4 Unusual Shores: Pigs, Ice, Driftwood and a Beach Runway

A beach can be much more than a place to spread a towel. Sometimes the memorable feature is a line of weathered trees. Sometimes it is ice, an unexpected animal encounter or an aircraft arriving on the sand.

These four coastal settings are enjoyable for different reasons. Knowing what kind of place you are visiting helps you choose the right day—and appreciate more than the unusual photograph.

Exuma, Bahamas: the swimming pigs have a specific home

The well-known pig beach is associated with Big Major Cay in Exuma, not the city of Nassau. That distinction matters when comparing excursions: a tour’s starting point is not necessarily the location of the attraction.

Treat the visit as an animal encounter, with questions about handling, feeding and supervision. The pigs are not a reason to overlook the rest of the journey through the islands.

Our Exuma swimming pigs guide provides more context. Before booking, compare the full route and travel time so that the day matches the experience you have in mind.

Jökulsárlón and the nearby coast, Iceland: ice changes the scene

Jökulsárlón is a glacial lagoon. The nearby ocean shore commonly called Diamond Beach is a separate setting, where pieces of ice may appear against dark sand. Images of the two are often shared together, but they do not show one interchangeable swimming beach.

The amount, shape and position of visible ice vary. Build your visit around the landscape you find, rather than expecting a particular photograph to repeat itself.

Stay on permitted ground and well clear of moving water and unstable ice. For more of Iceland’s changing atmosphere, explore Iceland photographed in fog.

Driftwood Beach, Georgia: let the branches lead the walk

On Jekyll Island, the trees and exposed wood along Driftwood Beach give the shore a distinctive outline. The Jekyll Island Authority’s visitor page provides the location and access information.

This is a place where a short walk can produce very different compositions. Look at a single branch against the sky, then step back to see how several forms overlap.

Keep the beach as you find it. Photographing the shapes is a much better souvenir than removing pieces. Consider tide and weather when planning how far to walk, and leave yourself an easy return.

Barra, Scotland: the beach is also an airport

Barra’s beach runway is an extraordinary meeting of island geography and everyday transport. It is also an active aviation site, so a photograph of an aircraft on sand should not be read as an invitation to wander onto the landing area.

The official Barra Airport website is the starting point for current flight and visitor information. Follow the airport’s signs and instructions about where and when you may go.

If you hope to see an arrival, check the actual day’s arrangements and leave room for operational changes. The novelty is more rewarding when understood as a working connection for the island.

Choose the activity, then pack for it

These places call for different plans: a boat trip, a cold coastal stop, a shoreline walk or an airport visit. Swimming is not the common purpose linking them.

For destinations where time in the water is the main aim, use our clear-water escape comparison. A coastline does not have to offer the same experience as every other coast to make a memorable part of a trip.

The unusual-beach guide adds examples where geology and local history explain the shore’s distinctive appearance.