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Beaches Near the London Olympics

  • Updated: July 28, 2012

Escape the crowds of the 2012 Summer Olympic Games in London to see the nearby beaches that ISLANDS photographer Jon Whittle recently visited. Beach volleyball anyone?

Freshwater west beach near london olympics gallery 1
This is Freshwater West, arguably the most beautiful beach in Wales and the backdrop to movies like Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows and Robin Hood. It’s a famous surfer’s beach as well. Jon Whittle
Freshwater West beach near London Olympics gallery 2
While beach volleyball in the 2012 London Olympics will actually be taking place at Horse Guards Parade in London, Freshwater West would have been a beautiful summer venue too. Jon Whittle
Caldey Island beach near London Olympics gallery 2
Caldey Island is a small speck off Great Britain’s western shore, inhabited since the Stone Age and now owned by monks of the Cistercian Order. Jon Whittle
Tenby beach near London Olympics gallery
The Welsh town of Tenby has an ample beach along its shore and the tiny island of St. Catherine a stone’s throw away. Jon Whittle
Tenby beach near london olympics gallery scene
Tenby is as close to a beach town as you’ll see in Wales. It’s the opposite of the hectic life in London, made more so during the 2012 Summer Olympic Games. Jon Whittle
Tenby beach near london olympics gallery boats
Whittle calls these the cleanest boat hulls in the world. As the tide comes in and out, the boat owners come out to clean their temporarily beached boats here in Tenby. Jon Whittle
Tenby beach near london olympics gallery Robert
ISLANDS editor Robert Stephens, traveling along with Whittle, enjoys the tropical water. OK, maybe the Tenby beach isn’t as warm as a Bora Bora lagoon. Jon Whittle
Pendine sands beach near london olympics gallery
The beach at Pendine Sands is the best of what you find in Great Britain — dramatic bluffs along the shore and a quiet sandy beach. Jon Whittle
Pendine sands beach near london olympics gallery 2
Pendine Sands is a great beach to let the dogs run free. Jon Whittle
Island beaches near london olympics gallery
Heading out to one of these beaches from London to get a break from the Olympics is only one of the options amid the Summer Games. See our London Layover article for more trip ideas. Jon Whittle
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