[category]
[title]
Northern Ireland’s beauty is possibly the most overlooked of the four UK nations. England is obviously renowned for the gorgeous Cotswolds, the stunning Lake District and the breathtaking Cornish coast. Scotland boasts the spectacular Highlands and even Wales is beginning to get more recognition for its magnificent Eryri mountain range and Pembrokeshire shoreline.
But take a ferry or a flight across the Irish Sea and you’ll be met with even more glorious sights. The most beautiful of them all? That would be the Benone Strand on the Causeway Coast, which made it onto Time Out’s roundup of the best-looking places in the UK.
The Benone Strand is part of a seven-mile blanket of pristine golden sand in County Derry, backed by sand dunes and grassy cliffs. As you amble from one side of the sand to the other, you’ll pass the impressive Dunne Waterfall, which is one of the tallest in Northern Ireland and elegantly cascades down the mossy cliff face. The beach then merges with Downhill Strand, which starred in the second season of Game of Thrones.
The coastal stretch can get particularly busy during peak times of the year, but Time Out contributor Stephen Emms had the pleasure of seeing it without the crowds. He said : ‘The first time I visited world-class Benone Strand, this vast seven-mile stretch of beach was deserted apart from a single horse rider galloping through the clear shallows.’
On the west side of the beach, sat precariously on top of a 120-foot cliff edge, there’s the ‘crowning glory’ of Benone Strand: the Mussenden Temple, which was once the library of the 18th-century Bishop of Derry. There’s also the nearby Downhill House (built by the same guy), which Stephen says is now a ‘wonderfully atmospheric ruin’.
If you decide to go and see the Benone Strand’s beauty for yourself, Stephen recommends taking some R&R at the Finnish-style Hotbox sauna on the sand before grabbing a beverage at Sea Shed Coffee, then hiring a board from the adjoining surf shop and getting out on the Atlantic waves.
The most beautiful places in the UK to visit in 2026.
Did you see that Britain’s favourite walking path has been crowned for 2026?
Plus: The five greatest hotels in the UK 2026.
Stay in the loop: sign up to our free Time Out UK newsletter for the latest UK news and the best stuff happening across the country.