Secret awesome UK beach with vast expanse of white sand is a great escape from the crowds – and it’s so tucked away from sight that it was a smuggler’s favourite in times gone by
An unspoilt beach is a retreat away from crowds of holidaymakers, which is what many are hoping to find as the summer holidays begin. The sandy bay is so tucked away out of sight that smugglers would bring in their wares to this part of the coastline many years ago.
The beach also has two names it goes by, it’s located on the Gower Peninsula in South West Wales – and you need to take a pleasant long walk to reach it. Slade Bay, also known as The Sands due to the vast white sand beach at low tide, is like a special paradise – and it doesn’t get crowded.
Visitors describe it as a ‘beautiful bay, so unspoilt’, it’s also dog-friendly and you can even go surfing there. The Beach Guide website also described it as a good spot for fishing – and of course amazing sunsets due to its south west setting.
Hotel Parc Le Breos describes the hike to the gorgeous beach on their website: “A very picturesque walk around Oxwich Point all the way to Slade Bay. Varied scenery and fantastic views up and down the Gower Peninsula.”
You’ll cover a distance of about four miles to get to Slade Bay – and it’ll take an average time of two hours, however it will be worth the walk. The terrain is said to be ‘easy underfoot but some steep climbs including a big flight of steps’ according to advice from the hotel Parc Le Breos website.
The Parc Le Breos website explained where to park, before taking up the hike: “Head down to Parkmill then turn tight onto the south Gower road (A4418) turning off at the signposted junction for Oxwich. Park in the large supervised beach car park.”
Then you head towards the Oxwich Bay Hotel, before walking towards the church ‘nestled in the woods’ – this is the start of the trek to the beach. From there it’s a climb up lots of steps, then it’s a left – follow a path alongside fields then follow the path down a cliff top, which takes you along the cliff’s edge.
After a while you’ll see Slade Bay and you need to follow an uphill path up to the valley before you come to a track and then a lane, which you’ll need to turn right on and follow for one mile. You’ll then descend to Oxwich village and you should see the Oxwich castle on the right – from here you’ll find a narrow path towards the beach.
The Beach Guide also explained the location: “Slade beach, or The Sands as it is also known, sits just beyond the end of Port Eynon beach. In fact on a super low tide you can actually get here with dry feet from the Horton end of Port Eynon.
“As the name suggests there is a good sized stretch of sand here, although this depends to a large extent on the state of the tide. To each side of the beach are extensive flat rocks that are home to numerous rock pools, whilst to the rear are low cliffs.
They added that ‘access to the beach isn’t terribly straightforward’ as there is ‘no obvious route down from the coast path’ between the more well-known Horton and Oxwich Bay. However, this is why the beach is usually uncrowded, hence making it ‘a favourite with smugglers in years gone by’.