A NORTH Cornwall town has been named as having the best beaches in the Southwest according to the Times and Sunday Times Best UK Beaches guide.

The beautiful beaches of Bude ave beaten the competition to be named the Southwest of England’s beach of the year, according to the annual Times and Sunday Times Best UK Beaches guide

In its 17th edition, the guide is the definitive and most comprehensive list of the UK's 50 best beaches.

In his description of Bude, Chris Haslam, the award-winning chief travel writer at The Times and The Sunday Times, says: “With its beach huts, fishing, surfing, castling and harbourside dining, Summerleaze beach is the star attraction but do check out Crooklets, north of the cricket club, for the rock pools, and Northcott Mouth, home of gourmet café and gig venue Sip + Sea at the charming Rustic Tea Garden.”

Mr Haslam has selected the UK’s top 50 beaches from a total of 756 that he personally visited and inspected on a month-long campervan tour of the British and Northern Irish coasts.

The guide showcases the unrivalled beauty of the UK seaside, evaluated through a rigorous 11-point inspection checklist. Criteria include water quality, cleanliness, accessibility, car-parking facilities, lifeguard presence, hygiene levels at restrooms and showers, and dog-friendliness.

Alongside Bude, a number of other Southwest beaches were praised by the writer. These included: Lannacombe, Devon; Bantham, Devon; Swanpool, Cornwall; Poldhu Cove, Cornwall; Pedn Vounder, Cornwall; Harlyn, Cornwall; Watergate Bay, Cornwall; and Woolacombe, Devon.

Mr Haslam added: “Behind all the best urban beaches you find local people working hard to protect their shoreline — whether by arranging beach cleans, putting pressure on councils or keeping an eye on developers — and Bude offers one of the best examples of such community engagement. The surf’s not bad either.”

See the full list www.thetimes.com/travel/destinations/uk-travel/best-beaches-uk-b5b2krtp7