Kazimiera
06-07-2014, 09:45 PM
Five secret European beaches
Celtic solitude
http://ichef.bbci.co.uk/wwtravel/608_342/images/live/p0/1b/nv/p01bnvl9.jpg
Among Scotland's far-north wild Hebrides Islands lies the Isle of Harris, where the vast white-sand beach and crystal-clear azure waters see more deer, otter and dolphins than the kite-surfers for whom it seems tailor-made. A rare sign of civilisation: a seaside weaver selling original Harris tweeds a few miles away.
Au naturel on the Savage Coast
http://ichef.bbci.co.uk/wwtravel/608_342/images/live/p0/1b/nv/p01bnvp1.jpg
The French jealously guard any spare spot of beach they can get to. But not that many get to the Côte Sauvage, which lies opposite the oyster- (and people-) heavy Île d'Oléron on France's untamed west coast. Surrounded by a shaggy pine and green oak forest between Ronce-les-Bains and La Palmyre, this 29km stretch of white sand is accessible only after a serious hike over the dunes.
Sardinia’s dolce vita
http://ichef.bbci.co.uk/wwtravel/608_342/images/live/p0/1b/nv/p01bnvcr.jpg
Head south to the 15th-century Italian village of Orosei, where the historic centre is made up of old stone houses like the cheerful Anticos Palathos Bed and Breakfast, 18km south of the Bidderosa Beach nature reserve. It shares the same pale white sands and transparent azure waters as up north but none of the Porto Cervo crowds, thanks to a policy that restricts the number of daily cars and the alternative of a 3km walk off a poorly marked exit on the SS125 highway.
Spanish spelunking
http://ichef.bbci.co.uk/wwtravel/608_342/images/live/p0/1b/nv/p01bnvfs.jpg
Between Portocolom and Porto Cristo, Majorca's white-sand beach of Cala Varques is accessible only by boat or a rocky footpath, has swimming pool-like water and is ringed by pine forests. One of the cliffs nearby grants access to half a kilometre of underground (and some underwater) caves. Pack water and a lunch, as there is nothing for sale here. The beach is about 20 minutes south from Manacor, where La Reserva Rotana, a 17th-century stone house, has been transformed into a private golf course and antique-decorated resort.
Mediterranean quiet
http://ichef.bbci.co.uk/wwtravel/608_342/images/live/p0/1b/nv/p01bnvhp.jpg
Wade through the translucent shallows to reach the tiny islet facing Elafonisi Beach, a nature reserve on the southwestern tip of Crete. It is unusually quiet and commerce-free, with pinkish sand and bright blue water (it takes either a bus or a car to get there). Chania, a charming village with a 15th-century Venetian harbour, is the site of the lovingly restored Casa Leone hotel.
Source: http://www.bbc.com/travel/slideshow/20130620-europes-secret-beaches
Celtic solitude
http://ichef.bbci.co.uk/wwtravel/608_342/images/live/p0/1b/nv/p01bnvl9.jpg
Among Scotland's far-north wild Hebrides Islands lies the Isle of Harris, where the vast white-sand beach and crystal-clear azure waters see more deer, otter and dolphins than the kite-surfers for whom it seems tailor-made. A rare sign of civilisation: a seaside weaver selling original Harris tweeds a few miles away.
Au naturel on the Savage Coast
http://ichef.bbci.co.uk/wwtravel/608_342/images/live/p0/1b/nv/p01bnvp1.jpg
The French jealously guard any spare spot of beach they can get to. But not that many get to the Côte Sauvage, which lies opposite the oyster- (and people-) heavy Île d'Oléron on France's untamed west coast. Surrounded by a shaggy pine and green oak forest between Ronce-les-Bains and La Palmyre, this 29km stretch of white sand is accessible only after a serious hike over the dunes.
Sardinia’s dolce vita
http://ichef.bbci.co.uk/wwtravel/608_342/images/live/p0/1b/nv/p01bnvcr.jpg
Head south to the 15th-century Italian village of Orosei, where the historic centre is made up of old stone houses like the cheerful Anticos Palathos Bed and Breakfast, 18km south of the Bidderosa Beach nature reserve. It shares the same pale white sands and transparent azure waters as up north but none of the Porto Cervo crowds, thanks to a policy that restricts the number of daily cars and the alternative of a 3km walk off a poorly marked exit on the SS125 highway.
Spanish spelunking
http://ichef.bbci.co.uk/wwtravel/608_342/images/live/p0/1b/nv/p01bnvfs.jpg
Between Portocolom and Porto Cristo, Majorca's white-sand beach of Cala Varques is accessible only by boat or a rocky footpath, has swimming pool-like water and is ringed by pine forests. One of the cliffs nearby grants access to half a kilometre of underground (and some underwater) caves. Pack water and a lunch, as there is nothing for sale here. The beach is about 20 minutes south from Manacor, where La Reserva Rotana, a 17th-century stone house, has been transformed into a private golf course and antique-decorated resort.
Mediterranean quiet
http://ichef.bbci.co.uk/wwtravel/608_342/images/live/p0/1b/nv/p01bnvhp.jpg
Wade through the translucent shallows to reach the tiny islet facing Elafonisi Beach, a nature reserve on the southwestern tip of Crete. It is unusually quiet and commerce-free, with pinkish sand and bright blue water (it takes either a bus or a car to get there). Chania, a charming village with a 15th-century Venetian harbour, is the site of the lovingly restored Casa Leone hotel.
Source: http://www.bbc.com/travel/slideshow/20130620-europes-secret-beaches