Beaches are surely some of the happiest places on Earth. Everyone who heads to the seaside is most likely there on a summer’s (or at least sunny) day, revelling in time off work, soaking up mood-boosting vitamin D and raising their dopamine levels with refreshing sea swims. It’s impossible not to have a smile on your face.
But, apparently, there are some beaches that elicit more smiles than others. And three beaches here in Britain are among the top 30 happiest in the world.
How do we know that? Well, CV Villas has used facial recognition software to analyse thousands of Instagram pics of more than 100 beaches, to determine which have the smiliest visitors. With that info, it determined which beaches are the happiest on the planet.
Sunny bays in Spain and Portugal took bronze, silver and gold, but in fourth and fifth place were two beaches in Wales. Rhossili Bay on the beautiful Gower Peninsula narrowly missed out on a place on the podium. It’s one of Time Out’s own favourite British beaches and is dog-friendly all year round (which we imagine accounts for lots of the smiles).
Rhossili was followed by the nearby Caswell Bay, a spot loved by families and surfers, at number five. A little further down the list is Scotland’s Troon Beach. The spectacular Ayrshire and Arran bay has some of the bluest water in the world, which is surely enough to dispel any sadness.
You can see CV Villas’ full ranking of the happiest beaches in the world here.
Get happy with Time Out UK
There’s no joy quite like getting out of the house and exploring all the amazing places this little island has to offer. For more stuff that’s guaranteed to put a smile on your face, check out Time Out’s lists of the best wild swimming spots, the most beautiful natural wonders, the most exciting extreme outdoor activities and best UK music festivals to book for 2025.
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