The 40 best British beaches
Beaches for swimmers
Mill Bay/Nanjizal near Land’s End, Cornwall
Low tide at this bay reveals the Song of the Sea arch with its emerald plunge pool. Follow the coast path south to a string of pearly coves: Porthgwarra, St Levan, and the Pedn Vounder sand bars beneath Logan’s Rock. sennen-cove.com/nj.htm
Crackington Haven Cornwall
Crackington Haven makes a wonderful family swimming destination. At low tide the sandy beach is perfect for body boarding, or you can explore the Mermaid Pools. In the evening people make pebble towers, transforming the cove into a megalithic site. thisisnorthcornwall.com
Barricane shell beach Woolacombe, Devon
Swimming here is so safe you can go for a night swim. If it’s been very hot, and you’re lucky, you may see phosphorescence, when plankton glows luminous green, swirling and flashing as you move through the water. Magical. northdevon.com
Purbeck plunge pools Worth Matravers, Dorset
These blue lagoons feel like Crete on a hot summer day. Continue 20min east to find Dancing Ledge, a low rectangular tidal rock pool that warms up nicely in the sun. From here you can swim into a set of eerie sea caves on the left. thepurbecks.co.uk
East Head West Wittering, West Sussex
West Wittering can be reached by a tranquil cycle ride from Chichester station. It has white sand and great expanses of dunes. Walk up to the tip of East Head and you’ll find a beach that shelves deeply — perfect for swimming. It also has shallow lagoons that warm in the sun and are excellent for mud fights and slides. westwitteringbeach.co.uk
Burnham Beach and Scolt Head Island Norfolk
This five-mile stretch of sand is probably England’s wildest. Swim across the deep pool to Scolt Head Island, an uninhabited nature reserve, and England’s only desert island. Return via the mud creeks and swimming holes on the Cockle Path. naturalengland.org.uk
Bow Fiddle Portknockie, Aberdeen
This is an ordinary fishing village with extraordinary coastal features. The Bow Fiddle rocks sits in a little cove and its slanted rock strata have created a huge natural archway as high as a cathedral. The swim out is easy and once underneath you can climb up on to the arch and jump back in. You may even be lucky enough to witness a pod of the Moray Firth dolphins swimming close by. scottishholidays.net
Coral Beaches Dunvegan, Isle of Skye
Skye’s coral is composed of fragments of billions of bleached skeletons of red algae that grow at the bottom of the ocean at the north of the island. Cows loll about on the beach sniffing at the seaweed, and you can snorkel among the kelp forest and swim with the friendly seals. walkhighlands.co.uk
Fidden and Fingal’s Cave Mull
Mull has some of the clearest waters in Britain. At low tide you can wade to Erraid, Robert Louis Stevenson’s “Treasure Island”. Or take a boat to Fingal’s sea cave — where Mendelssohn played violin. Inside, the hexagonal balsalt columns rise up like organ pipes to the ceiling — a perfect place to dive and sing. serenityisleofmull.co.uk
Blue Pool Corner Gower
The Blue Pool on the Gower peninsula is a legendary tub about 12ft deep, set in honey-coloured rock with mauve water and various levels from which you can jump. The pool stands at the east end of a long wild beach that bears its name. geograph.org.uk
Daniel Start Wild Swimming Coast by Daniel Start is published by Punk Publishing, £14.95 Daniel Start
Crowd-free beaches
Samson Isles of Scilly
This is an uninhabited island reached via ferry from St Mary’s, the main island of the Scillies. The ferry draws up by the beach and you walk along a wooden plank to the sand. There are two hills with good views across the Scillies; between them the ghostly remains of an old village. spimplyscilly.co.uk
Skaw Unst, Shetland Islands
The settlement at Skaw is the most northerly in the UK; remote and rarely visited. There’s a small, sheltered sandy beach — plus a terrific sense of isolation. Birdlife includes gannets, fulmars, petrels and kittiwakes; and there are more than 25,000 pairs of puffins at the nearby Hermaness National Nature Reserve. You may also see seals and whales. unst.org
Goswick Sands Northumberland
These vast sands were a weapons range during the Second World War, and there are signs warning you that metal objects found there “may explode and kill you”. Nevertheless, it’s a wonderful place for a long bracing walk. It is not far to Lindisfarne and the splendid town of Berwick-upon-Tweed is also close. northumberland-beaches.co.uk
Dungeness Kent
OK, you may think that visiting a beach best known for its nuclear power station is misguided, but Dungeness is lovely: a vast stretch of shingle that seems to go on for ever (it is the largest shingle beach in Europe). The tides are too strong for swimming, but Dungeness is popular with anglers and great for quiet walks. discoverfolkestone.co.uk
Climping West Sussex
Tucked away between Bognor Regis and Littlehampton, Climping is a hamlet with a shingle beach. It is much quieter here than neighbouring resorts. The tides are not usually strong so it is safe to swim. Climping itself has plenty of charm. visitsussex.org
Spurn Head East Yorkshire
This four-mile peninsula of shifting sands curls into the mouth of the Humber and is one of the most otherworldly places in Britain, with the Humber estuary on one side and the North Sea on the other. realyorkshire.co.uk
Harlech North Wales
The dunes at Harlech are a National Nature Reserve and some loom upwards more than 10m, great for children to clamber over on walks. They cover about five miles of coast and run into the Royal St David’s Golf Club at one end, beyond which there is the town of Harlech. harlech.com
Chapman’s Pool Dorset
The steep, long walk down from the village of Worth Matravers makes this beach very difficult to reach, but worth the effort as the shingle here is full of fossils and there is beautiful scenery and a sense of seclusion. Visitors must consult local tide charts to ensure that it is safe to visit the narrow (very secretive) beach — the path means it is not suitable for children. chapmanspool.ukfossils.co.uk
Kynance Cove Cornwall
Lizard Point is Britain’s most southerly point, and most people zoom there going straight past the turning to Kynance Cove. They are missing out on a terrific, rugged, hidden cove with 200ft cliffs, as well as lots of caves and stacks dotted about. kynancecovecafe.co.uk Tom Chesshyre
Fashionable beaches
Penzance Cornwall
Higgledy-piggledy lanes full of quaint pubs, tiny antique shops and seemingly endless art galleries make Penzance a great place to while away a summer day. Long Rock Beach is sandy and good for families as the waters are shallow. There’s also the triangular Art Deco Jubilee Pool lido — the biggest tidal pool still in use in Britain. From the promenade you can walk along the harbourfront to look around the fishing boats in their docks. penzance.co.uk
Whitby North Yorkshire
This beautiful port has a sandy beach and a rich history. It was where James Cook came to serve his apprenticeship in 1746. The Endeavour was built here and there’s a Captain Cook Memorial Museum. There’s also the beautiful remains of Whitby Abbey, parts of which dates from the 7th century. The recently renovated YHA hostel on the hill is one of the best in the country. discoveryorkshirecoast.com
Margate Kent
The childhood home of Tracey Emin is turning trendy. Earlier this month Emin unveiled a work in neon lights saying “I never stopped loving you” at Droit House on the town’s seafront. There are lots of quirky cafés, retro clothing shops and old furniture shops — and a bit of a buzz about the town, which has a 200m sandy beach. There’s a new boutique B&B (thereadingroomsmargate.co.uk), with rooms that manage to combine the ornate with the minimalist. The Turner Contemporary Gallery (the artist painted many seascapes here) is due to open here next summer — with works by modern artists including Emin. visitthanet.co.uk
King Edward’s Bay Tyne & Wear
This little sand beach is tucked away not far from the cliffs on which the remains of Tynmouth priory and castle sit. The beach is peaceful and pretty, and farther along the coast you reach Tynemouth Longsands, where there is a café-bar and surfing lessons. North Shields, from where many of the beach’s visitors walk, is known for its superb fish and chips (try Kristian Fish Co) as well as its fish wholesalers down by the waterfront, where you can sometimes see huge sharks being off-loaded from fishing boats. visittyneside.co.uk
Mablethorpe Lincolnshire
Thanks to its annual Bathing Beauties Festival, Mablethorpe’s beach huts have taken on the look of works of art. Each year they are re-designed and decorated into eye-catching and often startling creations (artists turned one into a giant G&T). The beach itself is a long stretch of sand that is perfect for a bucket-and-spade break. Brasher, more famous Skegness is not far away, but Mablethorpe is the rising star of Lincolnshire. visitlincolnshire.com
Fish Sands Co Durham
Not so much a place for a swim, more of a beach for sunbathing or eating fish ‘n’ chips and only accessible via Hartlepool’s medieval town wall. This is a hidden spot and it is also where legend has it that the city’s famous monkey was washed ashore after a French ship was wrecked during the Napoleonic wars. The monkey is said to have been wearing a French military uniform and was sentenced to death for being a spy. The beach is part of a trail of historic sights in Hartlepool that includes the old harbour and Sandwell Gate, the 14th-century gateway to the old town. destinationhartlepool.com Tom Chesshyre
Best beaches for surfers
Watergate Bay Cornwall
The Hotel and Extreme Academy, Watergate Bay, was set up to be “a ski resort on the beach”. Slick, chic and family friendly, its many water sports are complemented by the celebrity chef Jamie Oliver’s Fifteen restaurant, right on its doorstep. A half-day lesson for beginners can be booked through the hotel and costs £30; private lessons can also be arranged. The surf at Watergate Bay can be unruly, with big winter swells, but from spring to late summer this is one of the best places to learn to surf in the UK. 01637 860543, watergatebay.co.uk
Bournemouth Dorset
The formerly down-at-heel area of Bournemouth known as Boscombe has experienced a huge revival, thanks to the opening of the first artificial surf reef in Europe. It is aimed at proficient surfers, but beginners are catered for by the Sorted Surf Shop, on the boardwalk. Yes — a boardwalk: Boscombe is now more like California than England. bournemouth-surfschool.co.uk
Saunton Sands Devon
Rolling waves and an expanse of gently shelving beach make Saunton Sands ideal for beginners. While the shortboard fraternity is busy around the corner at Croyde Bay, you can enjoy your own waves at Saunton — the beach is so vast that only a short walk will secure an uncrowded peak. There is also a strong and stylish longboard scene here. For tuition by Sarah Whiteley, one of Britian’s top surfers, see walkingonwaves.co.uk
St Ouen’s Jersey
Jersey may by only 9 miles by 5 miles, but it plays host to a vibrant surf scene. The focal point is west-facing St Ouen’s Bay. Its backdrop, a landscape denuded of all but a few straggles of gorse, is wholly unscarred by development, while there are interesting remnants of the Nazi occupation of Jersey dotted along the expansive beach. The hubbub of the local scene is Watersplash, a bar, surf club and restaurant in the middle of bay that is packed with surfing history. watersplashjersey.com
Gower Peninsula Wales
In 1957, Rhossili Bay, on the Gower Peninsula, was the first to be given an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty title in the UK. Today, the Gower is the centre of the dynamic Welsh surf scene. Lessons can be booked through Gower Surfing Development, all of whose packages include the cost of board and wetsuit hire. The owner, Simon Jayham, is known for his surfing exploits, while near Rhossili is the pretty village of Llangennith, the home of the legendary PJ’s Surf Shop. Its owner is one of the few British surfers to have had an audience with the Prince of Wales at Buckingham Palace. 01792 360370, gowersurfing.com
Porthleven Cornwall
Tourists love Porthleven’s fish port and its venerable workaday feel, but surfers come for a different reason — the reef just beyond the harbour walls. Winter storms can generate waves that crash over the top of the nearby 30ft sea wall — an elemental power that makes it so compelling and popular. But make no mistake: surfing the immaculate right-hander here can lead to tubular bliss — and broken limbs.
Thurso East Scotland
The rugged town on the north coast of Scotland is one of Europe’s best surfing venues. The reef at Thurso East hosts the Highland Open and never fails to astound professionals from the surf idylls of Hawaii, California and South Africa. They owe a lot to the largesse of Lord Thurso, who technically owns the reef but who enjoys watching people surfing so much that he has never objected to their presence. Thurso is one of the best waves in Europe, but — whisper it quietly — each side of the town there are several other world-class breaks.
Crab Island Wales
Another of the Gower Peninsula’s gems, this notorious right-hand reef break demands respect. Beware: access can be difficult and rips are a problem.
Belhaven Bay Scotland
Close to Edinburgh there is a well-developed surf scene and the excellent Coast to Coast Surf School. Located at beautiful Belhaven Bay, near Dunbar, the surf school’s instructors are all British Surfing Association qualified and will advise intermediates on the best waves along the uncrowded Scottish coastline. c2csurfschool.com
The Cribbar Cornwall
Although some of the focus on big-wave surfing has switched in recent years to the West Coast of Ireland, the Cribbar, which breaks off Newquay’s Towan Headland, remains a formidable proposition. A number of local surfers have tried to master the dangerous right-hand reef break, which was first surfed in the 1960s. Perhaps Tony Plant, editor of the surf magazine Pitpilot and a Cribbar fanatic, best sums up its allure: “When you’re in big surf, water doesn’t behave like water — it becomes something almost beyond our understanding.” If you fancy seeking enlightenment at the Cribbar on a big swell, make sure you happen to be one of the very best surfers in the UK. Alex Wade
Best beaches for caves and rockpools
Porth Dafarch Anglesey, Wales
Crabs and colourful little fish aplenty are to be found in the rockpools at Porth Dafarch on the Isle of Anglesey, close to Holyhead. There’s a sandy, hidden beach (the bay is only about 100m across) and the waters are popular with windsurfers, canoeists, surfers and jet skiers. It’s a great place for rambling over rocks and exploring the rugged coastline. The RSPB reserve at South Stack lighthouse is a short drive away. visitanglesey.co.uk
Hell’s Mouth Lleyn Peninsula, Wales
There are lots of rockpools for crabbing and exploring at this isolated, long sandy beach that gets its name from the huge breakers that come its way when the wind from the Atlantic picks up. During the summer, however, it is mainly calm and popular with families. The rockpools are a bit seaweedy, but are teeming with life. There are plenty of other beaches to explore near by, as well as the popular resort of Abersoch, on the east coast of the peninsula. nwt.co.uk
Botany Bay Kent
When the tide goes out, the receding waters reveal a vast chalk reef of pools containing crabs and starfish. Along the chalky cliff there are caves and stacks standing out in the sea. The beach is sandy and popular with families. The white cliffs make for a dramatic setting. Botany Bay is not far from Broadstairs, with its many caves, pubs and restaurant, as well as the Dickens House Museum (Dickens regularly visited the town). visitkent.co.uk
Broad Ledge Lyme Regis, Dorset
All sorts of creatures, including limpets, dogwhelks, winkles, sea slugs, urchins and several different types of crab, can be found in the rockpools at Broad Ledge, which is part of the Lyme Regis Marine Wildlife Area. There are sandy beaches near by, but the Ledge is all about hunting amid the seaweed to see what lurks in the waters. Lyme Regis is part of the Jurassic Coast World Heritage Site that stretches for 95 miles from Exmouth to Swanage. charmouth.org
Portrush Co Antrim
Hunt in the rockpools at Portrush and you will find velvet fiddler crabs, sticklebacks, prawns and shrimp. There are excellent beaches for sunbathing in the summer and views across to the Giant’s Causeway headland. Sand dunes can be explored near the Royal Portrush Golf Club. The rock formations at Giant’s Causeway and a visit to the Bushmills distillery are local musts. visitingportrush.com Tom Chesshyre
Best beaches for twitchers
Britain’s thousands of miles of coastline include some of the most interesting and rewarding places from which to observe birds as well as other forms of wildlife. From the spectacular cliffs of Durlston Head in Dorset, which teem with guillemots and razorbills every summer, to the skuas of Fair Isle in the Shetlands, there is no shortage of opportunities to learn about our natural heritage. The diversity of our coastal wildlife means that you are able to chance upon it in a variety of different situations. At Lizard Point, on the southern tip of mainland Britain, you can sit at a café eating a crab sandwich or a cream tea, while looking out for gannets crossing Mount’s Bay, fulmars gliding by on stiff wings, and seals. If you do not mind a possibly bumpy boat ride, the island of Grassholm, ten miles out from St David’s, is a wonderful place to visit. It is a rock with more than 30,000 pairs of nesting gannets. A continuous growling roar comes from the birds on their nests, and all around there are gannets plunging dramatically into the water. Of course, one of the great resources in Britain is the RSPB reserves that dot the coastline. I particularly recommend Titchwell on the North Norfolk coast, with well-placed hides and plenty of information. Birds nesting among the reeds include such rare sights as marsh harriers, bearded tits and water rails. Spoonbills and little gulls are also often seen. Minsmere on the Suffolk coast has another important RSPB reserve — about 100 pairs of avocets nest here on the shore; booming bitterns and bearded tits nest in the reedbeds; and there is a hide from which marsh harriers can be seen plunging down. Hobbies are quite common overhead, and little terns nest in a guarded place on the beach. Up on Dunwich Heath there may even be Dartford warblers. Derwent May
The coolest beach hotels
Number One South Beach, Blackpool
So close to the Pleasure Beach that you can smell the candyfloss, Number One South Beach is a sophisticated alternative to all those doilies-and-jam guesthouses that clutter up the town’s seafront. The furnishings in its 14 rooms, would elicit murmurs of approval from Terence Conran. The restaurant is fast becoming a destination in its own right — Neil Tennant, Andrew Neill and the Strictly Come Dancing judges have been spotted there enjoying its excellent seafood. 01253 343900; numberone southbeach.com. Doubles from £120, inc breakfast.
Beaches, Deal, Kent
Intimate and exclusive, Beaches has just two guest rooms and is an interior designer’s dream, a masterclass in how to pep up crisp, clean decor and muted colour tones with witty touches such as space-age capsule chairs and beach-inspired artwork. The owner happily provides towels, tables and sunloungers to take down to the beach. The breakfasts are worth the room rate alone. beaches.uk.com, 01304 369692. Doubles from £80, inc breakfast The Big Sleep, Eastbourne, East Sussex This is the latest addition to actor John Malkovich’s boutique-hotel chain. Situated in a gleaming, white, palm-fringed building, it comes with the sort of bold and funky interiors you’d expect in a hotel three times the price. There’s no restaurant, but you can always fire up a barbecue on the beach then retire to a sofa in the hotel bar for a digestif or two. 01323 722676, thebigsleephotel.com. Doubles from £59, including breakfast.
Blanch House, Brighton, East Sussex
Run by the Groucho Club’s former bar manager, this intimate, 12-room townhouse hotel, just a wave-splash from Brighton beach, may look elegant and unassuming from the outside — but indoors, it’s more colourful than a Bajan carnival procession. Its cocktail lounge and tiny restaurant are two of the city’s biggest draws, and the seasonal menu does wonderful things with locally caught fish. 01273 603504, blanchhouse.co.uk. Doubles from £100, inc breakfast.
Llety Bodfor, Aberdyfi, Wales
Behind Aberdyfi’s golden, powder-soft sands sits the intimate boutique hotel Llety Bodfo. It has just eight rooms, featuring such touches as squishy leather sofas, old church pews and roll-top baths. There’s no restaurant, though drinks are available on an honesty basis in the lounge. 0845 0340700, mrandmrssmith.com. Doubles from £125, incl breakfast.
Seaham Hall and the Serenity Spa, Co Durham
Set on a clifftop overlooking a long sandy beach, Seaham Hall’s rooms come with the sort of gadgetry that would have Doctor Who scratching his head — luckily, all guests are given a lesson on how to use it . The spa has more pools, hissing steam areas and Zen relaxation zones than your average Dubai seven-star. Add in the superb White Room restaurant and you’re unlikely to bother with the beach. 01915 161400, seaham-hall.co.uk). Doubles from £195, inc breakfast.
St Moritz Hotel, near Padstow, Cornwall
At first glance this gleaming white-and-blue Modernist building looks as though a 1930s ocean liner has docked in a palm grove overlooking the Atlantic. Recently revamped, the hotel offers ultra-stylish rooms along with a clubby bar, buzzing restaurant and the sort of spa that people travel hundreds of miles to be pounded and pummelled in. And there’s even a selection of buckets. spades and surfboards piled up in the lobby. 0845 0340700, mrandmrssmith.com. Doubles from £99, inc breakfast.
The Three Chimneys, Isle of Skye
Though a pebbly lochside strand might not be quite what you had in mind when planning a beach break, it’s worth abandoning the suncream and sandcastles for a stay at The Three Chimneys in Colbost. This restaurant with rooms occupies a group of crofters’ cottages, and has won countless awards for its fresh-out-of-the-water approach to seafood. Each of its six stylish junior suites combines a simple, rustic-inspired design with all the mod cons of a top boutique hotel. 01470 511258, threechimneys.co.uk. Doubles from £285, including breakfast. Rufus Purdy