Take a ferry to Wales to visit Britain's best beach

People planning a ferry trip from Ireland to Britain this year might be interested in visiting Wales to see a stretch of seafront that has been voted the best beach in Britain.

Rhossili Bay on the Gower Peninsula in south-west Wales was ranked first in the Cadbury Flake 99 Great British Beach Awards 2010 ahead of Tresco in the Isles of Scilly.

The Welsh location took nearly half (47 per cent) of the overall vote and was described by the organisers of the awards as "idyllic".

Travellers can reach the Gower Peninsula by taking a ferry to Fishguard from Rosslare with Stena Line, while Irish Ferries operates a Rosslare to Pembroke ferry service.

Holidaymakers might also be interested in taking ferries to Liverpool from Dublin with either P&O Irish Sea or Norfolkline and driving north along the coast to visit Blackpool.

The popular English resort was ranked joint third in the Cadbury Flake 99 Great British Beach Awards alongside Margate, with both destinations securing ten per cent of the vote.

David Taylor, deputy managing director of ice cream manufacturer Fredericks Dairies, revealed that more than 7,700 votes were cast for the awards.

He added: "It just goes to show how treasured our beaches are and congratulations to Rhossili Bay for coming out on top."

Posted by Andrew Smith