British beaches 'among the best in the world'

Woolacombe Bay has been voted the best beach in the UK, and 13th best in the world Credit: PA

Travellers have voted Woolacombe Beach in Devon as one of the best in the world, rivalling picturesque coastlines in the Seychelles, the Caribbean, and Africa.

As well as coming top of the UK charts and fourth across Europe, Woolacombe Bay was ranked as the 13th best beach globally by reviews compiled by TripAdvisor.

It came ahead of beaches in Aruba, Thailand and New Zealand to claim its spot, with the reviews website describing it as a three-mile stretch of "golden sand", with "rolling, unbroken surf, ideal for surfers and backed by sandy hills".

Weymouth Beach in Dorset also came in Europe's top 10, while Rhossili Bay in south Wales, Jersey's St Brelade's Bay Beach and Porthminster Beach in St Ives, Cornwall, also cracked the top 20 beaches in Europe.

The top beach in the world was Baia do Sancho in Brazil's Fernando de Noronha island chain, followed by Grace Bay in Providenciales in the Caribbean and Rabbit beach at Lampedusa in third place.

TripAdvisor says Woolacombe is perfect for surfers Credit: PA

Top UK beaches

  • 1 Woolacombe Beach, Devon

  • 2 Weymouth Beach, Dorset

  • 3 Rhossili Bay, Gower Peninsula, south Wales

  • 4 St Brelade's Bay Beach, Jersey

  • 5 Porthminster Beach, St Ives, Cornwall

  • 6 Perranporth Beach, Cornwall,

  • 7 Fistral Beach, Newquay, Cornwall

  • 8 Luskentyre, Isle of Harris

  • 9 Hengistbury Head, Bournemouth, Dorset

  • 10 Sandbanks, Poole, Dorset

Woolacombe came ahead of beaches in Aruba, Thailand and New Zealand to claim its spot as 13th in the world Credit: PA

Top beaches in Europe

  • 1 Rabbit Beach, Lampedusa, Italy

  • 2 Playa de Ses Illetes, Formentera, Spain

  • 3 Elafonissi Beach, Elafonissi, Greece

  • 4 Woolacombe Beach, UK

  • 5 Iztuzu Beach, Dalyan, Turkey

  • 6 Fig Tree Bay, Protaras, Cyprus

  • 7 Cala Rossa, Favignana, Italy

  • 8 Weymouth Beach, UK

  • 9 Eggremni Beach, Lefkada, Greece

  • 10 Playa de Bolonia, Tarifa, Spain

  • 11 Rhossili Bay, UK

  • 12 Balos Beach and Lagoon, Kissamos, Crete

  • 13 St Pauls Bay, Lindos, Greece

  • 14 St. Brelade's Bay Beach, Jersey

  • 15 Playa de las Catedrales, Ribadeo, Spain

  • 16 La Pelosa Beach, Stintino, Italy

  • 17 La Concha Beach, San Sebastian, Spain

  • 18 Porthminster Beach, St Ives, UK

  • 19 Cala Mariolu, Baunei, Sardinia

  • 20 Praia Dona Ana, Lagos, Portugal

Best beaches in the world

  • 1 Baia do Sancho, Fernando de Noronha, Brazil

  • 2 Grace Bay, Providenciales, Caribbean

  • 3 Rabbit Beach, Lampedusa, Italy

  • 4 Playa Paraiso Beach, Cayo Largo, Caribbean

  • 5 Playa de Ses Illetes, Formentera, Spain

  • 6 Anse Lazio, Praslin Island, Seychelles

  • 7 White Beach, Boracay, Philippines

  • 8 Flamenco Beach, Culebra, Caribbean

  • 9 Whitehaven Beach, Whitsunday Island, Australia

  • 10 Elafonissi Beach, Elafonissi, Greece

  • 11 Camp's Bay Beach, Camps Bay, South Africa

  • 12 Radhanagar Beach, Havelock Island, India

  • 13 Woolacombe Beach, UK

  • 14 Siesta Key Public Beach, Siesta Key, United States

  • 15 West Bay Beach, West Bay, Honduras

  • 16 Cayo de Agua, Los Roques National Park, Venezuela

  • 17 Playa Manuel Antonio, Manuel Antonio National Park, Costa Rica

  • 18 Nai Harn Beach, Rawai, Thailand

  • 19 Sharm El Luli, Marsa Alam, Egypt

  • 20 Iztuzu Beach, Dalyan, Turkey