Best beach on the south coast is 5 minutes from Hamilton Hall. That's official.

A BEACH in Bournemouth has been named the best in the south of England for 2024 according to The Times.

Southbourne Beach won in the regional category as part of the Times and Sunday Times' annual best beaches guide.

SCROLL DOWN TO READ ABOUT OUR LOCAL NATURIST BEACH AT STUDLAND

and naked beach goers

Chief travel writer Chris Haslam visited 543 beaches around the UK, with 50 being included.

Criteria analysed included water quality, cleanliness, accessibility, car parking facilities, lifeguard presence, hygiene levels at restrooms and showers, and dog-friendliness.

Haslam said: "My Jack Russell, Dave T. Dog, and I have journeyed 5,583 miles and explored 543 beaches.

"The 50 beaches that made our list are graced with outstanding natural beauty, superb infrastructure, and a clear sense of pride from those who live, work, and play there.

"I’m still in awe of the beauty of the UK coast. From Kynance to Caithness, and Brancaster to Benone, the beaches of Great Britain and Northern Ireland are the most magnificent on earth.”

The full Times and Sunday Times Best UK Beaches guide for 2024 can be found on the website here.

Southbourne was said to encompass Bournemouth's soul

What did The Times say about Southbourne Beach?

Haslam was enamoured with Southbourne describing it as encompassing "Bournemouth's soul".

He wrote: "Bournemouth’s beach is the finest on the south coast: 9.5 miles of soft sands that run from Hengistbury Head in the east to Sandbanks in the west.

"I spent two days looking for Bournemouth’s soul and eventually found it four miles east at Southbourne.”

Southbourne Beach is also well-reviewed on Tripadvisor, earning a score of 4.5/5 from 251 ratings.

One person wrote: "It’s so much quieter than the main Bournemouth beach and just such a nice relaxing beach. There is also usually a nice breeze so that you never feel too hot. Great to walk along or chill out on."

Another posted: "Amazing stretch of sandy beach from Hengistbury Head to Bournemouth. Very clean. Great for a walk, picnic or swim. Probably less crowded than Bournemouth beach in peak season."

Meanwhile, another shared: "Simply love this beach, was introduced to the Sobo community and from Southbourne high street to the beach I cannot fault it, such a lovely place to be and thankfully not that full of tourists like myself. Beautiful beaches, great local shops and always goes down well with the British summer!"

Dorset as a whole was well-represented in the south of England category with Hive Beach, Man O'War Beach and Middle Beach also being included.

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JB ADDS:

STUDLAND NATURIST BEACH

BOURNEMOUTH BEACH outshines Brighton by a very long way.

Brighton beach is all stones - really uncomfortable.

Bournemouth beach is golden sand.

Brighton has a main road running along side the beach.

Bournemouth does not.

Brighton as a town is all a bit old and jaded.

Bournemouth is constantly re inventing itself.

Brightons LGBT scene is all a bit too London - lots of attitude.

Bournemouths LGBT scene has more - style - and with a MUCH greener town surrounded by beautiful countryside, Bournemouth wins hands down.

Do you think I am biased... you bet I am.

Most tourists tend to cram themselves in around the two piers at Bournemouth and Boscombe even though there is miles of golden sand - all very safe and well catered for with cafes - toilets etc. and yet - people seem to feel safe all crammed in together and ignore the empty beach just a 5 minute walk away and where parking your car is much easier. If you want to go naked then STUDLAND BEACH is about an hour from Hamilton Hall to sitting on the beach and there are no hotels, gay or otherwise right on the beach and is a 10 minute car ferry ride across the opening of Poole Harbour, and is a VERY popular beach on fine weather days.

You can expect to see things like this below and I will point out these pictures are not from Studland but random pictures from the web.

NATURIST EVENTS AT HAMILTON HALL - ALL YEAR - CLICK HERE

'Dear John: Can I meet other naked men at your venue ?'

Yes, of course you can. You have a room and you have your own space to enjoy as you see fit. We have no rules except offer respect to your hosts, the venue and each other.

How you enjoy yourself is up to you and I am not here to judge you at all, in fact, I may even take pictures for you if you ask.... ha ha

I am really nervous about attending and being naked as I am not a stud and at 58 not in my prime. Does that matter ?

Absolutely not as most of us are past our prime and not in the best shape of our lives so - fuck 'em if they look down on us and we only see your beauty, regardless of wobbly bits, liver spots and scars. We are all in the same boat.