The white sand beach of Balnahard, on the Isle of Colonsay, is as fascinating as it is beautiful.
The white-sand beaches of Inner Hebridean Colonsay are hardly crowded, even in summer, but Tràigh Bàn or Balnahard, being a sheltered bay that little bit further from the beaten track, is very special.
The 3½-mile walk across the machair from An Crosan takes you past a healing well used by 6th-century St Columba, a Gruagach Stone (leave an offering of milk and the ancient fairy queen will watch over your cattle), a Bronze Age house and Iron Age fort.
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Old, wrecked ship’s timbers emerge from the sands at Balnahard Beach, Isle of Colonsay.
Time your arrival at beautiful Balnahard to low tide for a glimpse of the remains of wooden steamship SS Wasa, which was beached in 1920 after a fire. Its timbers and cast-iron hull still jut dramatically from the sand. The view past Mull and the Firth of Lorne to Jura is equally impressive.
See more of Secret Britain
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Kingley Vale, West Sussex: The ancient, twisted yews that are the oldest living things in Britain
Today's Secret Britain spot is a mysterious and magical spot in West Sussex.
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Binevenagh, Northern Ireland: Lava-hewn crags and cliffs at the end of one of the planet’s great railway journeys
Our Secret Britain piece today takes a look at the view from the top of Binevenagh in Co Londonderry.
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North Meadow, Cricklade: An ancient field where half a million wildflowers create a wall of colour
The spectacular North Meadow, in Cricklade, Wiltshire, is a Secret Britain sight we should all enjoy at least once.
![Milestones - composite image:L Neil McAllister/Alamy Stock Photo; David Ridley/Alamy; Ian Shaw/Alamy; Education Images/Getty Images; Wales heritage photos/Alamy; Graham Hardy/Alamy; Chris Cole/Alamy; Shutterstock; Jonny White/Alamy Stock Photo](https://keyassets.timeincuk.net/inspirewp/live/wp-content/uploads/sites/8/2019/01/milestones6-920x584.jpg)
The secret history of the milestone, from Roman Britain to Industrial Revolution and beyond
The milestones which help travellers find their way across Britain have been a feature of the nation's highways and byways
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Osea Island, Essex: A secret so well-kept that even the locals have barely heard of it
Annunciata Elwes looks at a little-known spot accessible for just a few hours a day.