The tiny little UK village with 8-mile beach – ‘better than Ibiza’ | Travel News | Travel
This stunning beach in England was named one of the best in Europe (Image: Getty)
A small village in an unsuspecting corner of the UK has one of the best beaches in Europe, according to travel experts. The gorgeous eight-mile beach is home to a seal colony and stunning coastal views, and is located in one of the most naturally beautiful counties in all of England. Plus, it outranked beaches in popular summer holiday destinations such as Rhodes and Ibiza, earning generous praise from the creators of the ranking.
Travel experts at the esteemed tourism site TripAdvisor recently ranked the best beaches in Europe to visit, with this unexpected English coastal spot making the list among some of the most scenic beaches across the continent. TripAdvisor created the list using data from tourist reviews, so the ranking truly reflects how regular people feel about these places. TripAdvisor has released its Travellers’ Choice: Best of the Best beaches list for 2026, and this stunning British beach managed to nab the number 13 spot.
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Horsey Gap in Norfolk is a stunning eight-mile-long beach between the small towns of Eccles-on-Sea and Winterton-on-Sea. In the middle is the tiny coastal village of Horsey.
“Horsey Beach feels wide open and wonderfully calm, with long stretches of clean sand made for wandering,” the website said of this UK beach. “Take in sweeping North Sea views—and be sure to keep an eye out for seals.”
As well as the beach, the village of Horsey is known for its historic windmill, which is a National Trust site. However, TripAdvisor praises the area specifically for its beach.
The beach has received praise before. Last year, it was named the top beach to visit in the UK by The Telegraph. Meanwhile, locals and tourists have had overwhelmingly positive things to say about this coastal spot.
Horsey Beach is home to a huge seal colony (Image: Getty)
One person said in their review: “The car park is spacious and only a short walk to the beach over the sand dunes. Seeing the seals lying on the beach is a wonderful sight there were so many. I would recommend this experience.”
Another shared: “Hundreds of seals; it’s truly a sight to behold. Apparently the pups have 8 weeks with Mum and then they’re to fend for themselves. Great volunteers making sure they are watched and admired but left in peace. We stayed not too far away, at the idyllic Ruston Reaches, and enjoyed lots of beaches and wildlife galore!”
A third wrote: “A lovely trip to see the seals. We were informed there were 641 seals counted by very knowledgeable Friends of Horsey Beach. It’s amazing as you get to the top of the dunes and see so many.
“Definitely worth the car park fee and trek up the steep hill. Take good walking shoes and binoculars too.”
The beach ranked higher than sunny European hotspots (Image: Getty)
Horsey Gap wasn’t the only UK beach to be named as one of Europe’s best in this year’s list. TripAdvisor also highlighted Bamburgh in Northumberland, which is truly a sight to behold with its ancient castle sitting proudly over the grand expanse of dunes and sandy beach.
Although it didn’t crack the top ten, Horsey Beach ranked higher than many beaches in European hotspots, including Cala Comte in Ibiza, Tsambika Beach in Rhodes and Cala Mariolu in Sardinia.
However, it did miss out on a higher spot as other European beaches got better average reviews. At number 1 on the 2026 list is Balos Lagoon in Crete, Greece, followed by Praia da Falésia in Portugal, La Pelosa Beach in Italy and Falassarna Beach in Greece.
The full TripAdvisor list can be viewed here.
