New research from CV Villas reveals the most underrated beaches with the best reviews in Europe. The stunningly beautiful Traigh Lingeigh beach in the Hebrides, Scotland takes the top spot for the Europe, followed by Carrickfin Strand in Ireland and Tjurpannans Naturreservat in Sweden.
The data was collected and analysed ahead of the summer holiday season which, this year, will be different to any we have known before. For many people, summer holidays revolve around the beautiful beaches they’ll be able to relax on once they arrive in their chosen destination. However, due to the coronavirus outbreak, some of the most famous and popular beaches people flock to are likely to be overcrowded making it more difficult to adhere to current social distancing guidelines.
With this in mind, CV Villas crunched the data of almost 3000 beaches which had received fewer than the average amount of reviews on TripAdvisor to find out which had received the highest percentage of excellent reviews. Forget popular yet overly-crowded beaches like Brighton and Barcelona – the new research highlights beaches which are lesser-known, but most-loved and perfect for exploration this summer.
Scotland boasts the most underrated beaches in Europe, with 8 in the top 20, followed by England with 3 and Norway with 2. Other treasured beaches to make the list include Tjurpannans Naturreservat in Sweden, Playa Muchavista in sun-soaked Spain and Fteri Beach in magical Kefalonia, Greece.
Top 20 Most Underrated European Beaches (based on the percentage of reviews which are excellent)
| 1. | Traigh Lingeigh Beach (North Uist, Hebrides, Scotland) | 100% |
| 2. | Carrickfin Strand (County Donegal, Ireland) | 96.5% |
| 3. | Tjurpannans Naturreservat (Grebbestad, Sweden) | 93.9% |
| 4. | Aillebrack Green Coast Beach (Ballyconneely, Ireland) | 93.3% |
| 5. | Playa Muchavista (Alicante, Spain) | 93% |
| 6. | Leba Beach (Leba, Poland) | 92.9% |
| 7. | Newburgh Seals Beach (Aberdeenshire, Scotland) | 92.6% |
| 8. | Salgerhoej (Mors, Denmark) | 91.7% |
| 9. | Oldshoremore Beach (Sutherland, Scotland) | 91.5% |
| 10. | Embleton Bay (Northumberland, England) | 90.5% |
| 11. | Ross Back Sands (Northumberland, England) | 90.2% |
| 12. | Kiloran Beach (Colonsay, Scotland) | 90% |
| 13. | Orre Beach (Rogaland, Norway) | 90% |
| 14. | Sandwood Bay (Kinlochbervie, Scotland | 89.9% |
| 15. | Traigh Bhostadh (Harris, Hebrides, Scotland) | 89.8% |
| 16. | Fteri Beach (Ionian Islands, Greece) | 89.7.% |
| 17. | Scarista Beach (Harris, Hebrides, Scotland) | 89.6% |
| 18. | Camusdarach Beach (Arisaig, Scotland) | 89.4% |
| 19. | Porthcressa Beach (Isles of Scilly, England) | 89.3% |
| 20. | Bleikstranda (Andoya, Norway) | 89.3% |
According to the data, Scotland has the highest number of beautiful, lesser-known beaches in the UK, with 13 beaches in the top 20. The country also boasts the UK’s most underrated beach, Traigh Lingeigh in the Hebrides, the only beach in Europe to receive 100% excellent reviews. Only one Welsh beach makes the list, Marloes Sands Beach in Marloes, South Wales.
Top 20 Most Underrated UK Beaches (based on the percentage of reviews which are excellent)
| 1. | Traigh Lingeigh Beach (North Uist, Hebrides, Scotland) | 100% |
| 2. | Newburgh Seals Beach (Aberdeenshire, Scotland) | 92.6% |
| 3. | Oldshoremore Beach (Sutherland, Scotland) | 91.5% |
| 4. | Embleton Bay (Northumberland, England) | 90.5% |
| 5. | Ross Back Sands Beach (Northumberland, England) | 90.2% |
| 6. | Kiloran Beach (Colonsay, Scotland) | 90% |
| 7. | Sandwood Bay (Kinlochbervie, Scotland) | 89.9% |
| 8. | Traigh Bhostadh (Lewis, Outer Hebrides, Scotland) | 89.8% |
| 9. | Scarista Beach (Harris, Hebrides, Scotland) | 89.8% |
| 10. | Camusdarach Beach (Arisaig, Scotland) | 89.4% |
| 11. | Porthcressa Beach (Isles of Scilly, England) | 89.3% |
| 12. | Bamburgh Beach (Northumberland, England) | 88.3% |
| 13. | Machir Beach (Islay, Scotland) | 88.1% |
| 14. | Huisinis Beach (Isle of Harris, Scotland) | 88% |
| 15. | Marloes Sands Beach (Marloes, Wales) | 87.8% |
| 16. | Embo Beach (Embo, Scotland) | 87.5% |
| 17. | Polin Beach (Sutherland, Scotland) | 87.5% |
| 18. | Lundy Bay (Cornwall, England) | 87.5% |
| 19. | Markse Sands Beach (Yorkshire, England) | 87.2% |
| 20. | Dalmore Beach (Lewis, Outer Hebrides, Scotland) | 86.7% |
Tristan Symondson, Managing Director at CV Villas commented: “Now that things are starting to open up, we know people are keen to get travelling and visiting the beautiful beaches of Europe. However, this summer will be different from any we have known before with sun-seekers actively looking to avoid crowds and head for quieter spots. As Europe opens up we wanted to provide a useful, inspirational resource to bring some quieter, but much-loved beaches to the fore. Whether people are staying at home or looking to head abroad as soon as they can, our list of stunning beaches is the perfect starting point for sun, sand and sea inspiration.”
For further information and to see the full list of lesser-known but best-reviewed beaches for the most popular holiday destinations in Europe, visit: https://www.cvvillas.com/top-rated-lesser-known-beaches/
