THE infamous Bude Tunnel has been named as one of the best places to visit in the country after receiving a Tripadvisor Traveller’s Choice Award.

Each year, travel guide website Tripadvisor awards travellers' favourite destinations, hotels, restaurants, and things to do around the world, based on reviews and ratings collected over 12 months. This year, among recipients, was North Cornwall’s infamous Bude Tunnel.

Residents of North Cornwall will all be well aware of the spectacle that is Bude Tunnel. A 70-metre plastic tunnel, complete with 36 metal arches which stretches along the side of the town’s Sainsbury’s supermarket.

The iconic local inside joke has now been the recipient of an international award - which ranks it among the likes of the Grand Canyon, Sagrada Familia, and Stone Henge.

Winners of the Tripadvisor Traveller’s Choice Award are chosen based on ratings and reviews from Tripadvisor users. The scheme hopes to ‘recognises all businesses that earn consistently great reviews’.

Earning the accolade puts Bude Tunnel among the top 10 per cent of listings on Tripadvisor - which featured more than eight-million listings in 2023.

One review for the tunnel reads: “Although I've visited the Golden Temple, Amritsar; the Meenakshi Temple, Madurai; the Temple of the Tooth, Kandy and even St Peter's, Rome; there was always something spiritually missing until I went to Bude Tunnel. Parallel with ancient lay lines, the simple geometric repetition is spiritually uplifting. I now feel complete. A not to be missed wonder of the modern world.”

A spokesperson from Tripadvisor added: “The 2026 winners are a celebration of everything we did last year—all the places we discovered and all the times we just said "yes" to new adventures. We'll reveal the winners by category throughout the year, so keep checking back for the latest.”