‘smallest house in the world', Welsh minister jokes

Ken Skates, the cabinet member for North Wales, has said the Welsh Conservatives will fit 'in the porchway' of The Smallest House after next May's Welsh parliament election, during questions in the Senedd on Wednesday. The home, which sits on Conwy's seafront in north Wales, is believed to be the smallest house in the United Kingdom. Measuring just 72 inches wide, the house, which has not been lived in for some time, has become a tourist destination. The minister's comments followed a question about the impact a proposed tourism levy would have on the north Wales economy from Gareth Davies, Tory MS for the Vale of Clwyd. The Visitor Levy Bill, which is going through the Senedd, will allow councils to charge up to £1.30 per person per night for staying in tourist accommodation, with the money going towards local infrastructure. Mr Skate's joke also comes 10 months ahead of the next Senedd election, where recent polls have put the Tories in a predicted fourth place. The Westminster party was also wiped out in Wales in the general election last year, going from 14 seats to zero. However, Labour is also expected to face a difficult battle in May's elections. Recent polling by Survation placed them at 27%, with Reform and Plaid Cymru close behind on 24% each, while previous YouGov polling had the incumbent party in third place. Mr Skates told Mr Davies he visited Conwy following the Welsh Labour Conference, which was held in Llandudno last weekend. Addressing Mr Davies, he said: 'At the end of the conference, I thought I'd just spend a little more time in the area. 'I actually went over to Conwy as well, which is a fabulous place too. 'You'll be aware that it has the smallest house in the world on the seafront there. 'I was told that your party is going to be holding your post-election conference in the porchway, in that particular tourist attraction next year.' Mr Skates added that he would be discussing the visitor levy with the north Wales business council on Friday, calling the fee an 'opportunity,' which he insisted had been welcomed in other areas like Manchester. Mr Davies said he 'appreciates the sharpness and the wit of the Cabinet Secretary' but argued the levy could lead to a decrease in people staying in Wales, with many councils having already ruled out implementing it.

DOWNLOAD THE APP

Get Started Now: Download the App

Ready to dive into a world of global content with local flavor? Download Daily8 app today from your preferred app store and start exploring.
app-storeplay-store