Beach Blog

The UK has surf beaches for every level, from sheltered bays with gentle beginner waves to powerful reef breaks that require experience, local knowledge and the right conditions. Cornwall and Devon have the biggest concentration of well-known surf beaches, but Wales, Yorkshire, Ireland and Scotland also have serious surf spots.

Norfolk is one of the best counties in England for coastal walking. The routes are usually easygoing, but they still give you plenty of variety: wide beaches, dunes, pinewoods, salt marsh, cliffs, piers, fishing villages and nature reserves.

Anglesey is one of the better UK islands for dog friendly coastal holidays. The beaches are spread around the whole island, the coast path runs for about 130 miles, and many villages are located close to the seaside. You can stay near sandy beaches, small harbours, tidal bays, woodland paths or quieter coves.

Northumberland has some of the best beaches in England. The coast is known for its long stretches of sand, endless dunes, fishing villages, islands, castles and long walking routes. This is definitely not a coast full of amusement arcades and crowded promenades.

A good foodie break by the sea should mean more than just one smart restaurant. The best coastal towns will give you a choice of options. You want seafood places, cafés, pubs, bakeries, fish and chip shops, sea views, local produce and enough to do between meals.

Dorset’s Jurassic Coast gives you fossil beaches, harbour towns, chalk cliffs, sandy bays and some of the best coastal walks in South West England. The Dorset stretch runs from Lyme Regis in the west to Studland in the east, with places like Charmouth, West Bay, Weymouth, Lulworth Cove, Swanage and Old Harry Rocks along the way.

North Devon has some of the best-known beaches in the South West, but the towns and villages along this coast are very different from one another. Woolacombe, Croyde and Saunton are closely linked with surfing and long sandy beaches. Ilfracombe and Combe Martin sit on a more rugged stretch of coast, with harbours, coves, cliffs and access to Exmoor.

Yorkshire’s coast is not just a line of beaches. It has fishing villages, fossil cliffs, Victorian resorts, seabird colonies, castle ruins, cliff railways, harbour walls and long-distance walking routes linking beaches, villages and clifftop viewpoints. Some beaches are built for a family day out while others make more sense if you want a walk first and a beach stop afterwards.

A short break by the sea does not always need weeks of planning. Sometimes the best coastal trips are the ones booked quickly: a free weekend, a sudden spell of good weather, a few days between work commitments or the sudden need for some fresh sea air.

The Isle of Wight packs a lot of coast into a small island. You can spend the morning on a sandy beach, have lunch in a harbour town, walk above chalk cliffs in the afternoon and still be back in time for fish and chips by the sea. That variety is what makes the island so enticing for a coastal holiday with family or friends.