Brits rave about 'secret' UK beach which 'looks just like the Maldives'
Struck by its 'white sand and the crystal-clear water,' a British couple are convinced they've found the UK equivalent of the Maldives.
Sam and Chris Hoar, from Devon, England, were travelling around the country when they found the hidden little gem.
In a now-viral TikTok video, the couple reveal they were flying their drone over the coastline when they spotted an ‘incredible’ stretch of white sand and turquoise waters.
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The couple told MailOnline that it immediately reminded them of the Maldives.
"The white sand and the crystal-clear water is not something you see very often in the UK," they said.
"We have been fortunate enough to visit the Maldives twice, once for our honeymoon and then we returned two years later as we fell in love with it there.
"The secret [UK] beach reminded us of the gorgeous waters there. So clear. We caught it on such a perfect day where it was very still and shimmering in the sunshine."
Traigh Mheilein beach, where the footage was filmed, is on Scotland’s Isle of Harris (joined to the Isle of Lewis).
They say that it was so 'hidden and remote,' they couldn't find it on Google Maps.
The bloggers, who run the YouTube channel The Travel Duo, have travelled to 31 different countries together and say finding this Scottish gem is definitely a highlight.
"We have some of the best beaches in Europe here and this one in Scotland has to be one of the best we have ever seen on our travels," they said.
After spotting it on their drone, they hiked over to the beach and went for a dip in the sea.
"We enjoyed the gorgeous soft white sand and couldn’t stop staring at the clear turquoise waters," they recall. "There was one other couple there when we arrived and then they left so we decided to go skinny dipping seeing as we forgot to bring our swimmers.
"It was so peaceful and felt like being somewhere tropical."
TikTok users commenting on the viral clip, which currently has more than 680,000 views, couldn't believe that it was in the UK.
One user wrote: "Scotland you say? with waters so blue? no wayyyy," while another added: "So beautiful."
But, the one thing the Maldives has that Traigh Mheilein doesn't is beautiful weather to match the beautiful view, with the couple admitting that it was a wee bit chilly.
In response to a comment left on the video, they said the water was 'unbelievably cold.'
And one Scottish commenter wrote: "Me, a Scottish person, wondering how the heck you didn’t freeze to death."
Bec Oakes