Crystal Beach, also known as Silver Beach, arrives with excellent credentials: pale sand, granite boulders and water that photographs extremely well.
I arrived with expectations to match. Perhaps that was the problem.
Lovely is allowed to be enough
The bay is genuinely attractive. The rocks give it character; the water and sand offer an agreeable excuse to suspend the day. But it did not make every other beach in my memory immediately redundant.
A photograph selects its moment. A visit also includes weather, people, water conditions and whatever mood you brought along.
For a quieter experience, I would favour arriving early, while remembering that conditions vary.
My verdict: a pleasant place for a few unhurried hours. Neither a disappointment nor a revelation.
Not every beach has to change your life. Some can simply improve your afternoon. That is already a respectable job.
Edited and shortened from Batty’s original. Personal impressions reflect the visit described; details may change.