Stunning Photos Of Pebble Beaches From Around The World
When we think of the word "beach", we usually imagine a place full of sand, but that's not always the case. It's possible to find beaches made of seashells, broken glasses pounded smooth by the waves and pebbles. While it's not rare to find pebbles on most beaches, beaches made completely of pebbles are actually few and far between. We can't exactly say they are rare, though (according to some websites, there are only five pebble beaches in the world and that is not true).
Chesil Beach, England- Chesil Beach is a 29 km long pebble beach (also known as shingle beach) that can be found in Dorset, Southern England. The size of pebbles ranges from pea-sized ones at West Bay on the northwest end, to much bigger ones close to Portland at the southeast end. According to the rumors, smugglers who landed on the beach at the darkest hours of the night could figure out exactly where they were by the size of the pebbles. Flint, quartzite, granite, magnetite, pumice, and many other types of rocks can be found here.
Large chert and flint pebbles can be found close to the Portland (southern) entrance of the beach.
You can see the smaller pebbles close to the northern end of the beach in this photo.
Schoolhouse Beach, USA- This beach is located on Washington Island, in Wisconsin, U.S.A. According to the reports, there used to be a wooden schoolhouse in this area, hence the name of the beach. The tiny white limestone pebbles, pounded smooth by the action of glaciers thousands of years ago, are so valuable that souvenir hunters used to steal them until a ban was placed. Nowadays, if you're caught while you're stealing the pebbles, you need to pay a hefty fine.
Mabua Pebble Beach, Philippines- Mabua Pebble Beach can be found an approximately 30-minute drive away from Surigao which is a city located at the north-easternmost tip of Mindanao Island in the Philippines. The kilometer-long shoreline is full of pebbles of different sizes- the ones near the water are smaller but the ones that are away from the sea are palm-sized.
Valugan Boulder Beach, Philippines- This beach can be found just a short bike ride away from Basco, in Batanes, Philippines. Valugan Boulder Beach is famous for its smooth boulders thet cover the shoreline which stretches for miles. What makes this beach stand out among the other pebble beaches is that the pebbles on Valugan-which are called boulders-are massive in size. These boulders are thought to have originated from Mount Iraya which is an active volcano that can be found close by. The relentless waves of the sea gradually polished the rough andesite rocks into smooth boulders that can be found on the beach today.
White Pebble Beach, Philippines- Another pebble beach that can be found in Bagolatao, in the town of Minalabac, only 45 minutes away from Naga City, also in the Philippines. This beach is not as popular as the other beaches we have covered so far in this list, so it is mostly not really crowded.
Jasper Beach, USA- This beach is located in Howard Cove, in Machiasport, Maine. This 800-meter-long beach is full of rocks. These rocks are big at the top of the beach, but towards the water's edge, they are the size of fine gravel. Don't be fooled by the name of this beach as there is no jasper on this beach, only rhyolite, a volcanic rock which, just like jasper, has a dark red color.
Birdlings Flat, New Zealand- Birdlings Flat is a settlement and a beach located on the south side of Banks Peninsula, in Canterbury. A ton of Agates and colorful round shingles are washed ashore here swept up by the northern traveling ocean currents from the rivers in Mid and South Canterbury and beyond. This place has been very popular amongst rock and gem collectors for the longest time.
Slapton Sands, England- This popular pebble beach can be found in the village of Slapton, in Devon, England. The shingles here stretch for 3 miles.
Pebble Beach, Nice, France- This pebble beach which is located in Nice, in southern France, stretches for miles along the French coastline on the Mediterrannean coast. This is a popular tourist spot in the French Riviera and also one of the leading resorts, so it's pretty much crowded all the time.
Pebble Beach, Nice, France- This pebble beach which is located in Nice, in southern France, stretches for miles along the French coastline on the Mediterrannean coast. This is a popular tourist spot in the French Riviera and also one of the leading resorts, so it's pretty much crowded all the time.
