Dunraven Bay — Attraction in St. Bride's Major

Earlier this year we visited Southerndown and enjoyed a picnic on the clifftop (The Strand) overlooking the beach. This was a great spot for 'people watching' and the views of the beach were magnificent. There was plenty of parking near to the beach or up on the hill in a field (daily parking charges apply). There were also nearby camping facilities, toilets and a small beach shop selling snacks, drinks and ice-cream.

After the picnic we strolled down to Dunraven Bay (the beach) and explored the rock pools and collected some shells, before relaxing with a book. The golden sandy beach was very clean with families and couples enjoying quality time together. Having spent several hours on the beach we walked to the castle ruins.

We thoroughly enjoyed our visit and would recommend if you are looking for a cheap family day out without the distractions of arcades, souvenir shops, donkey rides, a fun fair or fish and chip shops. Nearby there are plenty of places to eat or drink including The Three Golden Cups, Frolics and the Watermill. This is a popular beach that gets very busy during the summer months, so I would suggest arriving early especially if you want to park in the small carpark...

Plenty of sand and rock pools. Toilets next to the beach were clean. Small refreshments shop. From the first car park there is a well surfaced road down to the beach front parking area/ toilets and shop. Was gated and closed on this visit.

Unfortunatley i didnt get to spend much time on the beach. First car park was open and packed. Cars generally dumped around the village. As mentioned earlier beach front and field parking were not available.

Spent many hours walking the cliff top backward and forward to the car. Better preparation. Earlier arrival. Making family members carry there own stuff and the availability of a little more parking would have made for a much more enjoyable visit. The rest of the family did enjoy it. But they were on the beach not walking a marathon. Did spend some time on the cliff top looking out over the water in the rain.

Nice little bay. Would visit again. But wont be carrying everyone else's beach gear. I also would select where im going and not leave it up to the females of the group who for some reason insisted on walk nearly the whole beach before...

Nice beach but..... Public toilets but small so difficult for social distancing. The main problem is the boulders between the carpark (closed because of Covid while I was there) and the sand. At high tide there is only boulders. These range from a few at 3m across down to 10cm. The problem is walking across them to get to the sand. There is no shingle here. The boulders area is the total width of the beach and 30m towards the sea and lots are wobbly which makes crossing it hard work. If you need to carry a baby in a buggy or similar and it's really difficult. Not a beach for people with walking problems. If it's low tide and you make it across the boulders to the sand then you are in for a great day as the sand is excellent for sand castles, boats, dams etc. and my grandchildren loved it. There is also a handy beach kiosk that does hot drinks, cakes, crisps, etc.. Only filter coffee but good quality and very enjoyable with your picnic. I didn't swim but several people did and there were children splashing about on the edge. They all seemed to be having...