Beaches in the UK

Tenby Beach, Wales

There are many beautiful beaches in the UK.  There are so many that are a bit out of the way and not explored as much.  We will look at some of these here.

In the south of England, people flock to Bournemouth and Brighton beaches and they can be very crowded on a hot day.  Instead, try West Wittering, a National Trust property that features a long sandy shore and less people.  It is about one and a half hours from London.  When I lived there, this is where I would go for a day out. 

In Somerset, Brean beach has a 7 mile stretch of sandy beach which is flat and clean. In North Somerset, instead of heading to Weston-super-Mare, head a bit north to Sandy Bay Beach.

There are many well-known beaches in Cornwall but one of my favourites is Marazion Beach which looks across at St. Michael's Mount. This is a large safe, sandy beach between Marazion and Penzance.

Instead of busy Torquay in Devon, go to Blackpool Sands south of Dartmouth. It is a great place for families as the beach is very safe. You can go kayaking and paddle boarding here and there is a sheltered cove to swim in and a children-only sandpit.

Beautiful Holkham Beach in Norfolk is widely known for being one of the best sandy beaches in England but it is more of a walking beach than a swimming area.  It is a National Nature reserve and has many nesting birds here.

People love to walk the Pembrokeshire coast in Wales and here you will find many isolated and quiet, sandy beaches.  An example of these is Skrinkle Haven (parking is 500 metres down the road at Manorbier Youth Hostel) but there are 140 steps down to the ocean.  The water is a bit cold!  A beauty is Barafundle Bay which is a half mile walk from the National Trust carpark.  Or you can walk two kilometres here from Broadhaven South beach. Other beaches can be reached by car such as Tenby beach and Saudersfoot beach by towns of the same name.

Scotland has many sandy beaches but the water is quite cold all year long. On the west coast is Achmelvich Bay in the Scottish Highlands.  Luskentyre Beach on the Isle of Harris is very Caribbean like until you test the water temperature!  There are so many sandy beaches on the Outer Hebrides and the Shetland Islands too.

In Northern Ireland, you will find beaches in County Londonderry (the 7 mile beach at Benone Strand), County Antrim (long isolated stretches of beach at White Park Bay and soft white sands at Portrush), and in County Down (flat sandy Murlough Beach and 2 miles of flat, sandy shores at Tyrella Beach).

​Enjoy exploring the beaches wherever you are this summer!