"Huge congratulations to Swansea's Rhossili Bay for beating many of the most exotic beaches across the globe, " she added.

BBC: Rhossili Bay

Hotspots include Caswell Bay, Mumbles, Langland Bay and Oxwich Bay but the most impressive beach, and most popular with surfers, is the three-mile sweep of Rhossili Bay.

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The Maritime and Coastguard Agency said the casualty was rescued while its Rhossili team and the RNLI lifeboat from Burry Port were racing to the scene.

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Adrian Short, who was born and brought up on Gower and has owned the Worm's Head Hotel in Rhossili for over a decade, said the beach was perfect.

BBC: Rhossili Bay

The Guardian recently said the cottage was one of the trust's "most sought after, thanks to a stunning location overlooking Rhossili Bay across a runway of sandy beach".

BBC: Rhossili Bay holiday cottage evacuated after grass fire

Two other members of the polar party, Welshman Edgar Evans from Rhossili on Gower, and Captain Lawrence "Titus" Oates - he of the renowned phrase "I am going outside and I may be some time" - had earlier lost their lives.

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The trust website describes the cottage as "the sole building above a wide expanse of sandy beach... set on a raised terrace in the dramatic landscape of Rhossili Bay with uninterrupted views of the sea and the tidal island of Worm's Head".

BBC: Rhossili Bay holiday cottage evacuated after grass fire