Whitmore Bay is what most people think of when they talk about Barry Island, and has all the…read moreameneties you'd expect for a suburban resort: amusement arcades and fish'n'chips abound. Just behind is a small fairground, which I recall visiting when I was a small child - I used then to think it was quite impressive! The bay has also now been made famous by featuring extensively in the TV series 'Gavin and Stacey'. Up until the 1960s, however, it used to be packed during Bank Holidays with people coming on day trips from the mining communities in the valleys: newsreel footage shows every inch of sand covered with families! It's rather quieter than that, now, but still popular for day trips.

The larger of the two beaches on the island, this is very popular with holiday makers and local…read morewalkers. It's a surprisingly huge beach with soft golden sand and long headlands on either side. Ideal for families throughout the season for swimming and sunbathing. There is usually a coastguard presence. There are horse and carriage rides along the beach in summer, and many tourist and beach shops, cafes and fast food outlets around the promenade. The famous Pleasure Park lies behind the beach. The island railway station is fairly close (by foot) and you can journey to Cardiff from here.

As a Cardiffian I feel lucky to live only a stones throw away from so many stunning beaches…read more With the second largest tidal difference in the world, you have to get your timing right. Visit the beach at the wrong time and there will hardly be any beach, get your timing wrong and you may get cut off and have to bide your time till the tide goes out again. Get it right and you will see the splendid Jurassic coastline, fossils and if you're lucky may even find the dinosaur footprints or see the sand spit. If you fancy a coastal walk on the cliffs above you'll find some WW2 gunning posts and you can drop back down to the beach at various points. The beach itself is mostly stone slab, with pebbles and a little sand. Great for driftwood, beach combing and fossil hunting, dog walking and bbq's. Sadly if the Severn Barrage ever gets built this brilliant beach will disappear.

This is a pleasant beach near Cardiff made up of a combination of rock and sand, backed by layered…read moreJurassic cliffs and looking out over the Bristol Channel. To find it, head from Barry towards Lavernock and then follow the signs for the beach. Lots of people park their cars at the Captain's Wife pub car park to visit this beach - but it's only fair that you then stop in for a drink or a bite to eat to justify using their car park! If the tide's in, it's a really tiny strip of a beach - but when the tide's out there's more space to stroll and look for fossils (but make sure you don't get cut off if the tide's on its way back in!). Some people have sailed to Sully Island from here, but the Channel can get really rough with strong currents and some have had to be rescued. Not a crossing for a beginner.

The walk down to beach is the highlight. Interesting to see how pebble beach turns to large stretch…read moreof sandy beach .

This is a wonderful beach to spend the afternoon. The best thing about this beach is the walk down…read moreto it. A beautiful short walk down a hedged road full of honeysuckle brings you to a public footpath to the beach. You pass through peaceful woodland, a stream below you through the trees, and even a ruin of an old building in the dappled valley. Soon you climb out onto the beach and it's a lovely sight, of course. This is a great place to walk dogs and/or children. Bring a picnic and enjoy a day soaking up the sun. It's a whole lot less busy than some of the other beaches in the area, but it also doesn't have any of the facilities that other have to offer. The nearest toilets and watering hole are in the nearby pub, The Plough and Harrow, which is a great place for a seaside drink. There is usually a local field open for parking, donations politely requested. This beach is not wheelchair accessible, unfortunately.

Very lovely for a day out a lot of variety to do very exciting and has everything to offer like…read moreentertainment food has alot to offer definitely recommend

It seems now you can't mention Barry Island without mentioning the popular T.V sitcom 'Gavin and…read moreStacey'. I'm not saying this is a bad thing because Barry Island got the recognition it deserves, as it has been a wonderful leisure park and beach that I grew up in for many years. Where do you start with Barry Island? There are so many choices! Lets start with the main attraction in the summer; the beach. Believe it or not the beach is huge, plenty of space to build those sandcastle and then kick a ball to destroy it. I'm not going to like but the ocean doesn't look like the most appealing water to enter in mainly because it's brown. But that still doesn't bother anyone because it's Barry Island and we wouldn't have it any other way. There is an amusement park which was under construction the last time I visited, I wasn't sure if it was being torn down or being rejuvenated. Some of the rides did include a ghost train and a log flume, which is great fun. Now of course I can't forget the arcades down the island because they are such a big part of it. You have a wide choice of arcades. My favourite was always 'The Carousel'. Finally, I need to talk about the crazy golf course they have there. This was knocked down and then rebuilt into a pirate themed course, which I had a lot of fun playing with friends. Barry Island has now gone down as a famous tourist attraction due to Gavin and Stacey but that is irrelevant as the people who go there still have a fun day and I'm sure they would consider visiting again.

Most visitors to Barry Island get no further than the main beach in Whitmore Bay by the railway…read morestation, but eagle-eyed visitors will notice a concrete footpath running from the east end of the beach along the cliff top: follow this around and you eventually come to Jackson's Bay: as Jane Elizabeth says, beware in stormy weather or high tides, as the path descends to the foot of the cliffs to reach the beach. The bay is backed by cliffs, so feels quite secluded. It's certainly very different from the fish'n'chips bustle of Whitmore Bay. It's actually an artificial bay, since the east side is formed by the breakwater at the entrance to Barry Docks. Still, it's a nice place to walk to, and you can stroll to the breakwater and view the boats in the little marina that's been built at the Dock entrance and, occasionally, see one of the larger ships enter the Docks themselves. Just above the bay on the cliff top is a pleasant area laid out as lawns, and adjacent to Friar's Road - just a few minutes' walk from the beach - is a rather innocuous clump of trees. This is worth further investigation, as the trees shelter the scant remains of the original chapel dedicated to the Celtic Saint Baruc, after whom Barry is named. It is said his remains were buried in the chapel, although there is no archaeological evidence for this.

The smaller of the two lovely beaches on Barry Island and a very pleasant place to visit. The sand…read moreis very soft and the water suitable for swimming and paddling. There are great views out across the Bristol Channel too and it's always interesting to see the ships passing by. You can reach this secluded bay by a footpath which slopes down from Redbrink Crescent (where you can park for free in the street), or on the path which follows the cliffs around Nell's Point (although at times the incoming tide can cause difficulties and wet feet as I know to my cost!) On the other side of Jackson's Bay is Barry Harbour and a dock.

This beach, also known as Aberavon Sands, is a lovely wide three mile stretch of fine sand. It's…read morepopular with walkers, holiday makers and families and swimmers too as it is a Blue Flag beach. There were about 20 people swimming in the sea today, while we were on the Promenade, despite the cool weather, no sun and icy water!! At times there are very large waves and then you'll see droves of surfers (or whatever the collective noun is). A lot of money (almost £4m) has been put into facilities, repairs and renovation projects over the past few years and we've seen a considerable improvement during that time. There are many parking facilities along the Promenade near the beach, both pay and display car parks and free parking bays. My video is from a year or two ago: Video link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l6r43vmWFf4

Great place for a family day out!…read more This is a long flat promenade - onto a huge stretch of sandy beach. The promenade is flat and accessible to all, and there are steps down onto the beach. It's a favourite place for our family - the dog loves to walk on the beach (but only allowed October to May - I think!), and the Council litter wardens patrol quite often, so remember to pick up your doggie poos! There's great children's playground, a paddling pool and a skateboard area, along with fish and chips and ice cream sellers. There's also a lovely little cafe on the prom - Remo's, which is well worth a visit. Plenty of free parking is available close by, as well.

There is nothing so liberating than taking of ones clothes and running into the sea and swimming…read moreand splashing around and having fun with your nearest and dearest, especially when it is in such a lovely spot it is deeply invigorating and is something everyone should do at least once. I would definitley recommend Wild Pear Naturist Beach you'lle love it.

A huge WOW for Saunton Sands. An unspoilt, endless run of beach for surfers, paddlers, dogs &…read moregrokels like me! Truly beautiful - wild, great light & so peaceful. Perfect.

Beautiful calm and quiet beach which few tourists visit but known by all the locals. Accessed via…read moreBraunton Burrows you come over the top of the sand dunes to a mass expanse of beach. Dogs allowed all year round and perfect to sunbathe in peace. I miss North Devon!