Pendine tourist information

With its huge expanse of flat sand, it's easy to see why Pendine beach was chosen by the pioneers of motorsport to set the first world land speed records in the 1920s.

The sands were used for car and motorcycle racing from the early 1900s, but became famous after Sir Malcolm Campbell broke the land speed record in 1924 (146.16 mph) in his racing car the Blue Bird. In that decade, the record was set and broken several times by both Campbell and J. G. Parry-Thomas, who tragically died in the attempt in 1927. His car Babs was buried in the sands, but later excavated with permission to form the centrepiece of the Pendine Museum of Speed. Campbell's grandson recently attempted a world electric car speed record at Pendine.

Today, the 7 miles of beautiful, wide beach attract holidaymakers looking for a more relaxing seaside getaway. The sand flats also create great conditions for surfing, land yachting and kite-surfing, and there are a range of good shops, cafes and pubs on the seafront. Note however that the beach is owned by the Ministry of Defence and usually closed during the week.