One of the most unique and beautiful beaches you'll find anywhere, Legzira Beach is famous for its huge rock arch. There were oririnally two arches, but one collapsed in late 2016. The second arch is at risk as the ocean continues to erode the red sandstone from which it is formed. The arch is accessible at low tide, and it is quite an amazing sight to see. Just remember that the tide does come in, so exercise caution going under the arch if you don't want to get cut off.
Cathedral Cove is considered by many to be the gem of the Coromandel Peninsula, which is quite an accolade given the stunning landscapes here. Set amongst the lush rolling landscape of the Coromandel Cathedral Cove is a small sandy beach backed by cliffs of white volcanic rock. At one end of the beach stands a towering sea stack of the same white rock, and like the cliffs small trees cling to it where they can. This huge rock is named "Te Hoho" but it is the enormous natural archway at… read more »
Ocre coloured cliffs are a trademark of the coves of the central Algarve, as are the amazing rock formations and clear aquamarine waters. However, with the possible exception of Praia Dona Ana in Lagos, nowhere are these rocks as spectacular as at Praia da Marinha.
Over the millennia the ocean has carved the limestone cliffs here into various arches, caves and pinnacles making this one of the most photographed beaches on the coast. The good news is that although the small cove at Marinha is not particularly remote it is… read more »
Sitting on the tip of the wonderous Snæfellsnes Peninsula is the black pebble beach of Djúpalónssandur. Being Iceland you will not be disappointed by the other-worldly volcanic rock forms including one with a hole in the middle as you approach the beach. There is also a small lagoon set among the pebbles towards the back of the beach.
Djúpalónssandur has a history of settlement stretching back over a thousand years. For much of this time it was home to a fishing station, although these days it is uninhabited. One of… read more »
The intriguing name of this California beach comes from the rounded boulders up to a metre in diameter which sit on its cliff-lined sands. Part of Schooner Gulch State Beach, Bowling Ball Beach lies a short distance south of Point Arena along Highway One. To reach it from the highway, you need to take the right-hand trail.
The unusual geological phenomenon responsible for the near-spherical rocks is known as "concretion" and is the result of the local sandstone being bound together by naturally occurring cements. It is a process that would… read more »
Scala dei Turchi, better known as Turkish Steps, is a stunningly beautiful area on the south coast of Sicily, near the town of Agrigento. Carved by salt-laden wind and rain, the dazzling white rocks provide natural steps down into the clear blue Mediterranean Sea.
The rock is soft limestone and white marl which creates a blinding white colour. From a distance, the rocks look like a white marble staircase rising up the cliffside.
In times of old the protected bay was a favourite hideout for Arab pirates (known as Turks), hence the… read more »
Breath-taking Sarakiniko Beach lies on the north coast of the Greek island of Milo. Surrounding a narrow inlet of the Aegean Sea, it is not noted for its sand (which is almost entirely absent) but its dazzling white bedrock.
Sarakiniko Beach is reached down a series of slopes that those in wheelchairs or with pushchairs may find a little tricky to navigate, although there are small areas of flat rock edging the turquoise waters of the inlet on the beach's eastern side. Its western side is dominated by a low cliff… read more »
Also called Flowerpot Rocks because of the shape of its natural pinnacles and arches, Hopewell Rocks is located in a provincial park of the same name in the Bay of Fundy at Hopewell Cape. The other-worldly rock formations can be enjoyed from a two kilometre beach appearing at low tide on what is technically the ocean floor.
The 20 or so wave-formed stacks can be reached by a wheelchair-accessible ramp or a metal staircase of 100 steps, but you'll have to be quick, since the Bay of Fundy has the world's… read more »
