Scarborough Beaches Yorkshire
With its mix of faded Victorian grandeur and coastal kitsch, Scarborough has something of the fun-at-all-costs atmosphere that characterises classic English seaside towns. It mixes frilly architecture, old-style grace and tawdry seaside treats, and buzzes with families in the summer season. It's not just about the seaside though, a stream of theatre groupies flock to the renowned Stephen Joseph Theatre, playwright Alan Ayckbourne's base.
Scarborough Beach :
Scarborough's two golden beaches are divided by its castle-mounted headland. Both are gentle sandy arcs with lots of facilities: North Bay and South Sands. Blue Flag North Bay has the bulk of the amusements and seaside kitsch, while South Sands retains more of its old-fashioned character.
Whitby Beaches Yorkshire
Considering Yorkshire and Lancashire are regions renowned for not suffering fools gladly, these areas are remarkable for the sheer frivolity of their seaside resorts. The coastal towns of Whitby, Scarborough and, above all, Blackpool boomed as workers from the mills flooded here for their summer holidays in the late 19th century. Stunning Whitby, the most genteel of the three, is a gateway to the North Yorkshire Moors, with literary (Bram Stoker) and historic (Captain James Cook) connections.
Whitby Beach :
On a summer's day, Blue Flag Whitby Beach is sublime: a zigzagging path (or funicular railway from West Cliff) leads from the town to 3.2km (2 miles) of sand, deckchair-dotted and beach hut-lined, with good water quality. In summer there are donkey rides, food stalls, and lifeguards on patrol. There's also a tiny, very sheltered beach in Whitby Harbour - Tate Hill Beach - with soft sand and backed by mossy rocks.
Whitby Beaches Yorkshire
Considering Yorkshire and Lancashire are regions renowned for not suffering fools gladly, these areas are remarkable for the sheer frivolity of their seaside resorts. The coastal towns of Whitby, Scarborough and, above all, Blackpool boomed as workers from the mills flooded here for their summer holidays in the late 19th century. Stunning Whitby, the most genteel of the three, is a gateway to the North Yorkshire Moors, with literary (Bram Stoker) and historic (Captain James Cook) connections.
Whitby Beach :
On a summer's day, Blue Flag Whitby Beach is sublime: a zigzagging path (or funicular railway from West Cliff) leads from the town to 3.2km (2 miles) of sand, deckchair-dotted and beach hut-lined, with good water quality. In summer there are donkey rides, food stalls, and lifeguards on patrol. There's also a tiny, very sheltered beach in Whitby Harbour - Tate Hill Beach - with soft sand and backed by mossy rocks.
Eastbourne Beaches Sussex
Eastbourne, on the Sussex coast, is like Brighton's maiden aunt, all prim lawns and cream teas, attracting a more elderly, tranquil and less eclectic crowd. A classic seaside resort, favoured as a retirement haven, with a wonderful frontage of wedding-cake Victorian buildings, it's the ideal place to head if you're not in the mood for the trendiness of Brighton. The town lies close to some dramatic coastline, including the dizzying cliffs of Beachy Head.
Eastbourne Beach :
Eastbourne is fronted by a grand sweep of shingle beach and an elegant pier. For a more dramatic beach, head 6km (4 miles) west to Birling Gap, which is a wonderfully wild, empty, shingle stretch, backed by white chalk cliffs, that was a landing place for smugglers in the 18th and 19th centuries.
West Wittering Beaches Sussex
The Sussex village of West Wittering lies close to the gorgeous emptiness of wide open sands, with views of Chichester Harbour and the South Downs beyond. It's quiet in winter and thronged in summer, but the beach is big enough for everyone to find a quiet spot. In 1952 a group of locals bought the beach and surrounding grasslands to protect it from developers, and, thanks to them, West Wittering has remained unspoilt, beautiful and wild.
West Wittering Beach :
With gently sloping, clean, sugar-white sands, calm waters and a balmy microclimate, West Wittering is an uncommercial family paradise, sheltered by the Isle of Wight and the South Downs. There are no buildings other than a beach shop and cafe. Lifeguards patrol the beach in summer and it can get pertty packed on a sunny day.
Beaches Camber Sands Sussex
This glittering stretch of the Sussex coast with its endless golden dunes of Camber Sands is a magnet for beach bums, families, dog walkers, windsurfers and kite dudes. Rather than stay in the rather desultory village of Camber, the best local base is the medieval town of Rye, a half-timbered, cobbled dream of a town that's around 4.8km (3 miles) inland, and almost too pretty for its own good.
Camber Sands Beach:
Hidden behind a string of momentous dunes, Camber Sands is a famously wonderful, windswept beach, 11km (7-miles) long, and 1km (0.5-miles) wide at low tide. The sea is clean, the shallows gentle and the wind remarkably brisk. The dunes, unique along this bit of coast, are a Site of Special Scientific Interest. The beach is around 6.5km (4 miles) southwest of Rye, which is a nicer base than the forlorn village of Camber.
Brighton Beaches Sussex
Sussex is geographically blessed with undulating hills and a coastline of fierce white cliffs, soft, white sand and raspy pebble beaches. It also harbours Britain's most cosmopolitan seaside town: Brighton, where boho easily rubs shoulders with brassy seaside tack.
Brighton Beach :
Brighton beach is a long shingle-and-sand shore, with lifeguards in the summer and deckchairs for hire. Across the beach and out to sea stalks the Victorian Palace Pier, laden with seaside amusements. Its counterpart is the spooky metal skeleton of West Pier, once Britain's finest but since destroyed by fire and the weather. It's mooted to be redeveloped into a viewing mast.
Poole Beaches Dorset
The beautiful coastline of Dorset is dotted by several thriving, busy traditional seaside resorts and is an extremely popular summer destination. Poole is a pretty harbour town, which attracts lots of moneyed yachters, and is also close to some of the UK's most expensive real estate.
Poole Beach :
There's a fabulous Blue Flag sandy beach in the Sandbanks area, 5km (3 miles) southeast of Poole, which has great facilities and is ideal for families. But best is Studland, accessible via 'chain' ferry from Poole, thus called because it is pulled along by a chain. You'll arrive at 5km (3 miles) of white sand, backed by dunes and lapped by blue and turquoise sea.
Woolacombe Beaches Devon
The north coast of Devon is awash with staggering vistas of wild, craggy coastlines and charming villages. The area is also the place to discover magical coastal paths and rickety seacliff stairs, get your adrenaline kicks and to recharge and indulge with a cream tea. The pretty village of Woolacombe is the perfect base for exploring the area and boasts its own Blue Flag beach.
Woolacombe Beach :
Along Devon's north coast are some of the West Country's best beaches: Woolacombe, Saunton Sands and Westward Ho! all offer big skies, flat sands and golden sands as far as the eye can see. Blue Flag Woolacombe is a pristine stretch of gleaming sand, with hut and deckchair hire, and lifeguards on duty in summer.
Aldeburgh Beaches Suffolk
The Suffolk coast is about as pretty and old-fashioned an experience of the English seaside as you will find, and the interesting, musical town of Aldeburgh is peaceful, is without an amusement arcade in sight. The town once sat further inland, but the sea swallowed the land and many medieval buildings. Today the town is famous for its cultural diary, the highlight of which is the June Aldeburgh Festival (www.aldeburgh.co.uk), founded by local composer Benjamin Britten.
Aldeburgh Beach :
Aldeburgh's pebbled, peaceful expanse shelves quite steeply to the sea and has a wide promenade running alongside it. Sandy areas are exposed at low tide. Maggi Hambling's huge, love-it-or-hate-it beach sculpture Scallop, is set on the seafront as a tribute to local hero Benjamin Britten.
St Ives Beaches Cornwall
A great toe of land poking into turquoise seas, Cornwall has long considered itself to be separate from the rest of England, and there's certainly something different about this picturesque region famous for its culture, sand, surf and food. Serene and sublimely set St Ives attracts visitors to the wonderful Tate St Ives and Barbara Hepworth museum, but has a lot more tricks up its sleeve, including some of Britain's finest beaches.
St Ives Beach :
Pristine Blue Flag Porthmeor is overlooked by the St Ives Tate Gallery. It's a family beach, where the gentle waves are good for tentative surfers and the golden sands perfect for basking. There's a surf school, restaurants and cafes, and lifeguards in summer.
Nearby, the glittering soft sands of Blue Flag Porthminster beach are backed by palm trees and subtropical plants. The calm seas are ideal for families, and a restaurant and café facilities are on hand.
To the north of town lies St Ives Bay, a golden curve of gleaming sand, lapped by glimmering-blue sea and stretching from Godrevy lighthouse in the north to Hayle Estuary in the south. It's thought to have inspired Virginia Wolf's To the Lighthouse. Gwithian beach, south of Godrevey, is another surfing spot, with great Atlantic swells.
Padstow Beaches Cornwall
When looks were handed out, Cornwall certainly got all the breaks: soul-feeding scenery, some of Europe's best beaches, epic cliffs, superb surf, and picturesque towns. It's pretty talented too, with its superb local produce, delicious cuisine, and cultural magnetism. Padstow, having been partially colonised by super chef Rick Stein, is a pretty town that's a must visit on any foodie agenda, while surfers and amusement fiends head down the coast to the neon lights of Newquay.
Padstow Beach :
Padstow is not only a culinary centre (see Eating Out), courtesy of a certain Mr Stein, but it also lies between some stunning beaches. To the west lie Constantine and Harlin Bay, great for swimmers and surfers, while further along the coast is the less busy Porthcothan. On the other side of the estuary is Polzeath, perfect for novice surfers.
Croyde Beaches Devon
Devon's epically beautiful north coast is wilder, jagged and more remote-feeling than the south; perfect for blowing away cobwebs, escaping the daily grind, and having memorable adventures. The north coast of Devon is also the place to head for extreme sports and to fall in love with surfing in Croyde.
Croyde Beach :
Croyde is Devon's surfer magnet with a sublime stretch of beach, pounded by rollers and serviced by a pretty village packed with surf shops and cafes. Nearby Westward Ho! has been awarded a Blue Flag and the 3.2km (2 miles) of golden sand is an important address for kite surfers. Another beach worth a visit in the area is Blue Flag Woolacombe; another pristine stretch of gleaming sands, with hut and deckchair hire, and lifeguards on duty in summer.
Sidmouth Beaches Devon
Devon is a place of childhood idylls, surfer dudes and cream teas, of quaint villages and cheesy clubs, beach bums and lobster pots. Sidmouth, east of Torbay and on the ever-popular south coast, is a quieter option than its westerly neighbours, with a slower, less showy pace, combining picturesque gentility and sedate senility.
Sidmouth Beach :
The main town beach is 1.6km (1 mile) long, pebbly and nicely maintained. Nestled against red sandstone cliffs, the stones give way to golden sands at low tide. To the west is Jacob's Ladder, a shingle and sand stretch, backed by more russet cliffs. The latter is popular with families, and you can hire a beach hut for the day.
Torbay Beaches Devon
On Devon's south coast lies the 'English Riviera', so-called for its mild climate, long sandy beaches, and prevalence of palm trees. Queen bee of Devon's resorts is Torquay (the fictional home of disastrous hotelier Basil Fawlty), which is favoured by an eclectic mix of families, pensioners and pub crawlers. Lower-key resorts in the area are Torquay's picturesque neighbours of Paignton and Brixham, both of which ooze family appeal. Together, the three towns make up the larger holiday resort of Torbay, with over 20 beaches dotted along 35km (22 miles) of beautiful British coastline.
Torbay Beach :
Many of Torquay's beaches are connected by the South West Coast Path, so it is possible to walk between them. Torre Abbey Sands, Torquay's deckchair-dotted main beach, is separated from the harbour by limestone cliffs. It's sandy, and safe to swim.
Nearby Babbacombe is a sand-and-shingle arc sat at the bottom of dramatic red clay cliffs, adjacent to the lovely shingle Blue Flag beach of Oddicombe. Both Torre Abbey and Babbacombe are accessible via the town's stately 1920s funicular railway.
Gleaming gold Paignton Sands is another fine Blue Flag beach, with good facilities, while Breakwater has also been awarded a Blue Flag and has an open-air swimming pool.
Essex beaches
The closest beach resorts to London are those situated on the Essex coast, which are handy getaways for frazzled commuters. Essex as a county gets a lot of bad press, but the coastline has some fine sandy beaches that are in easy reach from the capital. Resorts such as Clacton and Southend are famously brash and clattering, but you can head instead to the charming, if faded, resort of Walton-on-the-Naze.
Essex Beach :
In Walton-on-the-Naze, Albion beach, to the north of the down-at-heel pier is award-winning and sandy, while to the south lie the sands of Southcliff beach, backed by tiers of beach huts. Nearby Frinton-on-Sea also has a sandy beach, where the sea is zoned for swimming, sailing and windsurfing.
Ramsgate Beaches Kent
Kent is edged by some appealing sand and shingle beaches and is a coastline dotted by resorts and villages that time seems to have forgotten. The most easterly part of the coast is a chunk of land called the Isle of Thanet. Once a separate island, it became joined to the mainland when the Wantsum Channel was silted up around 2,000 years ago. The isle's resorts include the vivacious town of Ramsgate, with its handsome promenade and Blue Flag beach.
Ramsgate Beach :
Handsome Ramsgate has a lovely sandy Blue Flag beach, backed by a promenade. Close by sit Ramsgate's harbour and marina, where there are plenty of facilities and services, including lifeguards, deckchairs and a cafe. Nearby Pegwell Bay has a restaurant and a cafe, and is backed by sea cliffs. It is also a good birdwatching area and is part of a National Nature Reserve. It's overlooked by the Hugin, a replica Viking ship, which sailed from Denmark to the UK in 1949 to celebrate the 1,500-year anniversary of the Viking invasion.
Otherwise, head along the coast to genteel Broadstairs, which has a clutch of great beaches. The resort's main beach, Viking Bay, has received a Quality Coast Award and is short but sandy, with a cliff-top promenade, harbour, pier and boardwalk. Blue Flag Botany Bay has warm golden sand that's soft underfoot, limpid blue sea, and great outcrops of chalk cliffs that have been chiselled by the sea into enticing caves. It's popular and quiet, and harks back to the 1950s.
Whitstable Beaches Kent
A mere hop from London, the Kent coast is a magnet for capital dwellers in need of a seaside fix. Although perfectly pitched for family fun, the area also has a sophisticated appeal, particularly the oyster restaurants in and around the charming wood-slatted town of Whitstable, with its pebble beaches and forest of bobbing yachts.
Whitstable Beach :
Shingly and pebbly, and sectioned by wooden divides known as 'groins', Whitstable's beach is a fun place to take in the sea air, have a tentative paddle and fly a kite. It's endearingly pretty, backed by wood-slatted buildings and beach huts, and overlooked by cliffs to the east. There's a small harbour, and lots of sailing boats flapping in the wind (the Whitstable Yacht Club overlooks the seafront).
Clevedon Beaches Somerset
The Somerset coastline offers sandy beaches and includes some busy seaside towns. You can have all the fun of the fair at Weston-super-Mare, but if you prefer somewhere quieter and prettier, try the low-key Victorian resort of Clevedon, with its beautiful Victorian pier and opportunities for paddle boat cruises.
Clevedon Beach :
This sandy Somerset beach tends to get a bit muddy, but Clevedon is a pretty base and has a picturesque Victorian pier. For balmier sands, head 28km (18 miles) southwest to Burnham-on-Sea, also in Somerset. It's a long sandy stretch, gets busy in summer, and is great for swimming and paddling. It also has Britain's shortest pier, a stubby Edwardian edifice. But you have to be careful you don't get stuck in soft mud on this beach, which is exposed at low tide.
