‘It’s the Maldives… in Scotland!’ TikTok couple discover secret paradise beach on Isle of Harris

‘Oh my God… I think we just found the equivalent of the Maldives in Scotland.’

So say married couple Sam and Chris Hoar in a now-viral TikTok video that was captured on a beach on Scotland’s Isle of Harris (which is joined to the Isle of Lewis).

In the video, the couple from Devon, England, who run the YouTube channel The Travel Duo, reveal how they were flying their drone over the strip of coast that faces the island of Scarp, when they spotted an ‘incredible’ stretch of white sand fringed by turquoise waters – Traigh Mheilein beach. 

They were immediately reminded of the tropical Maldives archipelago in the Indian Ocean, telling MailOnline Travel: ‘The white sand and the crystal-clear water is not something you see very often in the UK.

‘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 [Scottish ] 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.’

The couple say: ‘We have been to the Maldives twice… the secret beach [above, in Scotland] reminded us of the gorgeous waters there’

The couple says that the beach is so ‘hidden and remote’ that they couldn’t find it on Google Maps, though it is marked by Ordnance Survey maps.

The bloggers, who have travelled to 31 different countries together, bought their first campervan in 2018 and in 2022 gave up their careers to go travelling – Chris is a retained firefighter and an engineer while Sam had her own business as a beauty therapist. The pair rented out their three-bedroom home in Plymouth and set off in their campervan, sharing their journey along the way on social media.

The trip to Scotland has been a highlight of their travels. After spying the beach on the drone, the childhood sweethearts, who tied the knot at 23, hiked over to it and went for a dip in the sea, along with their dog Fletcher.

They recall: ‘We enjoyed the gorgeous soft white sand and couldn’t stop staring at the clear turquoise waters. 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.’

The couple spotted the ‘incredible’ beach while flying their drone over the strip of coast that faces the island of Scarp. ‘We enjoyed the gorgeous soft white sand,’ the couple say

The couple’s dog, Fletcher, on the beach. The pair reveal they ‘couldn’t stop staring at the clear turquoise waters’

The couple says that Traigh Mheilein beach is so ‘hidden and remote’ that they couldn’t find it on Google Maps

‘It’s not very often you come across such turquoise waters,’ the couple say 

The couple loved ‘how remote it was’, saying: ‘It was so peaceful and felt like being somewhere tropical,’

Many of the TikTok users who commented on the video, which has 464,000 views and 28,000 likes, ‘were very surprised that it was in the UK’, the couple reveal.

They say: ‘It’s not very often you come across such turquoise waters like that. We grew up very close to Cornwall where there are some spectacular beaches but nothing as good as this. We had so many comments saying they couldn’t believe it was in the UK.’

TikTok user ‘Lou Lou’ said: ‘Scotland you say? With waters so blue? No way.’

Others, meanwhile, were more preoccupied with the temperature of the water. User Gracie Kaye wrote: ‘Me, a Scottish person, wondering how the heck you didn’t freeze to death.’

While user ‘ab’ penned: ‘So beautiful but so cold.’  

Many of the TikTok users who commented on the video, which has 464,000 views and 28,000 likes, ‘were very surprised that [the beach] was in the UK’

Chris and Sam say of the beach: ‘We wish we had longer to enjoy it… we will most certainly be going back there.’ The bloggers have travelled to 31 different countries together. Pictured right is a portrait of Fletcher on the sand

There was a path all the way to this beach from nearby Huisinis car park, the couple reveal 

Remote: The Isle of Harris is joined to the Isle of Lewis

Reflecting on what they’ve learned from their travels, the couple says: ‘We can honestly say that we have fallen more and more in love with the UK. When we get good weather – which we know can be few and far between in the UK – it really is a gorgeous island. 

‘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.’

How do you access the beach? The couple reveals: ‘To find it you park at Huisinis Beach and walk towards Scarp Island for about 35 minutes and then you will reach this patch of paradise. There was a path all the way to this beach from Huisinis car park, however, it can be challenging at times due to uneven ground, boggy surfaces and narrowing paths around the side of the mountain.’

Though they have moved on from Scotland in their travels, the pair have plans to return to this hidden gem. They reveal: ‘We wish we had longer to enjoy it… we will most certainly be going back there.’

To see more videos from Chris and Sam, visit their TikTok account, their YouTube channel and their website.