Holkham voted Britain's best beach
17 February 2009 08:53
The wild and windswept sands of Holkham have been crowned the UK's favourite beach by readers of a national magazine.
The north Norfolk beauty spot, adored by holidaymakers, nature-lovers and film producers, has scooped the Coast Magazine award for Best Beach 2009.
Readers voted for Holkham's seemingly endless miles of dunes, its colourful beach huts and its maze of creeks and pine woods as it topped the category ahead of last year's winner, Bournemouth.
The cinematic seascape was immortalised as a Hollywood movie setting with Gwyneth Paltrow's memorable final scene from Shakespeare in Love in 1998.
It is also part of a National Nature Reserve, managed by landowners Holkham Estate in conjunction with Natural England, which sees huge flocks of pink-footed geese arriving every winter.
Holkham Estate's land agent, Richard Gledson, said: “To start with, it is a fantastic beach - no argument about it. It is a stunning piece of countryside.
“There is something for everyone, whether you want the solitude of walking in a gale on a winter's day or sitting in the sunshine in August with your family, digging holes in the sand. It is important for many respects, nature conservation being just one of them.”
The award could add to the growing number of visitors to the unspoiled beach, which Mr Gledson said was becoming increasingly well known across the country.
He said: “The only concern would be for the nature conservation and the disturbance to wildlife.
“We have seen a drop-off in the number of birds like terns and plovers nesting on the beach, which is a shame. There is a balance between uses which is difficult to maintain.
“The estate is very proud of its beach and committed to maintaining it is far as we are able to provide access for the wide number of user groups who come here to enjoy it.”
The Coast Magazine Awards, launched last year, honoured other East Anglian attractions with runners-up places - The White Horse at Brancaster Staithe in the Best Shoreline Hotel category and Southwold Pier for Best Seaside Attraction. The runners-up in the Best Beach category were Bamburgh in Northumberland and Brighton in East Sussex.
Coast editor Clare Gogerty said: “Holkham won by quite a considerable margin. It is such a vast and beautiful place. The quality of the sand is great for sandcastles and you have the dunes as well so it is really attractive for families.
“There has been a lot of interest in Norfolk. With the big sky and limitless horizons you can stretch out and feel more free up there.”
The wild and windswept sands of Holkham have been crowned the UK's favourite beach by readers of a national magazine.The north Norfolk beauty spot, adored by holidaymakers, nature-lovers and film producers, has scooped the Coast Magazine award for Best Beach 2009.
Readers voted for Holkham's seemingly endless miles of dunes, its colourful beach huts and its maze of creeks and pine woods as it topped the category ahead of last year's winner, Bournemouth.
The cinematic seascape was immortalised as a Hollywood movie setting with Gwyneth Paltrow's memorable final scene from Shakespeare in Love in 1998.
It is also part of a National Nature Reserve, managed by landowners Holkham Estate in conjunction with Natural England, which sees huge flocks of pink-footed geese arriving every winter.
Holkham Estate's land agent, Richard Gledson, said: “To start with, it is a fantastic beach - no argument about it. It is a stunning piece of countryside.
“There is something for everyone, whether you want the solitude of walking in a gale on a winter's day or sitting in the sunshine in August with your family, digging holes in the sand. It is important for many respects, nature conservation being just one of them.”
The award could add to the growing number of visitors to the unspoiled beach, which Mr Gledson said was becoming increasingly well known across the country.
He said: “The only concern would be for the nature conservation and the disturbance to wildlife.
“We have seen a drop-off in the number of birds like terns and plovers nesting on the beach, which is a shame. There is a balance between uses which is difficult to maintain.
“The estate is very proud of its beach and committed to maintaining it is far as we are able to provide access for the wide number of user groups who come here to enjoy it.”
The Coast Magazine Awards, launched last year, honoured other East Anglian attractions with runners-up places - The White Horse at Brancaster Staithe in the Best Shoreline Hotel category and Southwold Pier for Best Seaside Attraction. The runners-up in the Best Beach category were Bamburgh in Northumberland and Brighton in East Sussex.
Coast editor Clare Gogerty said: “Holkham won by quite a considerable margin. It is such a vast and beautiful place. The quality of the sand is great for sandcastles and you have the dunes as well so it is really attractive for families.
“There has been a lot of interest in Norfolk. With the big sky and limitless horizons you can stretch out and feel more free up there.”
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